So the other night I was cutting up a large carpet remnant for an area in my garage, when all of a sudden, I noticed I had developed a blister on my middle finger. The kind of blister that once you notice it, you realize, this hurts!

I was using some heavy-duty shears to make cuts to the carpet and the repetitive motion of cutting through the carpet must have been the cause. The most common type of blister is known as a friction blister and this is exactly the type of blister that decided to pay my finger a visit.

When you apply too much friction to an area of the skin, shear forces cause mechanical separation of the outer layers of skin and form a gap. The gap then fills with fluid forming a blister. Blisters form more quickly if pressure and movement on the skin is severe or the skin is damp.

This has happened to you right? Of course it has! Whether you did some gardening with out gloves on, used an axe to chop some firewood, wore some new shoes without socks, or anything else that caused an area of your skin to form a blister, you’ve been down this road before.

Now the question is once you’ve noticed that you’ve developed a friction blister, how do you care for it? What are you supposed to do?

The simplest answer is nothing. Leave it alone! Yeah I know, that often feels impossible to do, but it’s often the best thing you can do. Typically, your body will be able to reabsorb the fluid that has filled the gap caused by the blister; new skin will form underneath it, and within a few days that blister will start to disappear.

You are not supposed to pop them, drain the fluid, rip them open or tear the loose skin off. Again, I know, easier said then done.

WebMd (2017) reminds us that we should not puncture a blister unless it is large, painful, or likely to be further irritated. The fluid-filled blister keeps the underlying skin clean, which prevents infection and promotes healing.

As you can see from my picture, I was not able to leave the blister alone. I felt like I had to puncture the blister because it was so bothersome, painful, and I still had work to do. But here is the thing; if you have to puncture a blister there are a few very important rules to follow, which I did.

First, wash your hands before you do anything. You don’t want to introduce bacteria into the blister.

Second, sterilize the needle you plan to use to puncture the blister. This can be done using rubbing alcohol or put it on the edge of a flame until it’s red-hot.

Third, after you puncture the blister and drain the fluid, apply some antibiotic ointment such as Neosporin to help prevent infection.

Keep an eye on your blister as it heals and watch for any signs of infection such as warmth, redness, drainage, or pus.

Perhaps the best thing you can do to deal with friction blisters is to try and prevent them from happening in the first place. Wear gloves and other protective equipment to ensure you keep those nasty little friction blisters away.

Cheers.