Before you find out how Spenco Second Skin Blister Pads can help you eliminate blister damage quickly, it’s important to know how you get foot blisters in the first place.
Surprisingly to most people, you don’t get foot blisters from rubbing. It the skin on the back of your heals gets reddened, this is due to an abrasion, not a blister. An abrasion occurs when the heel is moving up and down, such as in running, but the sock and shoe you’re wearing are stuck together. The result is that the top three layers of the skin are rubbed off.
The layers of the skin from top to bottom are:
1. Stratum corneum
2. Stratum lucidum
3. Stratum granulosum
4. Stratum spinosum
5. Stratum basale
6. Dermis
It’s a good thing you have some ‘dispensable’ layers so that the abrasion injury doesn’t become quite serious.
It’s only when you have the forces of shear added to friction that you end up with a blister. With friction, the sock, shoe and heel are moving up and down yet the skin is stationary and this causes shear in the tissues. The shear rips through the tissues and then damages the fourth layer, the Stratum spinosum, which then fills with water or blood for a water blister or a blood blister.
Spenco Second Skin Blister Pads
Spenco Second Skin Blister Pads are pads that are soft hydrocolloid pads surrounded by a thin layer of film that keeps the skin moist so the blister won’t dry up. The Second Skin is made from silicone and provides a barrier against bacteria so the area won’t get infected.
One of the great advantages of Spenco Second Skin Blister Pads is that they last up to five days so you don’t have to change it daily. It’s easy to tear the skin again and again each time you change the pad or bandage, but in five days you can have pretty advanced healing so the tearing won’t happen.
The Spenco Second Skin Blister pads are 1-1/2 inches by 2-2/5 inches wide, large enough for most foot blisters. They’re more of a high tech solution to blisters than the treatment you’ve used in the past – wash the area that’s affected, dry it and apply a band-aid. You’ll love this new solution a lot better than the old way.
How To Prevent Foot Blisters
1. Don’t go out for a run in new shoes. Instead, break them in by walking around the
house and for daily chores.
2. If you start to get a heel blister, simply move the blistered area away from the trauma. You can do this with a heel lift.
3. When you purchase new athletic shoes, carefully examine them for inside seams. Inside seams will rub against parts of your foot and could easily contribute to the development of blisters.
4. When you purchase new shoes, if you feel any pinching or rubbing.
5. Always carry Spenco Second Skin Blister Pads in your gym bag to use early in the development of a blister or abrasion.