I have a blister on my heel from some shoes that didn’t fit well. Will it heal faster if I pop it or if I just leave it alone?
I am trying really really hard not to pop it…
Popping a blister introduces the possibility of infection. It’s best to let them heal on their own, though blisters on the hands and feet often do get popped prematurely through normal, everyday activity.
Leave it alone. It will heal faster with less likelihood of scarring and/or infection if left intact.
If the blister is so large that its rupture is inevitable or that it is causing pain, the fluid should be let out by making a hole at the periphery of the blister with a sterile needle, after cleansing the blister with alcohol or other antiseptic. The blister skin should not be removed, as it will still provide a helpful barrier against the outside world. The whole thing should then be care fully dressed.
QtM, MD
IANAD, but if you’re gonna pop it…
Back when I was a Corpsman - '52-'56 - we were told (if I remember right), to use a sterile needle, and puncture at the base of the blister. That is, towards the bottom of the blister, close to your unblistered skin. Let all the fluid drain, then cover it with sterile gauze and tape it for a day or so.
If you instead let nature take its course, the blister will probably break towards the center of it all, which can result in extensive tears, and thus introduce the greater possibility of infection.
Shortly after Antiochus was a Navy Corpsman, I went thru Marine boot camp in Quantico, VA. I got several blisters, especially on long marches. At least once, I had a blister on top of another blister. When I visited sick bay, the Corpsmen would always drain the fluid, treat to prevent infection and cover with gauze. Otherwise, I would not have been able to get my boots on and continue training. 
[sup]Doing otherwise was unacceptable.[/sup]
If you apply a bandage with a little pressure, the fluid will drain into the local tissue and it will become less tender.
The longer you wait the better it will be, because the bottom layer is already adding tissue over the break.
Moleskin, I’ve found, is great for preventing and stopping early blisters. Never put it directly onto a blister, though, or pealing it off will include the removal of the weak blister skin :eek: ouch.
Rather, cut it into rough donut shaped circles to wrap around the rubbed spot and try and build up layers of it around the blister to take some pressure off the location.
Even better than moleskin is Second Skin. We’ve had the best results using those to treat blisters on wildland firefighters.
Make a small incision in the blister and use a dry tissue or clean cloth to press all the fluid out. Then, inject enough super glue (cyanoacrylate) into the blister to cover the underlying new skin. Cover with a gauze pad until dry. You’re good to go.
[indent][indent][indent]Oh, how I wish we’d have had:[ul]
[li]moleskin[/li][li]second skin[/li][li]super glue[/li][/ul]
back in 1958/59! ;)[/indent][/indent][/indent]
Best thing to prevent blisters if you know you’ll be on your feet a lot… duct tape.
Yes, that’s right, duct tape. Tape up your feet where you are most likely to get blisters and don’t worry!
:eek: Superglue? Superglue?? You can really put superglue on an open wound like that??
:eek:
I don’t think he meant you put the superglue on the raw skin, but glue down the flap, and cover it with glue. That way you have a tough “exo-skin” to take the rubbing you’re going to be doing.
I personally swear by using superglue to cover cuts once they’ve stopped bleeding. You don’t worry about water making things icky, it stops dirt and germs, it’s inexpensive, it holds the sides of the cut together, and it can be applied anywhere.
With all due respect to Cardinal, I meant it just like I said it. I have used superglue like this (and many other ways) for years. As a matter of fact, there was a thread on these boards a few years ago that discussed this very topic. I cut myself very badly just this past weekend and directed mrs. radar to inject a bit of superglue into the wound while I held it open and then sealed it with more superglue.