If you have been sprayed with a stinging substance on your face or somehow getting into your eyes, your only desire is to wash it off. The pepper spray causes a terrible burning sensation in the eyes that forces you to close them; it can also cause skin inflammation and make breathing difficult, making it particularly dangerous for asthma sufferers. There are several ways to rid your eyes of this substance, but don't expect the pain to go away immediately.
Steps
Method 1 of 3: React quickly
Step 1. Don't touch your eyes
Pepper spray is an oil-based substance that causes severe irritation to the eyes and skin. If it got into your eyes, you need to resist the temptation to rub them or touch your face, otherwise you just spread it even more and enlarge the affected area.
- Don't touch your face, but try to make your eyes water by winking a lot.
- The movement of the eyelids triggers the production of tear fluid, which helps to expel the residues of the product.
Step 2. Remove your contact lenses
If you wear them while the stinging substance gets into your eyes, you need to remove them immediately, otherwise the residue from the spray will stick to them and your eyes will continue to get irritated; cleaning the lenses is not enough to get rid of the spray.
- Once the lenses are removed, immerse your face in cool, clean water.
- Keep opening and closing your eyes underwater several times.
Step 3. Expect the burn to last a long time
Even if you manage to rinse your eyes and expel the irritating elements, the discomfort can persist for half an hour up to over 2 hours; in addition, edema of the mucous membranes of the throat can make breathing difficult for up to an hour.
- If your symptoms are particularly severe or last beyond this time frame, you should go to the hospital or emergency room.
- If you have asthma, pepper spray can cause severe breathing difficulties and you should seek immediate medical attention.
Method 2 of 3: Using Water
Step 1. Rinse your eyes with water
The pepper spray leaves an oily residue on the skin and in the eyes that you need to get rid of as quickly as possible. The simplest way to proceed basically consists in rinsing the face and eyes with fresh water; continue in this way for at least 15 minutes.
- Then expose the skin affected by the stinging product to fresh air, so that the irritants can evaporate after washing your eyes thoroughly.
- If you have the ability to reach a sink or drinking fountain, use them; alternatively, take whatever clean water you have available. You can also get under cold shower water to rinse your eyes.
Step 2. Wash your skin with soap and water
Rinsing the face and eyes with water helps wash away the oily residues of the chilli; if you want to get them off your skin, however, you should use a mild, non-oil-based soap or dish soap. Make a solution of 1 part neutral detergent and 3 parts fresh water.
- Keep your eyes tightly closed and soak your face in the soapy solution for 20 seconds.
- Then rinse the skin and repeat 10 times.
- Change the soap and water mixture with each rinse to avoid putting your face back in the water contaminated with the stinging substance.
Attention:
be careful that the soap does not get into the eyes, otherwise they will irritate further.
Step 3. Use a saline solution
Even when the burning sensation in the eyes begins to subside, some residue may still be present. To solve this problem, you can use saline eye drops to get rid of the last traces of the chili pepper substance; it is enough to instill a few drops directly and blink repeatedly.
- You can buy this type of eye drops in pharmacies, supermarkets and drugstores.
- Remember that you don't have to rub your eyes even after putting on the eye drops.
Method 3 of 3: Use Milk
Step 1. Wet your face with milk
People who are victims of pepper spray use it often, because it can relieve the burning sensation, although it does not eliminate the oily substance and residues. You can use milk to soothe irritating pain on the skin and improve the effectiveness of eye rinsing; sprinkle some of that on your face, keeping your eyes closed.
- Milk is less effective than water or saline in eliminating traces of the stinging spray; experts also recommend particular caution, as it is not a sterile product.
- Another way to use it is to pour it into a clean spray bottle and, keeping your eyes closed, spray it all over your face. This remedy reduces skin irritation and simplifies eye rinsing procedures with water. However, keep in mind that the pain that comes from the pepper spray is immediate, intense, and you may not have time to put this remedy into practice.
- Research has found that there is not a big difference between using milk and water for pain relief.
Step 2. Use a towel soaked in milk
Wet it with this liquid and place it on your skin to reduce the burning sensation. Dip it in whole milk, sit down, close your eyes and place it on your face; this method does not remove the ingredients of the spray, but relieves the pain and irritation on the eyelids and surrounding skin.
You can also dip your face in milk for a similar effect
Step 3. Rinse with water
At the end of the treatment it is important to rinse the skin thoroughly, since milk does not replace water in expelling the annoying residues from the eyes, but allows to soothe other painful symptoms that aggravate the discomfort. After rinsing, remember not to cover your face and eyes with any bandages or cloth, but leave them exposed to the air.
Warnings
- Never use oily products or lotions which could trap the residues of the irritating product on the skin and which could also cause blisters.
- Do not use dish soap to wash your eyes directly, as it causes an intense stinging sensation in addition to what you already get from pepper spray.
- If you've inhaled the stinging product, try sucking on half a lemon to relieve the sting.
- If the remedies described in this article are not effective, ask your doctor for more details or go to the emergency room.
