Q. Some time ago I heard an unusual home remedy on your radio show: using Elmer’s glue to prevent blistering on a burned hand. I burned myself last night and initially iced my hand.
Since I’ve never had much luck with icing burns, I decided to try the glue method, which consists in spreading glue over the burned area and letting it harden. I repeated this covering a couple of time to form something like a second skin over the burn. Eight hours later, as I write, the skin is a little tender, but there are no blisters. This is really neat.
A. This is one of the more unusual home remedies people use on burns. Rapidly cooling the skin first with cold water is important. In addition to helping reduce the pain, it stops the heat from making the burn worse.
We have no idea why Elmer’s glue might ease the pain of a household burn. Others report success with soy sauce or yellow mustard. A serious burn deserves medical attention and should have nothing other than cool water applied to it at home.
