Urgent Help Needed!

[nyc]

The love of my life is in agony. She was slicing habaneros barehanded. Now she's in agony.

Does anyone have any tried and true treatments?

Thanks.

[maggiethecat]

Cold running water. Patience. And the Love of Her life being sympathetic and kind.

That's about it, unfortunately.

[gsquared]

Wash well with water to remove the surface remnants. Water alone will, however, not solve the problem as the Capsaicin (the active burn ingredient) is not water soluble. It is soluble in alcohol, so wash with whatever booze you have around. If you do not have alcohol, washing with milk will also help. Good luck!

[bloviatrix]

I did the same thing with scotch bonnets. Tell her not to touch her face, otherwise she'll get the capcasin on the her face.

Soak the afflicted area in milk. Slathering aloe gel will help relieve the burnining. And Tylenol.

[jhlurie]

The love of my life is in agony. She was slicing habaneros barehanded. Now she's in agony.

Does anyone have any tried and true treatments?

Thanks.

Ach, I feel for her.

I once got Thai Hot Pepper essense in my eye. I couldn't see for several hours.

[melkor]

The best thing I've found is to soak your hands in lemon juice.

[Lounge Lizard]

So this one time we had a prep cook seed a big bowl of jalepenos for us and at the same time we fed him lots of beer knowing he would have to relieve himself eventually...he did, and it hurt.

[tejon]

I was just going to add that she should be careful wiping. Ask me how I know

[Jason Perlow]

Oh man. Gotta keep that stuff AWAY from mucous membranes, big time.

Two summers ago I was de-seeding some chocolate habaneros I grew that I was turning into hot sauce and I didn't use any gloves. Major dumbass moment. Even though I washed my hands, I went to the bathroom afterwards to pee -- and let me tell you there is NOTHING quite like the pain of pure capcaicin in your urethra. Even after like what seemed to be an hour in the shower and rubbing soap all over the place, it still took a while to get it out.

Make sure she scrubs underneath her fingernails -- use a nailbrush. have her get a manicure if need be, you dont want her getting that stuff on you!

[MatthewB]

And go out today & buy a box of kitchen gloves.

[elyse]

I've heard oil works too.

Tell us what you did, and how it worked.

[BettyK]

Vinegar works too.

[elmo]

Stub your toe. That will focus your attention to the newly hurt member of your body and you might forget about your burning hand while you tend to your toe.

[guajolote]

Stay away from intimate situations.

[MatthewB]

Stay away from intimate situations.

Chicken.

[Alex]

I assume that the skin has been rinsed, etc. and you're referring to the non-acute phase of treatment. Treat it like you would any skin injury from a caustic substance. Aloe is good; so is a topical anesthetic, if needed. Also, kiss the boo-boo to make it better.

I'm thinking of the time when I was young and stupid and rubbed my eye after cutting up some jalapeños.

[Sweet Willie]

Stay away from intimate situations.

or situations where heavy sweaters wipe the sweat off of their foreheads w/peppered hands!

A side question: are not habaneros and scotch bonnets the same thing?

[Jaymes]

Stay away from intimate situations.

or situations where heavy sweaters wipe the sweat off of their foreheads w/peppered hands!

And don't change baby's diapers or you will get no sleep at all tonight.

[elmo]

And dont pick your nose.

[Rachel Perlow]

It's been almost 24 hours. How is she feeling?

[jsolomon]

Capsaicin being an oil, probably doing the dishes by hand without gloves would be the best bet. Aside from that, mild analgesics such as ibuprofen (if tolerated a 600 mg dose would take care of most of the pain). An aspirin or two, chewed, would provide the fastest relief. Otherwise, you can try something like Solarcaine or anbesol, both of which have benzocaine in them which will provide decent anaeshtesia of the affected part (keep away from eyes).

edit: fix italics

Edited September 5, 2003 by jsolomon (log)

[=Mark]

A side question: are not habaneros and scotch bonnets the same thing?

They are of the same family of pepper (Chinense) but are likely of different cultivars. Habaneros generally have a more pointy extended tip (outee)

Where Scotch Bonnets have a more rounded, sometimes even recessed tip (innee)

Edited September 5, 2003 by =Mark (log)

[=Mark]

OK, all this talk of chile pepper burns and intimate contact leaves me no choice but to post a link to a story by a member of the Chilehead list that delves deeply into both. Be aware that there is explicit sexual content.

Rael 64s "Good Vibrations"