If you really don't like to think about blisters, blood, or other sports-related injuries, then don't read this post. I swear I kept the gross-ness to a minimum.
So Sunday morning, I woke up and decided to go for a run. I pulled on my Vibrams, put on my University of Colorado hat (in support of KM's undergrad years), turned on the tunes on my phone, and set out. It was going pretty well, and then my left big toe started hurting about a mile it. It wasn't too bad, so I kept running. One more mile later, I decided to stop at a bench and see if gravel had gotten into my shoe or something. Lo and behold, when I pulled off my shoe, I had a nice large blood blister on my big toe. So, I slid the shoe back on, turned around, and awkwardly walked the two miles back to my apartment, trying not to put pressure on my toe. During my walk I called my parents for advice. My dad is my source of knowledge when it comes to injuries of any kind. Seriously. For every medical issue or injury that I have, I place a phone call that starts out like this: "Mom, can you put dad on the phone?" Sunday was no different. My dad looked up blood blisters in his handy-dandy Kaiser Permanente book (see, HMOs are good for some things), and told me what to do. So for those of you who are curious about how to handle a blood blister, it's basically like a regular blister, just with blood. Here are a combination of the recommendations from the book and from WebMD, but check with your doctor if you're unsure of what to do.
If the blister is less than 1 inch in size, do NOT drain the blister. Wash the area with soap and water, and dry thoroughly. Lightly wrap the blister with a band-aid. If the blister is in a load-bearing area of the body, such as your foot, use a piece of moleskin cut into a doughnut shape to place around the blister, which reduces pressure on the blister itself. You can find moleskin at most grocery stores or pharmacies. You can also find the moleskin intended for corns, which are conveniently pre-cut into a doughnut shape for you. How nice of them.
If the blister is greater than 1 inch in size, it's time to perform small surgery on yourself. Just kidding. All you need is a needle and isopropyl alcohol. Start by cleaning your foot with soap and water. Grab a clean paper towel or gauze (you'll see why in a second). Sterilize your needle with the rubbing alcohol. Now poke a small hole at the edge of your blister. Place the towel or gauze over your blister/at the edge of your blister, and use your CLEAN finger to squeeze the fluid in your blister out on the hole you just created. Sounds pretty, right? After you've disposed of the gauze, again clean the blister with soap and water. Dry thoroughly and wrap the area with a band-aid, remember to do so lightly. From here, you need to make sure the area stays dry. If your blister is on your foot, try to wear shoes that have air flow, such as sandals. If you don't have this option and have sweaty feet, make sure you change your socks more frequently than normal, and use moisture-wicking socks. You should change the band-aid at least once per day. And don't wear socks to bed.
Now, if you have a blister that got ripped open. Do not remove any skin unless the flap of skin is very dirty. If the skin was completely ripped off, you don't need to keep that. Obviously. Treat the ripped blister similarly to how you would an open wound. You can use antibiotic ointment on the wound before putting the band-aid on. I use water-proof band-aids. And when I do have a blister, I'll frequently use blister band-aids. They stick really well and will last for a while, even through showers.
And finally, if you're like me and have slightly allergic reactions to the adhesive of band-aids if you leave the band-aid on for more than 12 hours, change the band-aids frequently, or invest in sensitive skin band-aids, or other sensitive skin tapes (like paper tape). There are options.
So Sunday morning, I woke up and decided to go for a run. I pulled on my Vibrams, put on my University of Colorado hat (in support of KM's undergrad years), turned on the tunes on my phone, and set out. It was going pretty well, and then my left big toe started hurting about a mile it. It wasn't too bad, so I kept running. One more mile later, I decided to stop at a bench and see if gravel had gotten into my shoe or something. Lo and behold, when I pulled off my shoe, I had a nice large blood blister on my big toe. So, I slid the shoe back on, turned around, and awkwardly walked the two miles back to my apartment, trying not to put pressure on my toe. During my walk I called my parents for advice. My dad is my source of knowledge when it comes to injuries of any kind. Seriously. For every medical issue or injury that I have, I place a phone call that starts out like this: "Mom, can you put dad on the phone?" Sunday was no different. My dad looked up blood blisters in his handy-dandy Kaiser Permanente book (see, HMOs are good for some things), and told me what to do. So for those of you who are curious about how to handle a blood blister, it's basically like a regular blister, just with blood. Here are a combination of the recommendations from the book and from WebMD, but check with your doctor if you're unsure of what to do.
If the blister is less than 1 inch in size, do NOT drain the blister. Wash the area with soap and water, and dry thoroughly. Lightly wrap the blister with a band-aid. If the blister is in a load-bearing area of the body, such as your foot, use a piece of moleskin cut into a doughnut shape to place around the blister, which reduces pressure on the blister itself. You can find moleskin at most grocery stores or pharmacies. You can also find the moleskin intended for corns, which are conveniently pre-cut into a doughnut shape for you. How nice of them.
If the blister is greater than 1 inch in size, it's time to perform small surgery on yourself. Just kidding. All you need is a needle and isopropyl alcohol. Start by cleaning your foot with soap and water. Grab a clean paper towel or gauze (you'll see why in a second). Sterilize your needle with the rubbing alcohol. Now poke a small hole at the edge of your blister. Place the towel or gauze over your blister/at the edge of your blister, and use your CLEAN finger to squeeze the fluid in your blister out on the hole you just created. Sounds pretty, right? After you've disposed of the gauze, again clean the blister with soap and water. Dry thoroughly and wrap the area with a band-aid, remember to do so lightly. From here, you need to make sure the area stays dry. If your blister is on your foot, try to wear shoes that have air flow, such as sandals. If you don't have this option and have sweaty feet, make sure you change your socks more frequently than normal, and use moisture-wicking socks. You should change the band-aid at least once per day. And don't wear socks to bed.
Now, if you have a blister that got ripped open. Do not remove any skin unless the flap of skin is very dirty. If the skin was completely ripped off, you don't need to keep that. Obviously. Treat the ripped blister similarly to how you would an open wound. You can use antibiotic ointment on the wound before putting the band-aid on. I use water-proof band-aids. And when I do have a blister, I'll frequently use blister band-aids. They stick really well and will last for a while, even through showers.
And finally, if you're like me and have slightly allergic reactions to the adhesive of band-aids if you leave the band-aid on for more than 12 hours, change the band-aids frequently, or invest in sensitive skin band-aids, or other sensitive skin tapes (like paper tape). There are options.
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