Why blisters on feet

Wash your hands with soap and water , then clean the blister with soap and water or rubbing alcohol. Sterilize a needle with rubbing alcohol. Locate the blister's edge and poke it with the needle in several places.

Use clean gauze to soak up the fluid that comes out. Apply antibiotic ointment over the blister and cover with gauze and tape or a bandage. After several days you can cut away the dead skin and apply more ointment, then bandage again until healed. Throughout this process, keep your blister clean. This will prevent infection.

Tips for preventing blisters If you're active and tend to get blisters often, here are tips to help prevent new blisters from forming. Wear better shoes. Shoes are often the culprit when it comes to blisters forming on your feet.

Avoid shoes that rub certain areas of your feet or that cramp or squeeze your feet. The right shoe can make all the difference. New shoes may give you a blister the first few times you wear them. Take it slow and easy as you break in a new pair of shoes. Wear better socks. Choose non-cotton socks that wick away moisture. If you know you'll be doing blister-inducing activities, double up your socks.

One layer will soak up moisture and the other layer will give extra padding. Double-layer socks are more expensive but may help you avoid blisters. If you're in for a long run or hike, change your socks partially through, or whenever they become moist. Good socks can be expensive, but they're worth the cost if they keeps you from getting blisters.

Lubricate your feet before you exercise. Friction causes blisters, so it stands to reason that reducing friction can help reduce blisters. Sometimes blisters on feet may contain blood and the size of a foot blister can vary. The best way to treat a foot blister is to allow it to heal naturally by removing all pressure on the area and protecting it with a plaster or blister shield.

If a blister on the foot has popped, clean it immediately with antiseptic. Cover the blister roof with a non-adhesive dressing and change the dressing regularly. If a blister on the foot has been completely deroofed, clean the area with antiseptic and then cover the wound with a blister shield.

See your doctor or other health professional for treatment if a blister on the foot starts weeping pus thick yellow or green fluid or if the surrounding area becomes swollen or inflamed. For shoes with laces, tie them so the pressure is comfortable—not too loose or too tight. If your shoes are rubbing, try using cushioning gel inserts or cover the areas of friction with adhesive tape.

Keep your feet dry—wet shoes and socks can cause friction. If you have sweaty feet, change your socks frequently or use moisture-wicking socks. Use an antiperspirant foot spray to limit excessive foot perspiration or a foot powder to absorb excessive foot sweat.

Wear appropriate socks when you exercise or play sports. Gradually break in new shoes to reduce the occurrence of blisters on the feet. A simple maintenance routine can help to keep the skin on your feet healthy:. It may take a day or two for blisters to develop after first-degree burns, such as those resulting from sunburn. With more severe types of burns, blisters appear immediately.

As they are caused by a very painful condition, the symptoms of burn blisters are not noticed by most people, or they cannot be distinguished from those of the burn. Burn blisters tend to heal by the time the burn itself has healed.

Extreme cold can cause frostbite , freezing and killing cells in the skin. When this happens, a blister develops to keep heat in the body. Frostbite burns tend to appear immediately. As with burn blisters, most people have a hard time separating the symptoms of frostbite blisters from the symptoms of frostbite itself. Contact dermatitis or skin inflammation can occur whenever the skin is exposed to an irritant. If exposure continues, contact dermatitis can progress to form a blister. Severe allergens and irritants can also result in enough inflammation and pressure to cause blisters.

Blisters either appear immediately or shortly after exposure to the irritant or over time with gradual, low-dose exposure. Chemical burns can also lead to blister formation. Any condition that weakens the outer layer of the skin can make it more vulnerable to blisters.

Blisters can also be a symptom of certain infectious diseases and disorders. Common medical conditions and treatments that may increase the risk of blisters on the feet include:. When very tiny blood vessels in the epidermis of the skin break, they sometimes leak blood into the tissue layers, causing a blood blister.

Blood blisters tend to occur when the skin is crushed or pinched. In most cases, the best way to treat blisters on the feet is to leave them alone.

Most blisters heal after a few days with basic care. It is important always to leave both clear and bloody blisters intact. While they can be painful, blisters are a natural defensive mechanism. They help reduce pressure and protect underlying tissues.

Blisters also help seal off damaged tissues and prevent bacteria, viruses, and fungus from entering the wound. Once a blister develops, a person should stop putting pressure on it immediately. Once it has broken and drained, the area around the blister can be very gently washed with soap and water. People should then cover the area with a sterile, dry, breathable dressing, such as gauze or a loose bandage, available for purchase online. For chemical or allergy blisters, it is vital to immediately stop exposure to the irritant and thoroughly wash the skin.

A few days after the blister has opened, a person should use a small pair of sterilized scissors or tweezers to remove the remaining dead skin.