Aughh D of E silver.. blisters

I just came back from 3 days of walking 50km through Sussex in the 30 degree heat (aughh), and as a result of this venture have gained some pretty nasty blisters on my toes mainly, but basically all over my feet.

I've tried these blister plasters, but all they do is rub against the blisters and make it hurt more to put any weight on the foot. I also popped one with a needle, but it just filled with air again and has reformed into two blisters.

What's the best thing to do with blisters? Should you leave them to pop on their own, or pop them yourself? And is it better to put plasters on them, or leave them to air?

Reply 1

randdom

Im in sussex I feel for you it was boiling today

Reply 2

quintsy

Are you anywhere near East Grinstead or Horsham?

Reply 3

baby_emmy

I always popped mine and then after an hour or so, have a bath using Detol to 'clean' them - stings a little but worth it. I know you shouldn't pop them, but they're just awkward to have on your foot and wait till they go! When i did D of E we were expected in school the next day in normal school shoes - no trainers or comfy shoes! - so popping them was essential!

-x-

Reply 4

Lofty

When i got really bad ones in peru, the leader guy popped the blister and then injected stuff into it to make it go hard. Might be an idea to go to your GP and ask about it :smile:

Reply 5

Slates

Just air them and wear flip flops to school tomorrow.

Reply 6

Note

Ok. You should not pop blisters as they then have to be treated as an open wound and require the appropriate attention, however if you can not put up with the discomfort you should do it using a fine sterilised needle.

To deal with blisters properly, you should pad around the area and put a plaster over both the blister and the padding separately if possible to avoid rubbing and tearing of the blister. They will disappear faster with less irritation.

If the size of it is especially causing discomfort and you want to keep it intact (as you should really be trying to do), serilise a fine needle and thread it with cotton. Insert the needle into the blister at one side and out of it at the other side, and remove the needle from the thread. This leave you with a piece of cotton thread through the blister. This will absorb some of the moisture and thus reduce the size of the blister making it a bit easier to deal with.

Reply 7

Glory

I normally paint this stuff on, its called new skin and it makes a rubbery plaster layer thing on your skin. It also speeds up the healing times too, i find it better than a plaster since it doesnt rub or peel off like a plaster does and hardens enough to protect the blister from further rubbing.

Reply 8

Helenia

When I get rowing blisters (or ones on my feet) I stick a sterilised needle in the side of them and drain the fluid, so that it doesn't burst when I next put pressure on it. This makes the skin less likely to tear and more likely to stay on and help with healing. The best thing to do is leave them but this isn't always practical. If you do drain them, make sure you pad and cover them well.

Reply 9

FadeToBlackout

A couple of top tips for people:

1) For a few weeks before your walk, bathe your feet with surgical spirit. Just rub a little bit on with cotton wool, especially on teh areas that are liekly to blister.

2) If you get blisters ont eh walk itself, heat a needle in a candle flame or similar and prick the side of teh blister to drain teh fluid, else it will pop and go messy. Its better, as Helen says, to pop them else they might not heal so well.

3) Consider getting better boots, especially if you're going to do a lot more hiking. I used to get blisters fairly frequently, but then I invested in a decent pair of Brasher leather boots and spent the time to get proper fitting ones; I then walked the best part of 100 miles without a single blister! I'm doing a lot more hiking in summer and, trust me, these things work. :smile:

Reply 10

quintsy

Thanks everyone :smile:

I wore trainers to school today, and have tried to avoid walking directly on them as some of them are in particularly awkward positions (I will promise to upload a picture of the eeeevil one in a short while :smile:

).

After I have a bath tonight I'll put a plaster and some padding on the biggest ones, and I think I have some Compeed plasters somewhere which I can use too.

My science teacher (who always has an answer for everything) told me to put my feet in salty water to draw the liquid out "using the principles of osmosis/diffusion". Has anyone heard of this before or tried it?