How to Wrap a Blister to Keep Hiking
Blisters are a part of hiking. You can manage both the pain and the treatment of the skin condition fairly easily so that you can keep on moving down the trail in relative comfort. The important thing to consider is prevention, but once you have the blister, you'll need to know the proper treatment.
Instructions
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Don't pop it. While it's tempting to remove the pressure and alleviate the ugliness, the blister is the body's natural response to agitated skin. The fluid inside the bump is totally sanitized, and is essentially protecting the new, vulnerable skin that has formed underneath the liquid.
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2
Support the blister. Place gauze around and over the blister, making a "house" of sorts in which the bump will be protected. You can do the same with moleskin using the "donut" method: take a large piece of moleskin and measure how wide the blister is; then, cut out that circumference and stick the "donut" around the blister.
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3
Secure the dressing. Using an adhesive (duct tape has the strongest hold), tape down the bandaging. To properly secure this, use wide swaths of tape and wrap all the way around the foot. This will allow the body to naturally reabsorb the fluid and will also allow you to continue on your hike.
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Change the dressing each night. When seated or at camp, let the affected area get some air. Blisters generally need time to heal, but giving the wound some exposed oxygen will help speed up this process.
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Fix the cause. Blisters are caused by friction. Ensure you have wicking socks (usually a wool or synthetic) and shoes that fit your feet and are broken in.
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