My ex-wife is a marathon runner. On the rare occasions when she got a blister [usually from getting her feet wet] she first washed the area really well with something anti-bacterial, drained it, and put on a piece of Spenco or moleskin MUCH larger than the blister and much larger than you would think necessary. The object of the game being to spread the pressure, and make any friction more difuse. Leave the dressing on as long as possible.

Worked for her - I have never seen her incapacitated.

Blister Care from Web MD:

Home treatment for unbroken small blisters:
Home treatment for an unbroken blister smaller than 1 in.(2.54 cm) includes the following:
Home treatment for an unbroken blister larger than 1 in.(2.54 cm) includes the following:

Home treatment for blisters that have already broken:
Home treatment for blisters that have already broken:

Pete

If I'm at home or work I don't put anything on the blisters. I pop them with whatever sharp object is handy, and keep on with what I'm doing. They are usually sore for a couple of days after the skin peels but never a big problem. I get them on my hands any time I do any real work - amazing how a mouse and keyboard don't build up callouses. The only time I get blisters on my feet is when I run barefoot on the treadmill. <Insert wisecrack about my intellect>

It may sound dumb, but I think of it as an experiment. If I was in a non-standard situation (in the woods or facing a long walk) I would take more appropriate measures. And I always have moleskin, tape, bandages, and neosporin in my kit.

I recently got two big blisters while on a 65 mile walk. There was one an each heel after the first 15 miles. I finished the walk with the blister uncut. I found it was best to tighten up my shoes and were two pares of socks. The idea was to have the sock absorb the friction while reducing friction with tighter shoes.

... and I was beginning to think I was the only one that ran barefoot on the treadmill. Great way to toughen up the the balls of your feet. Also a lot less stress on the knees. <img src="/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

Moleskin - . Don't pierce the blister. Cut a pad of moleskin (or other tape) that will surround the blister by 1/2 inch all round. Cut a hole in the middle of the moleskin to accomodate the blister. Place moleskin "doughnut" over and around blister. Tape over moleskin and blister. Now the moleskin takes the pressure, and the blister is still covered.

bones does the same thing I do. The whole idea of moleskin is not to put it over the blister, but use it to pad around the blister and get rid of the rubbing on that area.

Reading it now.. very interesting, thanks Pete!

(BTW just treated my first decubitus wound, pretty serious. Was black and deep: 12mm)

Blist-o-ban is made by the SAM splint folks and is amazing. You can use it to prevent, stop and treat blisters. Everything else is obsolete; no joke.

Especialy if you have to cover a lot of distance... and stopping for a couple of days is not an option. A blister will be tender and will slow you down no matter what you do to it. I usually care for other people's blisters because it's not much of an issue for me. Most people will be substantially handicaped even by a well threated & cared for blister.