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 dries up, leaving behind dead cell material inside the blister. It tends to have a texture like putty.

Prevention

Common areas that suffer from blood blisters include the hands and feet. Moleskin can be used to prevent blood blisters from forming.

Keeping the feet and hands sanitized prevents the area from becoming chaffed or abnormally wet.

Treatment

There are several methods for healing a blood blister. They include, but are not limited to:

• 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." Excerpt from Utah Mountain Biking

• Ongoing care:
  • Soak the blister in epsom salts to reduce swelling.
  • Puncture the roof of blister with clean, antiseptic needle and drain.
  • Keep area cleanly bandaged, replacing daily or whenever necessary.

"See the doctor if there is redness around the wound, red streaks, swelling, drainage, fever, tender bumps in the groin or armpit upstream from the wound, or an unexplained increase in pain or tenderness." Excerpt from Utah Mountain Biking

Refrain from use of inflicted area. If necessary, apply moleskin to the blister so work can persist, but note that it will not heal as quickly - even with a moleskin cover, the blister can become worse.

See also

• Bleeding
• Bruise

Diseases

External Links

• Utah Mountain Biking^* Note the change between friction and blood blister information