How to Treat a Killer Blister
To pop, or not to pop, that is the question. The dermatologists we spoke with answered: Pop.
"The blister will heal more readily if you drain it yourself than if it rips open later," says Jeffrey Benabio, MD, a dermatologist for Kaiser Permanente in San Diego. Sterilize a needle (by dipping it in rubbing alcohol or holding it in a flame) and use it to make a tiny puncture hole in the blister. Let the liquid (it's just water) drain out, then cover with a Band-Aid. Change the Band-Aid daily, until the skin has healed. And in the meantime, don't wear shoes that could irritate the spot.
"The blister will heal more readily if you drain it yourself than if it rips open later," says Jeffrey Benabio, MD, a dermatologist for Kaiser Permanente in San Diego. Sterilize a needle (by dipping it in rubbing alcohol or holding it in a flame) and use it to make a tiny puncture hole in the blister. Let the liquid (it's just water) drain out, then cover with a Band-Aid. Change the Band-Aid daily, until the skin has healed. And in the meantime, don't wear shoes that could irritate the spot.
From the August 2011 issue of O, The Oprah Magazine
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