I started walking a lot a couple of weeks ago and just recently purchased a new pair of walking shoes. While I was desperately in need of a new pair of shoes that properly cushioned and supported my feet, the new pair of shoes was a little tighter in some areas and looser in other areas so the shoes started to form blisters during my walk yesterday. While this is a minor inconvenience for me in this situation, a blister in the middle of harvest season could mean the difference between a successful harvest and fruit rotting on the vine. In a disaster, a blister could keep you from evacuating an area on foot, or returning home in the event of a transportation outage.
Blisters are caused by repeated rubbing between shoes and skin causing friction burns. As the outer layer of skin separates from the inner layers the space between fills with lymph fluid. Of course the best practice is to prevent blisters from forming in the first place. To prevent blisters you must simply prevent the rubbing or friction that produces the heat. There are several ways to accomplish this.
The first way to minimize blistering is to wear well fitted and broken in shoes with clean dry socks. Don’t even consider a long walk or hike without taking several shorter ones in a new pair of shoes. Keeping your shoes and feet dry are critical in this prevention. There are several wicking socks manufactured that are designed to wick moisture away from the skin. This wicking action will help keep your feet drier and reduce the chance of blisters.
A tape or special skin cream can be applied to the surface of your skin where blisters are likely to form. This prevents the skin from rubbing against the inside of the shoe. They also make friction management patches that can be applied to the inside of the shoe and perform the same function in reverse. A lubricant like talcum powder or petrolium jelly can also be applied to the surface of the skin to reduce the friction between the skin and the shoe. With less friction there is less heat and therefor fewer blisters. Unfortunately this method requires a frequent reapplication of materials.
Treatment
So you took all the precautions and still ended up with a blister anyway. What now? Well the wort thing you can do in most circumstances is pop the blister. This opens the injury to infection. Wash the area with a mild soapy water and keep your skin clean and dry. A topical antibiotic like neosporin should be applied to prevent infection. The area should then be covered with a bandage or second skin type product to minimize the chance of the blister opening. If the blister should open on its own, treat the area as you would any other cut. Always leave the top layer of skin intact it helps protect the lower, still present, layers of skin.
Remember prevent them in the first place, but know how to treat them should they occur.
