Is it a bad thing to pop a blister?

Factual Questions
1

I did a lot of walking in a new pair of shoes yesterday, and I wound up with a number of blisters on my poor tootsies. Most of them aren’t a problem as long as I don’t wear the shoes that gave them to me again for a while. However, I have a very painful blister on the ball of my foot which is making it very difficult to walk, even barefoot or in different shoes.

I know that I’ve heard that it’s better not to pop a blister because then it opens you up to infection, etc. But putting pressure on this one when I walk is really giving me trouble, and I was wondering what the benefit/risk ratio was on popping it. I’m sure if I let the fluid out, it wouldn’t be so painful to walk on, but is infection a serious concern?

2

Releasing the fluid shouldn’t be a problem, provided you do it carefully and correctly. Here’s the procedure from WebMD:

[quote]
[ul]
[li]Use a sterilized needle or razor blade (to sterilize it, put the point or edge in a flame until it is red hot, or rinse it in alcohol). [/li][li]Wash the area thoroughly, then make a small hole and gently squeeze out the clear fluid. [/li][li]Apply a dab of hydrogen peroxide to help protect against infection. [/li][li]If the fluid is white or yellow, the blister is infected and needs medical attention. [/li][li]Do not remove the skin over a broken blister. The new skin underneath needs this protective cover.[/ul][/li][/quote]

IANAD.

3

IANA MD, but if you just prick it, and leave the “bubble” of skin in place, it’s unlikely you’ll have any serious infection problem. Then again, there’s a good chance it won’t alleviate the pain either.

4

Any time you break your skin, you run a risk of infection. Does the benefit outweigh the risk in the case of a blister? Probably, since continuing to walk on a blister may irritate it and cause it to burst at an inopportune time, and where you might not be able to apply first aid right away.

As long as you apply antiseptic & a bandage right afterwards, controlled poppage is probably OK.

5

I always pop a blister by sticking the needle in not through the actual blister, but at an angle through some of the healthy skin next to it. I’ve heard it’s a more sterile way. Dunno if that’s true, though, but I don’t think it’d be any more harmful than the other way. And of course, antiseptic and a bandage is important.

6

Stick a clean needle through the middle of the blister to drain it, then put on a covering so that the dead skin of the blister stays in place, protecting the regenerating skin underneath.

Or read any of the previous 5 posts on this subject in General Questions.

7

I always pop blisters, then immediately wash them, put on some Neosporene and a bandaid.

If it’s a water blister, won’t it most likely pop anyways?

8

IIRC, Dr. Scholl’s makes pads specially designed for this. One side is adhesive except for the very middle, so you can stick this pad on the area of the blister to protect it without hurting it. Check your local drugstore.

9

I worked for 35 years with hot asphalte and hot bitumen, I’ve had more blisters than you’ve had french fries.
I’d say keep your blister intact as long as you can to give the new skin underneath a chance to grow.
Your blister sounds like it’s going to crack soon because of its vulnerable position. When it does pad it and bandage it but first apply some ‘baby ’ tulcum powder. This will keep it dry and help it heal faster. Keep an eye on it, if it becomes infected take it seriously and see a doctor.
BTW
‘’ I did a lot of walking in a new pair of shoes yesterday’’
…how do you make that smack head thingie?

10

I did a test on this when I had two blisters, I broke one and left the other.

I have to back everyone up here. The blister I broke hurt more and took longer to heal than the one left intact.