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I often go running, but if I am not careful, I can end up with a blister on my toe similar to this. Using the recommended first aid treatment of draining and treating the blister, I find that it often refills with liquid if I go running the next day.

I don't want to miss my run, so are there any tricks I can use so the blister will not refill with liquid if I want to go running the next day?

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    If this continually happens to you, it's likely your shoes causing the issue, have poor running technique, have the wrong type of shoe for your foot's arc, or maybe something else. Seriously search google about this stuff I mentioned and learning more about it. It's amazing how it seems most schools don't ever teach about this stuff. Thanks to the internet, more people can learn the correct way to run , with the correct shoes, and stay in shape. Many people gain weight b.c they think running is harder than it needs to be, but only if the schools/sports in schools taught basic thing like runnin
    – CRABOLO
    Feb 25, 2015 at 5:02
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    Your socks are also important in keeping them from forming.
    – Doug Watkins
    Feb 25, 2015 at 5:30

7 Answers 7

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In the end, I found a solution myself, quite similar to the recommended treatment for blisters already mentioned. I find this one quite more effective though.

I found a link where they also explain the process, but I'll sum it up here just in case.

You'll need:

1 Sewing needle
Some white thread (no color threads as they contain dyes)
Betadine
Band-Aid(s)
1 Sterile gauze (or moleskin)
A pair of small scissors
  • Take a needle and put a thread through it.
  • Soak both in betadine for a couple of minutes.
  • Go through your blister with the needle, so it will leave two holes with thread emerging from both. The fluid will drain out of the blister.
  • Separate the thread from the needle, leaving it inside the blister. Move it back and forth to soak the inside of the blister with betadine, but be careful to keep the blister intact.
  • Cut some thread from each side until there's a little less than 2cm outside each side of the blister.

  • Cover the blister with a Band-Aid and avoid getting the area wet for at least 24h.

  • Now, if you have to train the next day, also put a gauze instead of the band-aid. It will prevent some of the rubbing and also soak any liquid it may come out during training. You can also use moleskin. I've been said it's better than gauze, so feel free to try it.

  • After 24h, the blister should be mostly cured and given the case the thread should be removed.

Have in mind this method could also help curing hand-blisters. But the blister should be intact before we apply it (And after).

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  • Any further comments about editing the answer are welcomed too.
    – Alfro
    Mar 3, 2015 at 23:43
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    as a long time runner, I highly suggest moleskin instead of gauze. It's a bit counter-intuitive, but thicker/fluffier can PROMOTE rubbing and 'looseness' (which causes blisters in the first place).
    – BrownRedHawk
    Mar 6, 2015 at 18:20
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Nothing resembling a life hack is the answer; its usual to cover the blister with a plaster or dressing, and in particular, a dressing/plaster specifically made for blisters (Compeed in the UK). Plenty of things to do for prevention, but not for once it's happened, well, not that works well anyway. You can try jamming a tissue or some piece of material inside your sock over the area, but in my experience, it still moves and aggravates the blister even more.

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  • Saying "nothing resembling a life hack is the answer" is a narrow minded comment and should be down voted.
    – subjectivist
    Mar 1, 2015 at 0:02
  • @subjectivist Hmm, well that's an interesting take on my own assessment of my information - I put that in so that no one gave me points, because it isn't a hack and I'm not pretending it is. Feel free to downvote if you want, its no odds to me.
    – Bamboo
    Mar 1, 2015 at 12:28
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    I misinterpreted your sentence as if no life hack is possible or the question is invalid. Thanks for correcting me.
    – subjectivist
    Mar 1, 2015 at 18:14
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It is better to leave the blister for few days without popping it to let the skin under it heal. Better do not run on the next day, use the next day for recovery or cross training (train some other sport not involving your feet so intensively - cycling, fitness ...).

If it is absolutely necessary for you to rn on the next day then use the Benzoyl peroxide to dry the blister, apply a medical band, and in the next run use baby powder on your feet to keep them dry when running.

Blisters appear if your shoes are not comfortable or if your feet become wet while running. What you can do to prevent them next time:

  • change your shoes with more comfortable
  • use socks for running - made of breathable material (synthetic in most cases) which does not keep moisture. Do not use socks with cotton as they tend to soak with water and keep your feet wet
  • use baby powder to keep feet dry
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The reason it continues to fill up with liquid is due to the friction caused by your toe rubbing in the sock/against your shoes.

The only way you'll be able to "prevent" it as such, allowing you to run, is to wrap it in a band-aid/dressing/etc.

The most permanent solution is to get shoes tailored to your feet. If they're causing friction against your feet then a blister is the least of your concerns.

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this is what i did when i ran XC in high school and got blisters

  1. Pop the blister and drain it
  2. Cut off the dead skin, with sterilized (soaked in alcohol) snips, that makes up the blister so you are left with a crater (this wont hurt unless you cut into the live skin)
  3. Let the crater skin under where the blister was dry out a bit
  4. I used to just put superglue over the exposed skin but you can either use new skin or just wrap it with a band-aid if you dont want to use superglue. If you use a band-aid make sure to change it regularly

Also as the comments say you should look into new shoes and/or socks, wet feet = blisters, make sure you get good breathing shoes and always put on clean socks before you go running

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Treatment of blisters is a simple matter. While I don't personally recommend popping and draining them yourself (though with a blister in that particular spot, that may be the ticket), since then you have to treat it as an open wound, that is an option. But if you don't want to pop it, you do have other options.

The treatment I have always been taught is moleskin, a self-adhesive padding to be applied to the site of the blister. It's extremely effective at keeping your blisters padded and comfortable (on a toe like that, it's a little awkward). If you can acquire such things as these, I cannot recommend it enough.

In a pinch, duct tape is also an effective tool. It protects your blister in the same way, to prevent further irritation.

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Well, so I actually came across another answer while around Youtube. It's explained in this video (no blisters or any kind of disgusting things are shown, so feel free to check it out)

The main treatment for a blister usually revolves around pricking it with a needle to drain it (which could cause an infection), or let it be (which is not much of a treatment). But in this case, the girl in the video talks about Benzoyl peroxide, a substance used in acne treatment that can dry out the liquid from the skin

Basically, she takes an acne cream containing 5% Benzoyl and applies a small amount of it on top of the blister. Later, she covers it with a bandit and according to her it was completely flat the next day.

I (fortunately) didn't try it myself, as I didn't get any more blisters, but I thought it was worth mentioning as it doesn't involve anything invasive.

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