Blisters are extremely common sports and foot injuries but should be quite preventable. The main cause of a blister is friction between the skin and the shoes or hosiery surrounding the foot. The repetitious rubbing causes the outer layer of skin to separate from the inner layers skin and fill with fluid. This fluid is known as lymph fluid.

The most common blisters are associated with new footwear and wearing them for long periods of time before they are properly broken in but blisters do not need to a part of life. Avoiding blisters is not that hard.

It may seem like a common sense approach but believe it or not the majority of people wear shoes that are not properly fitted for them. So ensuring that your shoes fit correctly is the first line of defense to prevent blisters. There are also areas of the foot known as hot spots where blistering is most likely to occur. When breaking in new shoes, especially athletic shoes, it is a good idea to apply some sort of buffering tape to reduce friction.

Always make sure the seems inside your shoes remain flat. Protruding seams will rub and leather shoes tend to shrink when heated so seams that don’t bother your foot could actually change position or size and begin to rub. The area inside shoes must also be kept as dry as possible because wet or damp shoes and hosiery will cause blisters very quickly. If you suffer from sweaty feet, foot powder works miracles when it comes to reducing blisters. If you suspect you are beginning to suffer from blisters you will notice inflamed or reddish skin near the heal,toes and/or instep.

When attempting to treat blistering make sure you practice proper and sterile hygiene. If you choose to pop a blister, use a sterilized needle to make a small hole to allow the fluid to drain. Do not peel away the skin because it will form a protective layer reduce the chance of infection. Dress the area with a second skin or sterile tape to reduce pain and chances of further blistering and infection.

Blister plasters are wonderful little treatments for blisters and hot spots. They can be purchased at any drugstore and applied very easily to the skin. For short term fixes, Blister Plaster is terrific. However, continually looking for short term relief of blisters is not the goal. If preventative measures do not keep you from chronic blistering problems, it is time to take a deeper look at the problem.

Many chronic sufferers have odd shaped feet with certain maladies. A trip to the podiatrist to assess your foot problems is a great idea. He or she may prescribe custom foot orthotics or arch supports to reduce the exposure to your hot spots. Orthoses in general will bring your feet into proper alignment and keep the foot from moving around inside the shoes. There is a good chance your feet are not exact replicas of each other let alone the standardized shoes you have chosen, so truly custom foot orthotics can make a dramatic difference reducing friction that causes friction.

Custom orthotics do not need to be prescribed by a podiatrist. Any qualified Pedorthist can analyze a mold of the foot and fabricate proper orthotic devices. What cannot be done is to expect that an over that counter arch support or insert will be able to address your specific foot problem. They may help provide some support and stability but if they are not customized to your foot, they will do little to correct a very specific condition.