The Care and Feeding of Blisters
By Sean Keener, program director for Center for Wilderness Safety

Think of your blister as an anatomical bandage that your body has created. Do NOT pop or otherwise drain your blister if it is intact - the blister is there for a reason.

When you go home tonight, hopefully you'll take a shower. If possible, leave your blister dressing on during this shower, and sleep with it on as well. When you wake up in the morning, draw yourself a warm bath and remove the dressing. Carefully clean your entire foot with soap and warm water. Soaking your feet in Domeboro solution may help with the cleansing process.

If your blister is intact, leave it like it is - it's probably starting to callous already. If the blister has popped, apply some triple antibiotic ointment (such as Neosporin or Polysporin) and a simple bandage. If your blister appears to be leaking cloudy or white fluid, or if there is persistant redness around the blister (especially if the redness appears to expand over time), you should seek medical care as your blister is probably infected. Now, the important part: Kick back, relax, let your feet air out and try to keep off them as much as possible for this first day. If you MUST go somewhere, put on clean socks, comfortable, well-ventilated shoes, and be prepared to limp a little.

Every night, remove your dressing just before you go to bed and check for signs of infection. Clean your feet with your morning shower and apply a fresh dressing. If discomfort continues for more than a week, seek medical care.

If your blister is larger than a Quarter, we recommend you have your tetanus immunization updated.

If you are a diabetic, we recommend you contact your family physician for specific wound care guidelines.