Canada Day is on Tuesday this year, but many of you will be celebrating all weekend. Collingwood has a lineup of great events—from Saturday’s pancake breakfast, markets, giant puppet parade, and Reggae Dance Party, to Sunday’s pedal fest, Monday’s strawberry social, and Tuesday’s fireworks. Whew! You could be on your feet for four days straight, and if you wear your fancy new shoes, you may come home with a blister. Here are some blister care tips to ease your pain.
If the blister is small and not painful, it needs no treatment except to keep it clean and cover it with an adhesive bandage. The blister is actually a protective covering in itself, allowing the skin layers underneath to heal while keeping out infection. If it bursts on its own, don’t peel away the dead skin. Let the fluid drain out, and use a sterile dressing to protect it.
If the skin bubble is filled with blood or very painful when you walk, you may want to pierce it. If you decide to do that, follow these Mayo Clinic guidelines:
1) Wash your hands, clean the blister using a cotton ball soaked with rubbing alcohol, and use another one to sterilize a fine, sharp needle.
2) Prick several times along the edge of the bubble and let it drain, but leave the skin intact.
3) Apply a little antibiotic cream and cover with a bandage.
Repeat twice more, about 12 hours apart. In a few days, new skin will form underneath and the top layer of dead skin can be safely removed with tweezers that have been sterilized. Use the antibiotic cream again and dress the area.
One more thing: if you have diabetes, you should leave blister care to a medical professional, so you don’t risk complications or infection. Chiropodist Tony Abbott of Abbott Foot and Ankle Clinic is an avid runner and has treated many blisters. Call our Collingwood, Ontario office at (705) 444-9929 and trust those bubbles on your feet to our expert care.
Photo credit: franky242 via freedigitalphotos.net