Dressings for heel blisters

Odders

Well-Known Member
Made a boot/sock mismatch for a hike today & managed to gain two rubbed open blisters through the thick skin on my heels.
What do people recommend for dressings to either facilitate rapid repair or cushion said damage to make some fairly strenuous walking possible within 4 days?
Reason I ask, is I'm off stalking on Monday & it's assuredly not a gentle stroll where I'm heading...
 
Have a look at the Compeed range of patches, they are amazing and its as if there was nothing wrong after they are applied, they are a bit difficult to remove, but if you need instant relief from a painful blister or crack, they are the boys. I always have some in my first aid kit.
 
Compeed gel patch will enable you to walk immediately...they stay on for three or four days including showers...excellent things, gave me instant relief...rescued a Swiss mountain walking holiday for me.

They have a gel pad and feathered edges...I now keep a pack in my first aid kit so I can put one on as soon as I feel the hot spot /blister starting...though they work superbly even after you have broken the skin.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Compeed-10...1711&sr=8-8&keywords=compeed+blister+plasters

Alan
 
Thanks for the advice all.
Ordered some of the largest Compeed heel dressings & they should be here Saturday AM.
Luckily, I also have an old & very forgiving pair of boots, though the holes in the uppers & near "slick" soles might limit my adventures should I have to use them.
 
I had/have the medium ones. For the minimal cost it may be worth getting the medium ones as well unless the broken skin is over an inch. Much cheaper than a wasted day. Although they conform to the heel well I would prefer to reduce the chance of any wrinkling with a too large one.

The first time I used them was with some new boots. I carried on hiking for the five days after the blisters with the same boots that had given me the blisters, so would be very confident to do the same again.

Alan
 
Yes,as we all agree, they a great product, it’s not often you find something with no negatives but these are the dogs, I do think you should remove them as soon as possible after the requirement and get some air to the area, but someone had a great idea when they invented these things, I just hope it wasn’t one of those rich dragons den bastards. Pro
 
I do think you should remove them as soon as possible after the requirement and get some air to the area

This is a very common idea - but is AFAIK a misconception. As far as I'm aware wounds with dressing on heal better and quicker than those without.

My view both from experience and theory is that you should just leave the dressing on while it sticks - which might be many days. When it falls off, check that the wound is still clean/uninfected and stick another one on.

Dry, scabby, scarry tissue is not what's wanted at all. An appropriately-dressed wound is protected from infection and further physical damage, and gives the injured area a warm. moist environment which promotes healing.
 
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The destructions on the pack say to:-

"Leave in place until it starts to detach. May be up to several days"

The first time I used one I took it off in the shower after the walk...but then I read the instructions, and left the next one on for the rest of the walking holiday.

Alan
 
Compeed certainly the best that i’ve found and totally agree but...... instant relief is a pretty big variable! Collected a few ‘raw uns’ over the years (military and mountain rescue) and whilst hydrocolloid dressings are good sometimes you’re just going to have to tough it out. They’ll burn like hell at first but go numb after the first mile or so..... just don’t stop :D
 
Compeed are the one I use. I was on the hill for 4 days and got a big blood blister under my big toe, I applied it the first day and took it off on day 5 , it was as if I hadn't got a blister until I took it off and it pulled the skin off with it. but ive found them to be the best .
 
My view both from experience and theory is that you should just leave the dressing on while it sticks - which might be many days. When it falls off, check that the wound is still clean/uninfected and stick another one on.

Dry, scabby, scarry tissue is not what's wanted at all. An appropriately-dressed wound is protected from infection and further physical damage, and gives the injured area a warm. moist environment which promotes healing.

I stand corrected! Although I still don’t like the idea of leaving a wound to ‘stew in its own juice’ which is where I believe the saying came from by plastering open war wounds in days gone past and trusting to luck, although I might be wrong on this also 😉 Pro
 
Hi Ozalid. The good thing with compeed is that it does the opposite of letting the blister ‘stew in its own juice’. It’s a hydrocolloid which Absorbs the exudate which then reacts with the chemical components of the dressing to form a cushioning gel. I was definately of the same opinion in the past that letting them dry out was the best thing (and still am in some cases) but as a quick fix compeed is pretty good:thumb:
 
It might occur to folk that a blister is nature's dressing of skin formed over an area of damaged underskin - keeping the damaged area cushioned, warm, moist and clean so that cell multiplication can occur at optimum speed for quick healing, and without further physical damage or intercurrent infections.

Not dissimilar to a scab - which is also nature again doing her best, under difficult circumstances, for a wound where there's been bleeding.

It is a complete mystery to me that anyone other than old wives could actually believe that there is something good about 'letting the air at it' when nature is so clearly doing her best to keep wounds clean, warm and protected.
:)
 
Made a boot/sock mismatch for a hike today & managed to gain two rubbed open blisters through the thick skin on my heels.
What do people recommend for dressings to either facilitate rapid repair or cushion said damage to make some fairly strenuous walking possible within 4 days?
Reason I ask, is I'm off stalking on Monday & it's assuredly not a gentle stroll where I'm heading...

I can vouch for the Compeed dressings, I’ve suffered a number of really large very painful blisters a few months ago with a new prosthetic (leg) and these really saved me from reverting back to the wheelchair stage. They are pigs to get off though and really should just let them fall off as they disintegrate eventually while washing etc. If you are going hiking it’s well worth packing a few.

Willowbank.
 
Well I applied a patch over the still raw blister on New Year's Eve & it came off a couple of days ago.
In that time, I've done a nigh on 10 mile walk round a lease, two 7 mile walks round the local lake & five or six of my usual 3+ mile exercise walks, all without discomfort or further damage. The blister area is still thin skinned but pretty much recovered.
I'm impressed with these patches.
 
Well I applied a patch over the still raw blister on New Year's Eve & it came off a couple of days ago.
In that time, I've done a nigh on 10 mile walk round a lease, two 7 mile walks round the local lake & five or six of my usual 3+ mile exercise walks, all without discomfort or further damage. The blister area is still thin skinned but pretty much recovered.
I'm impressed with these patches.

Yeay! :)

Alan
 
I stand corrected! Although I still don’t like the idea of leaving a wound to ‘stew in its own juice’ which is where I believe the saying came from by plastering open war wounds in days gone past and trusting to luck, although I might be wrong on this also 😉 Pro

I do think you are right that certain types of wounds benefit from being left open. Proper dog bites, for instance, (of which I have unfortunately had a few over the years) heal much better if minimally dressed. Seal those suckers up and you're asking for septic shock...:D
 

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