How to Treat Blisters

By eHow Health Editor

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Blisters are common injuries in the outdoors, but if these pop on their own and are not taken care of, they can become infected. Use the following steps to minimize the chance of infection.

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Instructions

Difficulty: Easy

Step1

Wash your hands with disinfectant soap and water.

Step2

Put on latex gloves.

Step3

Clean around the site of the blister using a disinfectant soap or solution.

Step4

Sterilize the tip of a needle, knife or scalpel by soaking it for at least three minutes in a disinfectant solution or heating it until it glows red, then cools.

Step5

Make a small incision at the base of the blister. Make sure you leave the roof of the blister attached so it can continue to protect the skin.

Step6

Use a gloved finger to gently push the fluid out.

Step7

Apply antibiotic ointment to a piece of gauze and cover the wound.

Step8

Cut a hole the size of the blister in a piece of moleskin.

Step9

Cover the blister with the moleskin so that the blister rests in the middle of the hole and the adhesive sticks to the skin around the blister.

Step10

Check the blister every day for signs of infection: heat, pain and swelling on or around the blister, pus, red streaks radiating from the blister, or fever.

Tips & Warnings

This information is not intended as a substitute for professional medical advice or treatment.

Comments

FlintRN said

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on 6/3/2007 If the blister is getting larger and more painful due to continued friction, then it's time to consider puncturing the blister. A pin-prick to the side of the blister is less likely to get infected vs the whole area from a completely busted blistered. When a blister starts to form, attention should be to decreasing friction and increasing dryness. That means moleskin, powder, and changing your socks. I learned this 35 years ago as an Infantry medic and as RN it's still true. Keep your feet clean, dry & padded.

doc-wannabe said

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on 4/27/2007 Moleskin on a blister? That's a bad idea. Anyone who has worked with moleskin before can tell you how much it sticks to your skin.
Do not pop it if know you can take it easy for a few days. Pop it if you have to run a Marathon the next day; it won't serve as a cushion.
If you are planning to stay outside for a few more days and the blister is really bothering you, pop it, but use sterile technique as much as possible. You can do this because that is what the moleskin (although I would suggest something else less adhesive) is there for, to protect the open area.

Anonymous said

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on 11/22/2005 Do not pop the blister. Leave it alone. Put a cream or an ointment on it, but do not pop it.

Anonymous said

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on 11/22/2005 If your feet will have any contact with un-purified water, DONT POP THE BLISTER!! you risk uneccesary infection from bacteria and viruses in the water.