Rhonda Kemsley, age 13, of Barre, Vt., for her question:
HOW SHOULD A BLISTER BE TREATED?
A blister is a fluid filled sac which forms on the skin after irritation or disease. A so called "water blister," with clear fluid, is often caused by rubbing, chafing or a tight pinch.
Blisters can also be filled with blood from injured small blood vessels. Or they may be formed from the fluid by products of insect bites, surface infections, skin disorders or systemic disease.
Doctors say it is best simply to leave blisters alone. The fluid will be absorbed and transported away naturally as the lesion clears.
Any burn to the skin should receive prompt medical attention. A first degree burn usually only reddens the skin and doesn't cause blistering or destruction of the flesh. A third degree burn is extremely serious with destruction of the full thickness of the skin. A second degree burn often causes blistering of the skin, but it is also serious and requires special medical attention.
If your blisters are widespread, no matter what causes them, it is absolutely necessary for you to check with a doctor.
If you have a large, clear liquid blister that has been caused by rubbing or chaffing, it is usually located on the foot, heel or another vulnerable spot. Chances are good that this type of blister will probably be broken when pressure is applied to the spot.
Doctors say you can safely puncture the clear liquid blister with little chance of trouble. The blister should be pierced in two places with a clean needle and then gently the fluid can be forced out with a piece of gauze or sterile cotton.
In puncturing a blister, it is important to first sterilize the needle by holding it in an open flame.
Once the blister has been pierced and drained, it should be covered with a clean gauze dressing to protect it from infection.
Small blisters, with little chance of breaking, should be washed carefully with soap and water and then covered with a bandage to keep them intact.
Small blisters that are covered with bandages should, with no other attention, disappear very soon.
"Bulla" is the medical term for a blister larger than 5 millimeters in diameter.
If a blister has already been torn open, and a large amount of raw underskin is exposed, doctors recommend that the area be washed with warm water and a mild soap before the wound is dressed as any other wound would be dressed.
The important thing to remember with any blister: protect against possible infection.
Some skin diseases cause small blisters that are called vesicles, and the process of blister formation is termed vesication. A vesicant is a drug or other substance which causes blisters.