But that nagging voice telling you not to do it is right on the money. Why, though? Is popping a blister really that bad?
And is it ever OK to just do it anyway? Popping a hole in a blister creates an opening for bacteria, which can up your risk of infection. Plus, the fluids in a blister are protective and can help promote healing. Who knew, right?
Leaving your blister alone will help it go away faster. Those that are infected can take longer — like weeks or even months — but popping is likely to prolong the misery even more. Speaking of friction blisters, how can you tell whether you have one of those or something a little more serious? These are soft pockets filled with clear fluid that form when the top layer of skin gets irritated and damaged, like when you wear ill-fitting shoes for too long.
After a few days, the fluid drains on its own and the blistered skin peels away. These are friction blisters taken to the next level. Blood blisters are usually more painful too. Minor burns, including sunburns, can cause blisters. These blisters are filled with fluid and usually accompanied by red, painful skin. Like friction blisters, blisters caused by minor burns will heal on their own if you let them. Contact dermatitis — a reaction that happens when your skin comes in contact with an allergen or irritant — can cause allergy blisters.
These blisters are a little different from the rest. Caused by bacteria or viruses, they can vary in size and shape and might be crusty or pus-filled. Cold sores, which can form around your mouth, are sometimes called fever blisters. Popping infected blisters will probably make the problem worse. For instance, you might end up spreading the germs from the blister to the surrounding skin.
Wash your hands and the blister. Plain old soap and water is fine — just be sure to wash well. Rub the blister with iodine.
The space created by this skin split is then filled with fluid due to hydrostatic pressure. The fluid is usually clear and similar to blood plasma although contains less protein but if the skin split goes through several layers, the blister can fill with blood instead. Moist skin is more likely to generate blisters than wet or dry skin, thanks to the forces of friction.
When skin is wet, the water can act as a lubricating agent between an object and your skin. Similarly, when skin is dry, repeated rubbing against dry skin causes exfoliation and the buildup of a thin layer of dead skin cells that serve as a lubricant.
But when skin is moist the dead cells are stuck to the skin and are unable to act as lubricants. What should you do when you get a blister? Ideally, nothing. Blisters take roughly days to heal and usually leave no scar. Shoes should accommodate your feet and not the other way around. There is a natural give for shoes as they will accommodate your feet more comfortably after several days of use but overall shoes should feel as comfortable as possible when you first try them on at the store to avoid damaging your feet.
You should always buy your shoes in the evening when your feet are most swollen. If the shoe feels comfortable at the end of the day they will most likely feel comfortable throughout the day. The best way to break in shoes is to wear them in two hour increments per day for four days and then wear all day on the fifth day. In other words you wear the shoe for two hours the first day and then change shoes. The second day you wear them for four hours, the third day for six hours, and so forth.
This allows the shoe to expand gradually while minimizing any pressure or friction that would otherwise cause pain or discomfort, swelling, calluses, and blisters.
Gotham's recommendations apply to all types of shoes. Now, you're probably thinking: Ya, that's great advice, Dr. Gotham, but it's too late. I have the blisters already.
What should I do now? Pop it? Don't pop it? Whatever you do, do NOT remove the top layer of skin from your blister. It will only cause the blister to become more painful and expose yourself to more bacteria which could develop into an infection.
Instead, you should lance the blister. Take a clean, disinfected needle, and poke the blister from the side to drain the fluid. Once the fluid is removed, the pressure will subside. Then, soak your feet for 15 to 20 minutes in lukewarm water with Epsom salt.
Using Betadine to help dry up the blister will speed up the healing process.
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