Blood blister
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A blood blister is a type of blister that forms when subdermal tissues and blood vessels are damaged without piercing the skin. It consists of a pool of lymph, blood and other bodily fluids trapped beneath the skin. If punctured, it suppurates a dark red fluid. Sometimes the fluids are cut off from the rest of the body and dry up, leaving behind dead cell material inside the blister. It tends to have a texture like putty.
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[edit] Prevention
Common areas that suffer from blood blisters include the hands and feet.
Blisters can form after chafing, or pinching. Keeping the skin of the feet and hands dry and firm reduces the risk of damage or separation of the skin layers. When the cause is abrasion, Moleskin can be used to prevent blood blisters from forming. If blisters keep occurring in a particular area, you may consider soaking the area with methylated spirits. The spirits dry out the skin and help with the formation of calluses.
Blood blisters are commonly caused by accidents in which the skin is pinched by a tool, mechanism, or heavy weight without protective gear. The only prevention in these situations is to use tools appropriately and carefully wear protective gear.
[edit] Treatment
There are several methods of healing blood blisters. They include, but are not limited to:
- For Immediate care: "Leave the blister alone. Elevate the injured area. Apply a cold pack. When pain subsides, apply padding or a splint to protect the injured area." [1]
- Elevating the affected anatomy and applying pressure reduces blood leakage into the damaged area, cold reduces the inflammatory response.
- Soak the blister in epsom salts to reduce swelling.
- Keep the area cleanly bandaged, and replace the bandage daily or whenever necessary.
In some cases, it is advisable to visit a doctor to ensure that the blood blister is not a symptom of something more sinister. Signs of this include redness around the wound, red streaks, swelling, drainage, fever, tender bumps in the groin or armpit upstream from the wound, or unexplained increase in pain or tenderness. [2]
Refrain from using the affected area. If necessary, apply moleskin to the blister to keep using the area, but note that it will not heal as quickly - even with a moleskin cover, the blister can become worse.
If it pops on its own, quickly rinse the area and apply an antiseptic such as neosporin. Do not ever pop a blood blister, or any blister. Opposed to popular belief, it does not help it to heal, it can in fact lead to serious infection.
People who are exposed to blistering but cannot interrupt their activities to allow for proper treatment, such as soldiers or sportsmen on longer training periods or competitions, have developed a series of approaches to treating blisters. These are unadvisable, as they are likely to slow healing or cause further damage, especially if undertaken improperly.
- Especially on long marches a blister can cause the trooper to hobble. In order to relieve the discomfort of the blister hobbling will cause problems in joints or muscles. It is advisable to continue walking as normally as possible "through the blister". It will either pop and necessitate treatment at the next stop, or flatten out and become less painful.
- At an overnight stop a disinfected, thin cotton thread can be stiched through the blister. This provides a drain and lets the fluid come out. The dead skin from the top of the blister will then stick to the soft flesh of the underside and form a temporary protection. Great care and attention is advised with this treatment and regular inspection of the blister is necessary to recognize any symptom of infection immediately.
- Special blister pads are available. The skin of the blister must be totally removed, the wound dried and disinfected. The pad can then be stuck directly onto the wound where it will protect from further abrasion. These pads have the best results when applied to healthy skin in known, blistering spots before the activity (marches etc) begins.
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
- Utah Mountain Biking[3] Note the change between friction and blood blister information
