Mobilization is pretty important to survival so I figure proper foot care may belong here. I have a popped blister on the heel thats a PITA. So far I'm wearing flip-flops whenever possible to let it dry out and speed up the healing. When I do wear shoes I layer up:

1st Layer: Band aid, or non-stick gauze pad

2nd Layer: 3M medical tape

3rd Layer: Duct tape


So far that works but I'm still getting some uncomfortable wear. The shoes I'm wearing most often now are leather dress shoes and sneakers. I don't have the time for this to drag out for a couple of weeks so what else can I do to: #1 Speed healing, #2 Properly protect the sore spot?

in my personal experience ~ your mileage may vary ~ neosporin or bacitracin applied first will help keep the friction to a minimum, will keep the area moist and help prevent cracking of the new skin, and will help combat infection.

after many years of the dry-it-out crowd i've become a convert to the moist method.

Put the "duct tape" on first it'll help healing
I don't remember what ingredient is in duct tape but it helps "heel" pun intended

Mike

For smaller blisters, Band-aid's new Blister bandages work really good for me. Get both the fingers and toes version and the regular size, and use whichever fits best.

If you expect to get blisters but you don't have one yet, Band-aids Friction Block works quite well too. It's like a mini deodorant stick, that puts a bit of a greasy film on the hot-spot.

Spenco's Second Skin works pretty well too for larger blisters.

+1 on the Spenco Second skin. I don't have alot of experience treating blisters on the trail (happy feet all my life), but I put some of this stuff on a rubbed raw hot spot on my heel and then covered that with a knuckle bandage, and everything was gravy the rest of the day.

Knuckle bandages across the back of your heel - its my all purpose bandage for boo boos and up, it will prevent hot spots from becoming worse.

Thanks for the suggestions. I'm gonna go with Spenco 2nd skin, or if I can't find it (wasn't in any drugstores), I'll go with neosporin. Haven't had a heel blister in years. I was actually breaking in a pair of boots and had duct taped both heels just in case. Foot started to sweat and duct tape came lose, didn't realize until too late. Forgot just how problematic they can be.

to keep sticky things stuck ~ apply tincture of benzoin on dry skin first. non-prescription, but may have to ask pharmacist for it. also comes in single-use dose if you know any emergency room folks.

Lots of good advice on treating a blister here.

I had a foot problem a couple of weeks ago. I was on a field training exercise wearing well broken-in boots and fresh wool socks, my normal stuff. It was a hot day and shortly after I started hiking my feet started to heat-up, especially the back of my heels. I was not in a position to stop, so I just pushed through and dealt with the problem the first chance I got in the late afternoon. I expected my heels to be a mess but they were only red and tender, as was my entire foot? I applied some moleskin to my heels and changed my socks, problem solved. I think that I had a reaction to whatever detergent the socks were washed in, because I was on the course for 8 days and this was the only time I had difficulty with my feet?

Mike

+100! Spenco Second Skin is simply the best stuff there is for blisters. It takes one from being a hobbled invalid to feeling as if there is nothign wrong. I first used this stuff playing football in high school, many moons ago. When breaking in a new pair of cleats, you often got blisters. We'd put some Second Skin over the blister, secure it with athletic tape, and we were good to go.

Last fall, I gave it to someone 1000 feet from the summit of Mount Washington, and the pain went away, allowing her to finish the climb.

Two weekends back, DW's nephew had a ceremony marking his high school graduation, to which we had to go black tie. The boyfriend of DW's niece was being attacked by his shoes and was not walking well. A little Second Skin, and all discomfort was gone. He wanted to know why he never used the stuff when playing soccer.

It is the stuff. If you have a blister and need to keep going, settle for nothing else.

THAT brings back memories: At the start of the rowing season in high school, the nurse would have a line out the infirmary door, of kids with blistered hands. She'd spray the stuff on, and her assistant would dust us with talcum. She never used anything else...except a withering look, on the whiners;-)

Tinc benz brings back some horrible memories, It hurts like a barsteward but works. I once had a very sadistic army medic suck the fluid out of a big heel blister and inject the bloody stuff under the skin. Absolute pull me down off the ceiling pain for a bit then zinc oxide tape over the heel and soldier on.

Nowadays I'm a bit wiser and use a hydrocolloid dressing and zinc tape, pretty much the best way I've found in 20 odd years of playing soldiers.

Here's a couple of popular treatments:
Blist-O-Ban
and
GlacierGel

No first hand experience with these though.

Glacier-Gel is AWESOME.

I usually don't go for the "new" stuff, but this stuff is great.

New ice hockey skates and dance shoes for kids provide plenty of blister repair issues for me.

Well as luck would have it, I got a nice sized blister on my heel yesterday. Today I am going to buy some product and get back to the forum in a day or so.

Never went back again, self medication from then on. You only take that pain once. It must be the closest thing to childbirth a man can experience.

Never had anything stuck in a zipper yet huh?

I have found the second skin covered with Leukotape P the work the best for allowing existing blisters to heal.

For blister prevention I usually tape my heals and toes, where I usually blister, with Leukotape P which usually holds for a couple days of hiking. Duct tape never stays put very long with my sweaty feet.

I have also started using Engo blister pads which are teflon pads that you stick in your footwear rather than on your foot. These have been great and usually survive several weeks of hiking.

http://goengo.com/

If you are cheap I know a number of hikers who use bubble wrap and duct tape over the areas where they blister which seems to work well at reducing the friction.

This is not an exaggeration. I'm seriously amazed at how well it works.

Can you only do this if the skin flap is still intact?

You can use the tinc benz to disinfect and dry the blister and surrounding area as a prep for a second skin type dressing.