Blood blisters are collections of this fluid under the most superficial layer of the skin. When there is an injury to the blood vessels, by a slight blow for example or a pinch, the blood is released and produces a bubble, so that a wound does not open. To avoid suffering from these annoying blisters, you must avoid their cause, whether they are blows (with protections on the feet, for example when new shoes, keep them dry and hydrated), irritations (do not use abrasive chemicals for the skin) or infections (wash hands often, do not touch sores or cuts on other people’s skin …).
These conditions can occur anywhere on the body, so blood blisters can appear in the mouth, tongue, feet, hands, etc. As they are very annoying and can get complicated if they burst or explode and become infected, in this oneHOWTO article we will see how to treat a blood blister.
Reduce blood blister with these tips
As soon as the blister occurs, the first thing you should do is apply cold to the area. You can put ice in a thin cloth and rest it on your blood blister, but not for more than 10 minutes at a time. You can do it 2 or 3 times, but resting for 5 to 10 minutes between applications so that the area does not lose blood flow or a burn from the cold occurs.
With this you get reduce blood flow by vasoconstriction (the blood vessels constrict and less blood circulates) and the blister will be smaller. In this way, if you manage to realize that you are starting to break out and apply cold, you will not completely cure the red blister but you will reduce it a lot and, consequently, the discomfort will not be so strong and it will be much easier to finish heal afterwards.
The size of the blood blister can also be reduced raising the affected limb (the leg, the arm …) above the level of the heart. In this way, we favor venous return (the blood does not stagnate in the veins and we make the blood flow better thanks to gravity towards the heart).
Don’t pop the blood blister to heal it
It does not matter if we have a blood blister on the finger, on the foot, on the tongue, on the palate, etc., in any area great care must be taken to prevent it from exploding with any pressure or friction, for example the shoe, and of course we should not burst it ourselves with the intention of cleaning it.
Thus, it is always preferable don’t pop a blisterBoth normal ones that retain clear fluid (interstitial fluid) and blood or red blisters. The skin forms a protective layer against infection. If we break this barrier, it is very likely that we will suffer a infection in the blood blister. Therefore, you have to keep the skin as long as possible. The blood will be reabsorbed and will not cause any more problems. You just have to keep the area of the blister clean and do not put excessive pressure on it.
What to do with a blood blister: how to treat it
Really, cure or treat a blood blister it does not require any complications. You simply have to prevent it from opening, as we have already mentioned, and try to keep the skin as clean as possible, as well as avoid possible friction or pressure that could facilitate the skin of the blister to open.
For disinfect the skin You can use alcohol, povidone iodine, or iodine or chlorhexidine, simply by soaking a gauze a bit and tapping very gently on the area of the bloody blister. This cleaning can be done once a day.
Likewise, you will have to be patient so that the liquid accumulated under the skin is reabsorbed and it returns to its place or even falls off by itself once the process is finished. While this time passes you will have to closely monitor the progress and be attentive to possible signs of infection or complications, which we will see below, to treat the blood blister more carefully until it heals completely.
What to do if the blood blister has broken open? In this case, you will have to clean the area very well to remove all the blood and then disinfect the wound well, as it will be easier for it to become infected, in addition to following a series of care until it heals completely.
If you can, it is better to use some local antiseptic (better chlorhexidine than povidone iodine) ointment or liquid. If you do not have access to these, wash the affected area well with soap and water and let the blood drain. Then you have to dry it well and cover it with sterile gauze or a clean garment. You should never remove excess skin, or trim it, the more skin the better, as it will continue to protect the inner layer even when the blister is open.
In this other oneHOWTO article we tell you how to heal an open blister.
How to tell if a blood blister is infected
The skin will regenerate in a few days, but in the meantime we must watch that they do not appear signs of infection in the blood blister, or on the skin around it. These signs or symptoms that should alert you to a possible infection in the area are:
- More heat in the area.
- Flushing or redness of the place of the blister and the skin around it.
- Swelling in the area.
- Pain, whether the affected part is touched or even just by rubbing. If it hurts even without touching it, it will be a sign that the infection is progressing.
- If the blood blister bursts due to friction, another sign of infection will be the presence of pus in the wound.
These signs together indicate that there is an infection, at this time you should see your doctor and see if you need an antibiotic, either topical or orally, to treat the blood blister and prevent the infection from spreading.
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