What is a Hot Compress?

A hot compress can cure and fend off many mild ailments. Doctors and medical professionals also recommend compresses to manage specific conditions. 

You may wonder, what is a hot compress? Well, for a hot compress, you will need just a clean cloth, which is later soaked in warm water. 

This warmed cloth will then be applied to the affected area to help you get instant relief. When you use it, you will be bringing its heat and moisture to your body, and that will help you alleviate pain, inflammation, and other issues.

With the help of a hot compress, you can also treat various mild eye conditions such as styes, itchiness, dryness, red-eye, and infections. Dry, itchy, or painful eye problems can make you feel discomfort and can take away your ability to perform simple tasks to your best ability. However, you can treat it with a hot compress. 

A hot compress for the eyes can help you ease the pain or discomfort caused by problems such as:

• Dry eye
• Pinkeye (conjunctivitis)
• Stye or chalazion
• Swollen eyelid (blepharitis)
• Muscle spasms or pain

It can also help you treat pain or inflammation as the warmness we get from a hot compress tends to soothe the pain and boost the healing property of our body. A hot compress will also help the dilation of blood vessels, and this can make it easier for our blood to carry nutrients all through the body without any interruption.

What are the Conditions that can be Treated with a Hot Compress?

Hot Compress for Eyes 

With the help of a hot compress, you can treat a myriad of eye complications. A hot compress can treat the eye, improve circulation, soothe inflammation, and unclog swollen eyelids. Thus, it is known as one of the best home remedies for eye complications. 

What follows are some of the conditions that can be treated with the help of hot compression:

Blepharitis

Besides styes, eyelids can also become inflamed or swollen due to various reasons. This swelling is known as blepharitis.

According to a 2012 study, a hot compress has shown encouraging results while treating and relieving blepharitis symptoms.

Swollen eyes

In styes and blepharitis, you will have swollen eyelids and eyes. With the help of a hot compress for the eyes, you can get rid of these symptoms. There are many reasons for swollen eyes. Some of the most common reasons are: 

• injury
• allergies
• bug bites or stings
• orbital cellulitis

In rare cases, you may have swollen eyes due to Graves’ disease or eye cancer. You can apply it to get relief from the symptoms of this condition. However, there is no evidence that it can cure any of these conditions.

Dry eyes

A hot compress for eyes may even help you get rid of the dry eyes. The heat from the compress will help glands that produce tears and encourage them to work better. 

This will keep our eyes moist. It is one of the most common approaches to treat dry eye-related conditions such as meibomian gland dysfunction. However, keep in mind that a hot compress can provide you relief and cannot cure dry eye conditions.

Black eye

A black eye or a periorbital hematoma is a result of trauma to the eye. A black eye can cause bruising, subcutaneous (under the skin) bleeding, pain, inflammation, and discoloration around your eye. This is where a hot compress for the eyes can help you a lot. 

It will improve your black eye as well as help you get rid of the pain. It is used as a first-aid measure during black eye. Use it after a few days once the swelling is gone, as it will help you get instant relief from the pain and stimulate the healing process. 

Hot Compress for Acne 

For acne, it can help you treat a blind pimple most effectively. The heat will open up pores, which will draw the pimple closer to the skin’s surface and create ahead. This will form a head, enabling the sebum, cells, and bacteria to exit the skin.

The heat can also help you get instant relief from the pain related to acne. To get rid of the acne with a hot compress, follow these steps: 

• Take a clean washcloth and soak it in not-so-hot water to make a hot compress. 
• Now, apply it to the acne and hold it on the blind pimple for around 10 minutes. 
• Repeat this process twice or thrice a day for better results. 
• You can also do it until the blind pimple comes to a head and starts releasing the pus.
• Ensure that the affected area is clean and avoid touching it. 

Hot Compress for Cyst

The warmth and moisture of a hot compress will help the trapped substance and encourage its way out of the hair follicle without the need for popping the cyst. However, make sure you use it after the area surrounding the cyst is clean. 

The heat will reduce the thickness of the liquid in the cyst. A hot compress will encourage the fluid to drain quicker into the lymphatic system if you are suffering from a liquid-filled epidermoid cyst. This will help your body to maintain fluid balance and plays a massive role in protecting against infection.

A soft, warm, and moist washcloth is enough for you to deal with cysts. You can use this method until the cyst drains. A simple hot compress is one of the most recommended and effective home remedies for draining or shrinking cysts.

Even though this method cannot cure a cyst or permanently remove it, it can help you get instant relief from the condition. So, if you are looking for temporary relief, a hot compress for a cyst is worth the try!  

To use this: 

• Pour clean water in a bowl and heat it to a warm or hot temperature, not boiling. 
• Let it sit for some time until the water reaches a tolerable but hot temperature for the skin. 
• Now, take a clean cloth and dampen it with the water and apply it to the cyst for about 20 minutes or so. 
• You can try this method twice a day. 

Hot Compress for Stye

To treat styes, a hot compress is one of the most common approaches. A stye is also known as hordeola or chalazia. When a localized part of the eyelids becomes swollen either due to gland blockage or infection, this is when you will suffer from styes.

It can help you get instant relief from the pain as it will soften and drain away any blockages from the eyelids. The warmth brought by it will force the pus to come on the surface. It will also dissolve the pus as well as oil so the stye can drain naturally. 

To do this: 

• First, take a clean washcloth and wet it with warm water. 
• Ensure that the water is not too hot. 
• Wring a washcloth to make it damp and not dripping. 
• Now, gently place the cloth over your eye and let it sit for around 10 minutes. 
• Make sure you don’t squeeze or puncture the stye. 
• Try this method thrice a day for better results. 

If you are giving the hot compress to a child, then be extra careful. Check the temperature of the compress before applying it on any part of your child’s skin, such as the back of your hand, to ensure that the compress does not burn your child’s eyes or face.

How to Make Hot Compress at Home? 

There are two types of hot compresses:

One is a moist hot compress. In this type, a warm liquid is used to apply heat to the affected area. A towel soaked in hot water is a prime example of this type of hot compress. 

The second is a dry, We use a dry surface to transfer the heat to the affected muscle or area in this hot compress. A rubber hot water bottle or a heating pad are prime examples of a dry, hot compress. 

Making a moist hot compress is very easy, and you can effortlessly make it at home. If you have a microwave at home, you can also try to make your heating pad moist. All you will need is a towel and a ziplock bag. Follow the below-mentioned steps: 

• Take a bowl and pour normal water into it. Then, put a wet bath towel in it. Squeeze the extra water from the towel until it is just damp. 
• Take a ziplock bag and put the towel inside it. Don’t forget to leave the bag open. 
• Now, slide the bag into the microwave and heat it for around 3 minutes. 
• Carefully remove the bag from the microwave as it will be hot. 
• Seal the ziplock bag and wrap another wet bathed towel around the bag. 
• Use the homemade heating pad on the affected muscle or area for around 20 minutes until the heat lasts.

If you want to make a dry, hot compress, you will need to gather some uncooked rice and a clean, long sock instead of a towel. You can also use salt if rice is not available on hand. Microwaves are also needed as a source of heat. 

Gather all these materials and follow these steps: 

• First, fill the bottom part of the sock with uncooked rice. 
• Now, tie it from the top. 
• Then, place the sock full of rice into the microwave and heat it for around 30 seconds. 
• Keep heating it in 15-second increments till it is warm but not hot. 
• Now, apply the sock to the painful area for approximately 20 minutes till the heat lasts.

If you need heat in small areas, you can use a metal spoon. Hold it under hot running water for about 10 seconds and dry it off. Hold the spoon to the painful area for 15 minutes. However, ensure that it is not too hot before pressing it to your skin.

Also read: Home Remedies for Swollen Gums – Easy & Most Effective!

Some Useful Benefits:

What follows are some of the pros of using hot compress: 

• It can help you get rid of the pain caused by injured or overused muscles and stiff joints.
• A hot compress is recommended by orthopedics to treat and ease back stiffness and muscle spasms that result from chronic injuries.
• It can also increase the blood flow to the applied site as the heat of the hot compress will penetrate the underlying muscles.
• This influx of oxygenated blood will bring more nutrients to the affected muscles and joints, enhancing the healing property and repair injured tissue along with easing your discomfort.

Final Words

A hot compress can help you with many ailments and is rightfully considered one of the best home remedies for many mild medical conditions. A Hot compress for the eyes is one of the most popular and proper techniques to deal with various eye conditions. However, if the symptoms get worse, visit the doctor without any delay.