Treating Blisters

Blisters can happen from wearing poor fitting boots or shoes, or standing barefoot on hot pavement. Most of the time, blisters are a minor annoyance and won’t cause any long term effects. You can do a few simple things to make it more tolerable.

Treatment and Expectations:

1. Try not to pop the blisters. Feet are by nature, dirty and full of bacteria, so even thought the outer skin is poofed out with liquid inside, try to not pop it.
2. Place moleskin AROUND the wound. Moleskin is a thick felt pad with one sticky side. Cut a hole in the center of piece at least twice the size of the blister, and center the hole over the blister. You want do this so you can put your shoe or boot back on, without the rubbing on the blister itself.
3. If you must pop a blister, follow these few steps:
   • Use a sterilized needle (to sterilize it, put the point or edge in a flame until it is red hot, or rinse it in alcohol).
   • Wash the area thoroughly, then make a small hole and gently squeeze out the clear fluid.
   • Apply some polysporin antibiotic ointment to help protect against infection.
   • If the fluid is white or yellow, the blister may be infected and needs medical attention.
   • Don’t strip the skin off the blister after popping it. The doctor may do this for you later to promote healing.
   • Look for signs of infection to develop. These include pus drainage, red or warm skin surrounding the blister, or red streaks leading away from the blister. If it looks infected, go see your doctor