An expert explains how to avoid getting blisters

Reported by Susan Aldridge, PhD, medical journalist

Stop blisters from ruining your hiking trip with a few simple ways of shifting the friction.
Hiking is a great way of getting and keeping fit. But a long walk in the country or in the mountains is often spoiled by blisters. Writing for the Wilderness Medical Society Dr Fred Trayers explains how various factors like weight, dryness and wetness can lead to friction between two surfaces - one of which could be your skin. The heat generated by the friction leads to a break between the outer and inner layers of the skin and the underlying fluid seeps between the two - resulting in a blister.

Use padded insoles or arch supports to distribute the pressure on the sole of your foot more easily. Wearing two pairs of socks can help. A smooth, thin, snug-fitting sock against your skin will move with the foot. The second sock, a thick woven one will move with your footwear. Any friction will thus be transferred to the space between your two sock layers. A barrier between the potential blister point and your footwear can also transfer friction away from the skin - use adhesive bandages or Duct Tape. Lubricants like petroleum jelly or talcum powder are useful for short bouts of hiking. Antiperspirants containing aluminium chloride hexahydrate are good for longer hiking sessions. If you do get a blister then drain off the fluid and cover with a protective dressing - healing should occur within 48 hours.

Source
Wilderness Medicine August 2006

Please take a moment to give us your comments. For questions about Health matters you may check our "Questions & Answers" Portal and Service.