When Hot Peppers Burn

After years of handling hot peppers, I began to develop a sensitivity to capsaicin, the element that gives hot peppers their heat. A good pair of gloves resolved this issue, but recently, while I was preparing to make Thai paste, I discovered that I was out of gloves. I decided to forgo protection as the hottest pepper I was using that day was a Thai pepper -- a pepper that had never presented a problem for me in the past. Also, I reasoned, who really wants to run to the store at 5 AM? Needless to say, I will NOT make this mistake again.



Over the course of 5 hours or so, I roasted, I peeled, I chopped, I de-seeded, and I mixed. As I took the final taste test, it dawned on me that this paste was hotter than normal. At about the same time, my hands began to burn furiously, and over the course of the next half-hour or so, they became redder and redder and fine blisters began to appear. This quickly led to me to research cures for pepper-burned hands, and this is what I discovered:

• There is controversy as to whether you should wash your hands once the burning begins, but using a de-greasing dish soap, such as Dawn, is recommended by some. They believe that because capsaicin is oil-based, a de-greaser will break up the oils, allowing you to wash it away. I actually had been washing my hands throughout the morning (and with Dawn, too), but I did try scrubbing well with it afterwards and it did nothing to alleviate the burning sensation.
• Rub copious amount of olive oil (or any other cooking oil that you may have on hand) over the affected part and then wash as described above. The theory behind this is that the olive oil will help diffuse the capsaicin, making it easier to wash away. This did not work for me either.
• Soak the body part(s) in milk or milk-based products, such as sour cream or yogurt. Casein, a protein found in milk, is suppose to soothe the skin by acting as a detergent, breaking the capsaicin link to your nerves. In addition, the fat in milk acts similarly to the olive oil mentioned above, so it is easier to wash away the remaining burn. There is anecdotal evidence that this may be effective when the body part in question is your eye, and many people swear by its efficacy. While my hands did feel better while soaking (I used whole milk), the moment I withdrew them from the bowl, the burn returned with a passion. Washing afterwards did not help either. I spent 30-40 minutes soaking before I gave up.
• Soaking the body part(s) in acid is also frequently recommended: lemon juice, lime juice, or one of the vinegars. One person admitted to using his own urine -- twice. I am not that adventuresome, so I tried apple cider vinegar, but to no avail.
• I tried rubbing in a paste made of baking soda. No luck.
• As for ammonia or ammonia-based products, I tried Windex, but it did not help at all.
• Ice and/or cold compresses are recommended, and I read several accounts of people placing their hands in bags of ice and then taping the bags to their wrists overnight. After 15 minutes of treatment, It was apparent that this was not going to help me either. In fact, the pain worsened with the ice treatment.
• We have some prescribed burn ointment which I tried. Although it has done wonders for other burns in the past, it was of no use in this instance.
• Aloe Vera is said to help. As I am not currently growing it, I could not try this home remedy. I did see that the Aloe Vera should be reapplied frequently.
• The one that did work for me was Clearasil acne pads with salicylic acid. I vigorously scrubbed at my hands with the exfoliating pad and allowed the Clearasil to dry. Although it did not get rid of all of the pain, it reduced it by a third at least. The pain flared again an hour later, but a quick reapplication was all that it took. Within another 2 hours, the pain was gone. This treatment, however, did leave my skin extremely dry and funky.

Other treatments I discovered on the net, which I did not try, include:

• Oil and salt -- the salt exfoliates the skin and the oil diffuses the capsaicin. Wash afterwards with a de-greaser.
• WD-40 and mechanic's hand soap. WD-40 helps to dissolve the capsaicin, and mechanic's soap washes it all away.
• Alcohol -- but this is highly controversial. Some sites swear by it and an equal number swear that it does no good. Never put rubbing alcohol in or near your mouth, eyes, or nose, though, as it is highly toxic.
• Bleach
• Toothpaste
• Honey
• Overly ripe bananas

The one consistency that I found is that a treatment that works for one person does not necessarily work for another. Also, the sooner you treat, the better the results. I think this is the primary reason I had such an issue. Several hours had passed before I became aware of the problem. If you find yourself in the same predicament, I hope that something here will help. If you have burned your eyes, though, you should call your doctor before trying any of these home remedies. Needless to say, I will make sure that I always keep an ample supply of gloves from now on. Lesson learned.