Managing Blisters on Your Feet
Having a nasty blister on your foot can be a terrible experience. To begin with, blisters on feet hurt so badly that sometimes you can’t do anything else but wait for them to leave you alone. Even worse, foot blisters seem to be an inescapable part of life. As such, the best way of really fighting blisters is through prevention. Sadly, however, prevention sometimes fails. That’s why we need more drastic steps to handle blisters on feet. Here are some tips on managing foot blisters.
Most cases of blisters on feet are actually friction blisters. These are formed as a result of the rubbing action between your skin and another surface (such as your shoes). This friction wears your skin down to critical blister-friendly levels. Moisture also helps the wearing down process by softening your skin even further. If this situation is repeated at just the right rate, the result would only be a nice callus. However, when the action becomes excessively repetitive, the result would be different. You’d get a nasty blister instead.
The first tell-tale sign that a foot blister is about to spring up is soreness on the surface of your foot. Once this happens, it’s important to try to keep the affected area from further friction or contact with your footwear. You can do this by applying bandages on the sore portion of your foot. Some people use strips of Band-Aid to while others prefer applying moleskin. This helps ward off an actual blister attack.
However, if you already have a full-sized lesion on your foot, you need more stringent measures.
The first thing to do is NOT to prick or rupture the blister in any way. Puncturing a foot blister increases the risk for developing infection and other complications. However, if the blister has already popped all by itself, you need to squeeze out all the fluid inside and leave the overlying skin as it is. Then, as often as possible, you must immerse the affected foot into hot water and also use soap to make sure the blister site is clean.
On the other hand, if your foot blister is still intact, you’ll need to apply some kind of padding for your blister. Using Band-Aid or moleskin to make a wrapping and cushioning material can be very effective. Moleskin is better suited for the job because of its flexibility. The bandage also serves to provide you with better comfort.
Now that you know how to deal with blisters on feet, you can go ahead and try it out for yourself. Just one thing to remember though—if your symptoms do not improve or if they worsen, call your doctor right away.