How to Dry Up Water Blisters

Drying up a blister properly means preventing further damage to the compromised skin.

Water blisters occur when friction on the skin causes fluid to build up underneath as a method of defense. A pocket of watery liquid makes a pad between the damaged skin and the lower layers to keep further damage from occurring. Some water blisters heal on their own, but if the wound is large enough, it may require draining. Drying up the blister is a simple, but also important, process so that the blister can heal without the top layer of skin tearing away, thus creating another wound or allowing infection to set in.

Things You'll Need

• Bandage
• Mole skin donut
• Rubbing alcohol
• Needle
• Gauze
• Antibiotic ointment

Instructions

1. Clean the blister and your hands with warm soapy water.

2. Loosely cover a small blister with a bandage, so that the bandage does not stick to the blister itself. Keep the blister away from friction or pressure until it heals. If the blister is on the heel or bottom of the foot, cover it with a mole skin donut, leaving the blister itself exposed but creating a pad around the blister to protect it from further friction. Allow the blister to dry naturally.

3. Clean a sharp needle with rubbing alcohol. Use it to puncture the outer edge of a very large blister to drain it. This prevents a larger blister from tearing open from the pressure of the fluid. Poke a small hole in one side of the blister and press gently, soaking the fluid up with clean gauze. When done, pat the blister with a clean dry gauze to press the loose skin back down.

4. Smooth the skin down if the blister ruptured on it's own. Cover as much of the exposed blister as possible with the torn skin, gently pushing it back into place with a clean dry piece of gauze.

5. Apply antibiotic salve to the drained blister. Do not use any drying agents such as alcohol or iodine. This will be painful and will not heal the blister faster. In fact, it may cause irritation and make the blister take longer to heal.

6. Cover the blister with a loose bandage after draining. Make sure it is covered but keep it loose so that no part of the bandage sticks to the blister and pulls the damaged skin away.

7. Change the bandage daily. Avoid the activity that caused the blister, and keep any pressure or friction away from the area until it heals.

References

• WebMD: Blisters - Home Treatment
• Blister Care: Blisters On Toes