By Steve Roark
Volunteer, Cumberland Gap Historical Park

Summer tends to up activity levels with most folks, such as hiking or working in a garden. Sometimes these activities lead to a blister, which is your body's way of telling you to ease off on what you're doing. They are of course the result of too much friction, possibly from poor-fitting shoes or not wearing work gloves. There are several opinions on how to treat them.

The first thing to decide is whether to drain the fluid from the blister, which depends on its size and location. If the blister is small and not located where it will cause discomfort, just leave it alone. If the blister is causing some pain, or if there's a chance of breaking it through use and perhaps causing more pain and injury, then you may want to drain it.

The simplest way to do this is to prick the side of the blister with a sterilized needle. Don’t skip the sterilization step, as not doing so can lead to infection. Alcohol works, or you can heat the needle until it is red hot and let it cool.

A mistake often made after draining a blister is to remove the skin over it. This will leave a raw, very tender area that will take longer to heal, so leave the skin on to protect the wound. It will eventually dry up and fall off on its own.

Next, treat the area with an antibiotic ointment. A dressing to protect the area while it is healing is a good idea. A Band-Aid is fine if it's big enough, but if not use sterilized gauze pads. Give the blister some air nightly by removing the dressing when you're inactive. Be alert for signs of infection: redness, swelling, heat, increased pain, or the fluid coming out of the blister is not clear or has some odor to it. If any of these signs are present, head for the doctor.

Preventing blisters is the best way to walk that extra mile or hoe that last row. If you're prone to getting blisters on your hands, wear gloves. For your feet, always wear socks when wearing shoes. Applying baby powder to your feet before putting on socks can help reduce friction. Also, petroleum jelly applied to blister prone areas such as the heel is also good. Fitted socks (those with a heel) are recommended rather than tube socks.

If you hike, hunt, or do any activity that requires a lot of walking, carry some moleskin with you. This is a thin pad with a really sticky back that you can apply to areas that may be rubbing and hopefully prevent blisters from forming. It can be cut to size and is available at the drug store. Put the stuff on as soon as you feel some friction, and don’t use moleskin after a blister has formed.

A good book on first aid is "Home Remedies", published by Rodale Press.