About 2 Hours Ago, I Was Cooking In The Kitchen And Accidentally Splattered Hot Cooking Grease On My Finger And Arm. I Immediately Rinsed Those Burn Areas With Running Cold Water Is This Anything I Need To Seek Urgent Care For? Or Anything I Should Be Doing To Minimize The Pain Or Damage?

Posted on Mon, 27 Aug 2018

Medically reviewed by Ask A Doctor - 24x7 Medical Review Team

Mon, 27 Aug 2018 Answered on

Wed, 29 Mar 2023 Last reviewed on

Question : About 2 hours ago, I was cooking in the kitchen and accidentally splattered hot cooking grease on my finger and arm. I immediately rinsed those burn areas with running cold water and even soaked my finger for awhile in a cool water for about 20 minutes. I did also apply an "aloe gel" for skin relief, but I'm not sure if that was a good idea or not, as it stung the area a few minutes later. Now 2 hours later, the pain on my arm seems to be getting better but my finger is maybe increasing in pain. There is still redness in the burn area, but it looks like my finger may blister.
Is this anything I need to seek urgent care for? Or anything I should be doing to minimize the pain or damage? I will add a picture for better diagnosis. Thank you in advance.

Answered by Dr. Dr. Kakkar (2 minutes later)

Brief Answer:
Regarding burn from oil

Detailed Answer:
Hello,

You may take an OTC painkiller e.g either diclofenac or ibuprofen for symptomatic relief from pain. If you notice blistering I suggest you to use a topical antibiotic ointment e.g. silver sulphadiazine (silverex ointment), twice daily for a few days.

Hope I have answered your query
Let me know if you need any more assistance
Thanks

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Vaishalee Punj