Blister treatment? (Read 663 times)

Ok, so I have this sizable blister that is over a week old. It's on the side of the base of my big toe. It has not "deflated" at all in a week's time (and I haven't run since Sunday due to a bad chest/lung bug, so it's not that the area has been continuously rubbed). I'm not keen on the idea of popping it, since I know that can lead to infection, but I'm getting sick of looking at it and knowing that I will have to cover it to run. I have a tub of Blister Shield that I will start using preventatively (at least with my favorite pair that has caused the issue after they were already broken-in and trouble-free for the first 75 miles), but I'm not sure what to do with this blister in the mean time.

Ooh, I might pop it, then. Heh...sounds fun! k

I remember my mom popping blisters after heating a pin/needle in a flame. Now I just need to find a pin. I suppose one of the random safety pins hanging off my race bibs would probably do the job. Should I at least use a little rubbing alcohol on the popped blister and a band-aid with some Neosporin overnight? k

Which word of "it won't get infected" did you not understand? Blisters are seperations between two superficial layers of skin, and even the deeper layer is still good solid skin. It may be raw. It may hurt. But it is enough to serve as a barrier against infection.

As far as I know the flame is not to heat the needle but to sterilize it. We (my mom when I was a kid, and myself now) would always just put rubbing alcohol on the needle and the blister with a cotton ball. But yes, pop it and put it out of its misery. That will let it dry out and quit putting pressure against the edges of the blister where the layers of skin join - that's what makes them painful, in my observation.