Whether in new shoes or during sports, you can quickly get a blister. Strength athletes also know them on their hands. The question then is: should you pierce the blister or not? FITBOOK asked a dermatologist and an athletic trainer who looks after professional runners.
The motivation to get back into the running shoes the day after the last running session is low if you have a blister under your foot. And new shoes or shoes that are too tight can also promote the development of skin blisters (medical: Bulla). These can be quite painful and thick. Hence the question: pierce the blister or rather wait until it heals itself?
How does a skin blister actually come about?
The pressure of the shoe – be it during sports or because the treads are new and weigh on unfamiliar places – can cause the top layer of skin to peel off. Tissue fluid now flows into this gap, whereby the underlying skin is to be padded and thus protected. Nevertheless, the whole thing feels uncomfortable because the liquid presses on the nerve endings.
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Blisters get up or not – that’s what dermatologists and athletic trainers say
With the exception of small, inconspicuous blisters that do not cause any discomfort (covering them up with a plaster is sufficient here), you should “always pierce blisters”. In an interview with FITBOOK, the Munich dermatologist Dr. medical Timm Goluke.
However, there are obviously a few things to consider. If you work carelessly or uncleanly, you risk miracles and, in the worst case, serious inflammation. These may then have to be treated in a more complex manner and take longer to heal.
Athletics trainer Egidijus Pranckus, who has many runners under his wing, shares the doctor’s opinion: «My experience is: yes, always stab.» This is also common practice among top athletes. For runners in particular, it is unbearable to run with a blister for a long time – «not even for professionals». «Hygiene is crucial – you have to keep the wound clean and dry it, otherwise it may not go well.» That means: squeeze it out and dry it out.
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Prick the blister – that’s how it works
dr Golüke urges the use of a sterile needle. Carefully prick a small hole in the blister from the side. Now gently squeeze out the liquid with a compress or a fresh handkerchief.
Important: leave the blister skin on! «It protects the underlying, freshly growing skin,» says Dr. Goluke. The thin blister skin sags and becomes firm and harder over time. Don’t give in to the impulse to fiddle with it, let alone pinch it off. The young skin underneath, which is much more sensitive than older layers of skin, would be defenseless and could tear open.
Protect blisters that have not been punctured
If a blister causes acute symptoms on the go, for example when hiking or strolling through town, it is hardly possible to pierce it cleanly. In this case, the skin should be protected from the outside with a tape or plaster, if necessary with a blister plaster. Once home and cleaned, you can then puncture the blister.