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How to Keep Your Blister From Worsening
![How to Keep Your Blister From Worsening](https://sa1s3optim.patientpop.com/assets/images/provider/photos/2586386.jpg)
You were anxious to give those new shoes a spin and ended up spending the whole day in them. Now, you’re paying for that enthusiasm with blisters. Or, perhaps you wanted to try something new, like pickleball, and the activity put some pressure on new places on your feet.
No matter how you developed a blister on your foot, you’ve got an uncomfortable problem to deal with, and you’re worried about complications.
To keep your blister from devolving into a prolonged issue, our team of podiatric experts here at Neuhaus Foot and Ankle presents the following information to guide you through.
Why blisters form
We want to spend a moment discussing why blisters form as this information is essential in how you go about dealing with one.
A blister is your body’s way of protecting itself and forms when you place new or increased pressure or friction on a certain area of your foot. In response to this friction on the outer layers of your skin, your body creates fluid to protect the more sensitive tissues underneath.
In most cases, this fluid is clear, but if a blood vessel is damaged, blood can leak in, creating a blood blister.
Managing a blister
Under ideal circumstances, the best way to treat a blister is to relieve the friction and let it run its course. Eventually, blisters break and drain, and the skin below strengthens. The natural process is easy if the blister is on your hand, but when it's on your foot, it’s difficult to avoid friction.
To start, you want to do what you can to avoid friction around the blister for a few days. You can wear very roomy shoes and purchase pads at your local pharmacy to protect the area. The circular pads with a hole in the middle are designed for corns, but they are also perfect for blisters.
If you are in good health, you can drain the blister by:
- Thoroughly cleaning the area
- Sterilizing a needle
- Make very small punctures with the needle to drain the fluid
- Apply an antibiotic ointment
- Cover the deflated blister with a bandage
This technique will get rid of the uncomfortable bubble, but you should still go very easy on the area so that the tissue can strengthen.
Avoid at-home care if….
We only recommend draining a blister if you’re in good health. If you’re one of the more than 37 million people who have diabetes, you should never try to treat foot problems on your own, even minor ones like blisters.
If you develop a blister on your foot and you have diabetes, please come to see us as soon as possible for expert diabetic foot care.
Another warning flag is a blister that doesn’t heal. If the area becomes inflamed and painful, an infection may have developed, at which point you should come to see us.
For expert care of your problematic blister, contact one of our offices in Hermitage, Brentwood, Nashville, Mount Juliet, Waverly, Smyrna, Gallatin, Columbia, Pulaski, Hendersonville, or Lebanon, Tennessee, to schedule a consultation.
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