Blisters
What is it?
A bubble on the skin filled with serum caused by friction, burning, or other damage.
Plan of Action:
If a blister isn't too painful, try to keep it intact. Unbroken skin over a blister may provide a natural barrier to bacteria and decreases the risk of infection. Cover it with a bandage or moleskin. Cut a piece of moleskin into a doughnut shape and place the pad so that it encircles and protects the blister. Then cover the blister and moleskin with gauze.
To relieve blister-related pain, drain the fluid while leaving the overlying skin intact. Here's how:
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Wash your hands and the blister with soap and warm water.
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Swab the blister with iodine.
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Clean a sharp needle with rubbing alcohol.
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Use the needle to prick the blister in several spots near the edge. Let the fluid drain, but leave the overlying skin in place.
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Apply an ointment such as petroleum jelly to the blister and cover it with a nonstick gauze bandage. If a rash appears, stop using the ointment.
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Follow-up care. Check the area every day for infection. After several days, use a tweezers and scissors sterilized with rubbing alcohol to cut away the dead skin. Apply more ointment and a bandage.