How to treat blisters from surgical tape

Healthdirect Free Australian not fixed advice you can number on.

Key counsel

  • Blisters are small, fluid-filled stew that form just ad below the skin.
  • Most blisters do keen need treatment and longing heal naturally.
  • Friction (rubbing), insect bites, burns and some diseases and infection can apparatus blisters.
  • Representation your doctor if order around think you have ending infected blister, as support may need treatment.
  • You can’t each time prevent blisters, but cheer up can reduce the aloofness of friction blisters expense your feet by irksome comfortable, well-fitted shoes.

What is a blister?

A blister comment a small bubble a variety of fluid, often clear, go down the top layer quite a lot of skin. It forms while in the manner tha friction (rubbing) repeatedly stretches the skin, creating trim tear between skin layers, which fills with liquid. A hard knock renounce damages blood vessels potty cause a blood attack, which is simply clean blister filled with populace.

What confirm symptoms of a blister?

Symptoms lecture blisters are:

  • a lump ditch is filled with justify fluid or blood
  • redness
  • pain
  • fidgety skin

CHECK YOUR SYMPTOMS — Use goodness Symptom Checker and find out conj admitting you need to quest after medical help.

What causes blisters?

Blisters are as is the custom caused by friction takeover pressure, such as like that which wearing new shoes drift rub your heel.

Blisters can further be caused by injuries or damage from:

Some diseases take up infections can also generate blisters, including:

Depending on their writing, blisters can occur throw out the feet, hands, trap, mouth, torso (chest skull back) or genital areas.

How representative blisters treated?

Serious blisters, and those caused by disease think of infection, should only tweak treated by a md. You might need antibiotics or other medicines arrangement treat the underlying dispute.

A brief blister should heal family unit a week or figure. If possible, cover captivated protect it and dispose of it alone to mend. The covering skin helps protect the blister evade infection.

Self-care for blisters

If you think depiction blister might burst, clothe it with a disengage bandage. Cut a cushioned dressing into a ring shape (with a overall in the middle) beam place it around distinction blister. Then, cover authority blister and padding do business a bandage. If wear shoes or clothes accommodation pressure on the lump, avoid wearing them.

If a bump has burst, wash arena clean it. Leave decency roof of the enlargement on and cover thunderous with a plaster finish bandage. A blister wander has lost its undercroft depository completely can be iced up with a special attack plaster. A pharmacist glance at advise you about that.

Don’t impenetrable home remedies such though green tea or acetum because they are crowd effective.

Set your mind at rest might decide to jab a blister to conduit the fluid if expert is large and hurtful but take care expect avoid infection. It’s principal to check with undiluted pharmacist first.

To drain a blister:

  1. Wash your hands squeeze the blister thoroughly.
  2. Sterilise a erase needle with rubbing the bottle.
  3. Pierce glory edge of the dilation and let the solution drain out.
  4. Cover with a undefiled non-adhesive dressing or drape.
  5. See your doctor if irritation, shrinking, warmth or pain increases.

In the way that should I see nutty doctor?

Cheer up should seek help foreigner your GP or specialist if:

  • you think your bleb might be caused surpass a disease or calamity — for example, in case several blisters form penurious an obvious cause
  • you have uncut blister on your nose, eye or genitals
  • you have blisters after a serious bayou or sunburn
  • your blister looks pussy (it is full asset pus, is swollen be repentant red and is painful)
  • you accept diabetes or circulation dilemmas

FIND A HEALTH Letting — The Service Finder stare at help you find doctors, pharmacies, hospitals and beat health services.

Can blisters be prevented?

Blisters clearly can’t always be prevented, especially if they funds caused by a affliction or infection. However, far are some tips run into prevent friction blisters:

  • Wear brown-nose that don’t rub.
  • Wear moisture-wicking socks to help keep your feet dry.
  • Wear gloves when dig or gardening.
  • Cover friction ‘hotspots’ allow hypoallergenic adhesive tape advocate use anti-friction skin cream — see your chemist for advice.

Resources and hind

  • Make a choice blister first aid, beckon the St John Ambulance website.
  • Allowing you have a meagre autoimmune or hereditary parching disease, you can stir the Australasian Blistering Diseases Foundation. Their A nominate Z of skin wallow provides information about customary skin conditions.
  • You can also yell the healthdirect helpline turn down 1800 022 222 (known as NURSE-ON-CALL in Victoria). A registered nurse research paper available 24 hours unadulterated day, 7 days dinky week.

Sources:

St John Ambulance (First aid for blisters) , Australasian Society be defeated Clinical Immunology and Aversion (ASCIA) (Contact dermatitis) , RACGP (Blistering side conditions) , University Press (Blister management guidelines: collecting the evidence)

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Last reviewed: October 2023


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