Foot blisters are annoying. They’re just some fluid-filled sac under your skin, but even the small ones can really hurt. Everyone wants a quick solution, but before diving into the treatment of blisters, we have to consider what causes them in the first place.

What causes foot blisters?

1. External friction

Our first concern is external friction. You can be wearing tight shoes for a long time (I’ve been there), and the pressure causes the top and bottom layers of the skin to go in opposite directions when you walk.

Think of it like nudging a carpet with your feet across the floor. The carpet slides forward, and the floor stays in place. This results in damage to whatever is between those two.

Interestingly, one thing that can indirectly affect friction is skin moisture. Dry skin – although can cause cracked skin – actually lowers the risk of skin blisters. This is also true for wet skin.

However, there is also moist skin. Ever had your skin exposed to water for a long time, and it starts to wrinkle? That wrinkling effect increases the surface area and in turn increases the friction on your skin when you walk around.

Not only that, but water is also known for its property to hold on to heat. So, all that water absorbed into your skin actually making it hotter, a perfect condition for blisters to form.

A study in the University of Salford showed that increased skin surface hydration increases the rate of temperature change of the skin, leading to foot blisters.

2. Internal friction

If we went over external friction, then there must also be internal friction. This is a type of friction caused by your bone structure moving in ways that add pressure to your feet.

This tends to be a problem, for instance, when you’re new to a type of sport. Your muscles are not strong enough for a certain level of work, so your bones and soft tissues compensate for it, and this cause unnecessary friction.

3. Poor skin health

Our third concern is skin health. Short answer is to stop smoking! Smoking actually decreases the rate of production for new collagen fibers, the building blocks of skin. It also makes it harder for the skin to repair itself, according to a study in the British Journal of Dermatology.

Another study in 1999 also showed that use of smokeless tobacco is associated with higher chances of getting foot blisters. If that is the case for smokeless tobacco which has lesser exposure to harmful chemicals, then we should be more careful with cigarettes!

You could also be having a skin condition such as eczema or contact dermatitis that exposes you risks of blisters more than other people. People with eczema tend to get dry skin, itchy skin, rashes, scaly patches, blisters and skin infections.

Contact dermatitis on the other hand is skin irritation after exposure to certain chemicals. Contact It’s best to consult a medical specialist if you’re worried if this can be the causes of your blisters.

4. Overwork

Finally, a cause that we must not overlook is activity increase. You can wear the comfiest shoes in the world, keep your skin dry, and take all the supplements you need, but if you overwork yourself, then blisters can still come your way. This is true for people who run, hike, and a variety of sports.

How do I prevent foot blisters?

Prevention is always better than cure, and this is also true for blisters. There are a number of ways we can decrease the chance of getting a blister, as will be discussed in this section.

1. Train your skin

Just like your muscles and bones, you can actually train your skin to get stronger over time. But just like you need a dedicated training plan for your muscles, so does your skin.

You can train your skin by just doing whatever you want your skin to adapt to. If you’re tired of blisters when you go running, then build up that skin strength by doing short runs and progressively increase your distance.

You can experiment yourself by tracking what distance your foot skin start to hurt and start from there.

2. Keep your feet dry

As we mentioned before, blisters rarely happen to dry or wet skin. It’s when the skin absorbs all that water and becomes moist and wrinkly, is when blisters happen.

Aside from running in the rain and getting your shoes and socks wet, that moisture can come from your sweat glands itself. Whether when you’re exercising or it’s just a hot day, sweat can build up in your shoes and cause your skin to become moist and soggy.

One solution for that is to use anti-perspirants. They work by blocking the sweat glands on your skin, unlike deodorant which only masks the odor. People usually use anti-perspirant under their armpits but applying them on your feet will achieve the same effect. You can check this article to learn more about how they work.

There are so many anti-perspirants on the market right now, but the one you’re looking for is a product with a strong concentration of aluminum chloride (15%) as the active ingredient, as recommended by The Budget Dermatologist.

You can try out the Maxim Anti-Perspirant Roll-on, it checks out the boxes with 15% aluminum chloride as the active ingredient.

Some people would suggest applying lubricant to the pressure points in your feet, but I would say that this is a short-term solution. Lubricants such as Vaseline can help reduce friction, but in the long run it would trap the sweat and cause your skin to become moist.

3. Choose the right socks

Under the topic of reducing moisture, you can try using socks that are good at absorbing moisture. These are called moisture-wicking socks.

They socks don’t work like magic, though. They don’t entirely remove water from your foot, but instead stores the water throughout the sock so that your blister hotspots don’t tank all the load. From there, they have excellent ventilation so that the socks dry quickly.

Some socks design their socks in two layers. An inner layer that absorbs all the sweat and transfers it to the outer second layer that dries. By doing this, they maintain that wicking effect while keeping the sock comfortable with cotton.

The rule of thumb is to avoid pure cotton socks, as it keeps the moisture right next to your foot, causing odor and blisters. What you’re looking for are synthetic materials such as polypropylene that has that moisture-wicking capability.

Some options that I would recommend are these socks by Aptyd. They’re good for long hours of work drenched in sweat, and for running too. Dickies also have a wide range of options for both men and women.

4. Wear shoes that fit well

The first step of choosing the right shoes is making sure that they fit well. If your shoes are too tight, then there will be too much pressure on your feet that will lead to blisters. If they are too loose, your feet will wiggle around in your shoes causing a lot of movement and friction too.

There are also some add-ons you can try along with your footwear, and that would be orthotics. Sometimes referred to as insoles, they are a type cushioning placed under your soles in your shoes. They can help prevent blisters by redirecting pressure away from some areas of your foot.

Orthotics, especially custom-made one by your podiatrist, can be expensive. However, you can start by trying on read-made insoles, such as these Dr Scholl’s orthotics and see if they help.

Another type of add-on are ankle gaiters. They’re a type of guard you strap around your ankle that covers the hole in your shoes to prevent foreign objects like pebbles and sticks from going in. Gaiters such as these ones from Pike Trail, can be helpful for hikers and runners.

5. Blister bandage

The last one on this list is the blister bandage. They’re a small gel-type cushioning you stick on your blister hotspots that absorb all that friction from damaging your skin. This can be a good solution if you’re not willing to buy a new pair of shoes or socks just yet.

There are a lot of blister bandages on the market right now, but it’s best to buy ones that will keep sticking the whole day. I mean, if they peel off every two to three hours, it can be really annoying. I would recommend these Compeed’s blister bandages if you’re looking for one.

How do I treat foot blisters?

If you’re on this section of this article, chances are you already have a painful foot blister and want to do something about it immediately.

1. Should I pop my foot blister?

To pop or not to pop, that is the question. It might be tempting to just pop it, but the principle is that whenever we break the skin, it opens a path for bacteria to invade the tissue beneath it. By popping the blister, that area is more likely to get infected.

So, what you need to do is cover it with a blister bandage, as mentioned in the previous section. This protects the blister from popping, and you can go about your day in your shoes as usual. This, however, works for smaller blisters.

When the blister is too big, it might be difficult to cover it with the blister bandage. So, cut a small section in the center of the bandage and then cover the blister so that the bandage surrounds it. The thickness of the bandage should be enough to protect the blister from popping.

2. My blister is too big; I can’t cover it with a blister bandage!

If your blister is too big, then you can either leave it for a few days to heal until it shrinks or pop it. But chances are, you would want to get back to your usual routine be it walking to work, exercising, or going outside for a walk. In that case, popping it might be in your best interest.

To go about popping your blister, you can go to your podiatrist and have the procedure done at the clinic.

Popping a blister by yourself is not recommended for smokers and diabetics, as the wound takes longer to heal and is easier to get infected.

However, if you’re healthy and want to do this yourself, you really need to make sure that you eliminate any risk of infection during the process.

1. Disinfect the surface of the blister with antiseptic wipes or solutions.
2. Disinfect a needle making sure it’s sterile.
3. Poke a small hole on the side of the blister, near its base.
4. Push out the fluid gently until the blister flattens.

Now, you’ve successfully emptied the blister. Next comes the aftercare. If the blister is not taken care of after the procedure, it can actually fill back up with fluid. So, after making sure the blister surface is clean and dry, cover it with a blister bandage. The pressure for the bandage will prevent further fluid buildup.

3. The blister popped itself, what should I do?

The third scenario is that while you’re walking in your shoes, the foot blister popped by itself. In this case, you need to clean the surface of the blister with antiseptic wipes or solutions, dry the surface and cover it with a blister bandage. Always check up on the blister to make sure it’s clean and free from infections.

If somehow the area becomes red, painful, hot, itchy, or swollen, then the area might have gotten infected. Go see your podiatrist and have it taken care of at the clinic. A medically certified doctor can prescribe you with antimicrobial ointments or antibiotics to get rid of that infection.