While blisters may not be life threatening, they certainly can cause discomfort.
What causes blisters?
Blisters are formed when our shoes or clothing rub on the skin to cause friction or in some cases burns that result from heat. When this occurs a separation of the outer and inner layer of skin occurs and lymph fluid fills the space.
What are the common causes of blisters?
Generally new shoes, a long duration of exercise (such as a marathon), seams inside shoes that rub, or even walking can sometimes cause blisters.
How do I prevent blisters?
Our first recommendation is to always make sure your shoes fit properly. Try and buy shoes at the end of the day when your feet are swollen and try them on with the foot ware you’ll be using with them.
If you have a particular area that is vulnerable to blisters, you may want to try specially padded socks, moleskin around the toes or heel, and “second skin” or taping.
Also, make sure seams are not loose in your boots or shoes, and to ensure this keep all boots and shoes away from heaters or radiators that can cause seams to protrude. Always keep your feet dry (use foot powder when necessary), and change your socks regularly.
Treatment
If possible do not puncture the blister, but if it’s very painful use a sterile needle to puncture a small hole and do not remove the skin.
Schedule a consultation with our doctor about your blisters if you have diabetes or poor circulation before attempting any treatment of your own, also if the area develops redness, pus or becomes warm consult our doctor. Our doctor performs an examination of blisters for patients in our region and can also show you the best taping methods to prevent rubbing and further damage.