Blister First aid and Treatment

First aid for Blister

If a blister isn’t too painful, try to keep it intact. Unclose skin over a blister provides a natural barrier to bacteria and decreases the risk of infection. Cover the blister with an adhesive bandage and cover the large one with a porous plastic-coated gauze pad that absorbs moisture and allows the wound to breathe. If you’re allergic with the adhesive used in some tape use tape paper.

Don’t puncture a blister unless it’s painful or prevents you from walking or using one of your hands. If you have diabetes or poor circulation call your doctor before considering the self-care measures below.

How to drain a blister

To relieve blister-related pain drain the fluid while leaving the overlying skin intact.

Here’s how:

♦ Wash your hands and blister with soap and warm water.

♦ Swab the blister with iodine or rubbing alcohol.

♦ Sterilize a clean sharp needle by wiping it with rubbing alcohol.

♦ Use the needle to puncture the blister. Plan for several spots near the blister’s edge. Let the fluid drain and leave the overlying skin in place.

♦ Apply an antibiotic ointment to the blister and cover with a bandage or gauze pad.

♦ Cut away all the dead skin after several days using tweezers and scissors sterilized with rubbing alcohol.

Blisters Treatment

Blisters from chicken pox, spider bites, shingles, cold sores, and chronic health conditions need special treatment.

A. For a Blister That Has Not Popped

♦ Try not to pop or drain.

♦ Just leave uncovered or cover loosely with a bandage.

♦ Try not to put pressure on area. When the blister is in a pressure area such as the bottom of the foot, put donut-shaped moleskin on it.

B. For a Blister That Has Popped

♦ Wash the area with warm water and gentle soap.

♦ Do not use hydrogen peroxide, alcohol or iodine.

♦ Smooth down the skin flap that remains.

♦ Apply antibiotic ointment.

♦ Cover loosely with a sterile bandage or gauze.

C. When to Drain a Blister

To drain a blister that is large, painful, or in an awkward spot:

♦ Wash the area.

♦ Sterilize a needle with rubbing alcohol or soap and water.

♦ Make a small hole at the edge of the blister. Gently squeeze out the fluid.

♦ Wash the blister again and pat dry. Don’t remove the skin over the blister.

♦ Smooth down the skin flap.

♦ Apply antibiotic ointment.

♦ Cover loosely with a sterile bandage or gauze.

D. Follow Up

♦ Change bandage daily and whenever it gets dirty or wet.

♦ Avoid wearing shoes or doing the activity that caused the blister until it heals.

♦ Wear thick socks or work gloves for blisters on feet or hands.

♦ See a doctor for signs of infection, including pus, fever, red or warm skin around the blister, red streaks leading away from blister, swollen lymph glands, or increased pain or swelling, or if your last tetanus shot was more than 10 years ago.

Causes of Blisters

There are many temporary causes of blisters:

• Friction occurs when something rubs against your skin for a prolonged period of time. This happens most commonly on hands and feet.
• Contact dermatitis is a skin reaction to allergens, like poison ivy, latex, or adhesives, or irritants, like chemicals or pesticides. It can cause red and inflamed skin, and also blistering.
• Burns, if severe enough, can produce blistering. This includes burns from heat, chemicals, and sunburns.
• Allergic eczema is a skin condition that is caused or worsened by allergens and can produce blisters. Another type of eczema, dyshidrotic eczema, also causes blistering, but its cause is unknown. It tends to come and go.

Blistering can also be a symptom of certain infections:

• Impetigo is a bacterial infection of the skin that can occur in both children and adults, and sometimes shows up after a viral infection. Blisters are a symptom of impetigo.
• Chickenpox is an infection caused by a virus. It produces itchy spots, and often blisters on the skin.
• Shingles, or herpes zoster, is caused by the same virus that produces chickenpox. The virus reappears in some people later in life and produces a skin rash with blistering.
• Herpes and the resulting cold sores can cause skin blistering. This includes both herpes I and II (which produces genital herpes).
• Erysipelas is an infection caused by the Streptococci

Blister prevention

To prevent a blister, use gloves, socks, a bandage or similar protective covering over the area being rubbed. Special athletic socks are available that have extra padding in critical areas. You might also try attaching moleskin to the inside of your shoe where it might rub, such as at the heel.