First Aid For Blisters
Blister: A small blemish caused when the inner skin layer is injured and the outer skin layer remains intact. Since the body transfers serum and other fluids to the injured part, a bubble filled with the liquid is formed. This bubble is commonly referred to as blister.
Factors causing blister
- Foreign objects under the skin
- Exposed to extreme climate
- Unsuitable footwear
First Aid Treatment
- Avoid to puncture the blister if it is not painful. As broken skin is more likely to develop infection.
- If the blister is small, cover it with an adhesive bandage.
However if the pain is unbearable, you can follow the first aid treatment to decrease the pain:
- Wash your hands throughly with an anti bacterial soap before treating the blister.
- Most often blisters are large in size, tend to break on their own and take their own time to heal.
- However, if you wish to drain out the liquid from the blister, you need to first clean the needle by wiping it with the rubbing alcohol.
- Now gently puncture the edge of the blister with the help of sterilized needle, keeping the outer skin intact in order to prevent infection.
- Slowly press the fluid in the direction of the hole you made.
- Once the fluid is drained out, gently wash the blister.
- Pat it dry with the help of a clean gauze or a paper towel.
- Apply an antibiotic ointment. The ointment would prevent the bandage from sticking to the blister and also prevent infection .
- Apply the bandage loosely over the blister.
- Change the bandage on a daily basis or whenever it gets dirty.
Damaged Blister Treatment:
If the blister is damaged or has a big cut, following step would help for the recovery:
- Take a sterilized tweezer or a scissor and carefully remove the dead skin or the loose skin surrounding the wound.
- Drain out the liquid, if any.
- Throughly clean the the blister with the water.
- Apply an anti bacterial ointment over the injury and cover it with the bandage.
Time to See the Doctor:
During the healing process, if you observe any of the following, immediately see the doctor:
- Infection – pus or redness
- Increased pain
- Experiencing fever
- Muscle or joint pain