It’s been a while since I have had blisters on my feet. During my run yesterday, I developed some pretty bad ones. Is there anything I can put on them to make them heal / harden up any faster?
Thanks!
Super Glue. Either cut a slit in the blister, let it dry, then insert super glue and push skin back down… OR, put on super glue over drained blister after puncturing the side of the blister with a needle… OR, for the super hardcore, puncture the blister, tear the dead/soft skin away, dry it, then cover with super glue.
I prefer the third method. It leads to increased healing time, but once the super glue dries you can head out for a run with little to no pain.
My remedy -
- Clean the area with rubbing alcohol
- Sterile needle - pop 'em, drain 'em.
- Depending on how big the blister is, you can then either cut away the dead skin or leave it
- Clean the area again with rubbing alcohol again (this time it might smart a little, but it helps to dry out the new skin)
- SUPER GLUE!! Super glue is the best. It is tough, and will wear away as the new skin grows back. It also won’t come off in water like a band-aid. When I rowed, my hands would get mangled when we went back on the water in the spring. Super glue on the hands was the thing that kept me in the boat…
dammit, too slow with the keys… 
I reign supreme!
However, I did forget to add in the step of using alcohol to clean it out. Not only will it prevent infection, but alcohol is the perfect thing to dry the skin out before applying the super glue.
Thanks! I’ll give the superglue treatment a shot - I think I’ll cut a slit and leave the skin there - I’m not quite “hard core” enough to rip the hole thing off. Am I supposed to inject the superglue underneath the skin, or apply it like paint over the top?
Band-Aid makes a product especially for blisters–I think its creatively called Band-Aid Blisters. It has a gel-like pad that really works. I had a blister the size of a quarter on my heel and was able to run with this thing on it.
The funniest part for me was how I learned the trick. I got it from my girlfriend at the time, who would wear these ridiculous dress high-heels out to our formal parties (this was college). After a night of dancing, her feet got pretty banged up, and one of her friends suggested she use superglue before (as a preventative) and after (so that she could walk to class the next day), since that is what she did. So my girlfriend passed it along to me. I found out later it was a pretty common trick, but I thought it was funny the length that these girls went to so they could look good and party hard…
I used to use NewSkin… it worked ok, but it wasnt super durable. Then I saw the TV special on Dean Karnazes (sp?)- the ultra-marathoner. It showed a brief clip of him using super glue on a blister. I knew it was non-toxic and that some docs use it to seal certain cuts similar to paper cuts, so I figured if it will get this guy through 100 mile runs, it should get me through 10 mile runs.
Nowhere near as cool a story as yours… but did I the one about when I played rugby in college and broke my nose 5 weekends in row? I started to keep tampons in my kit bag. I’d cut them in half and stuff them in my nose to stop the bleeding so I could keep playing. Now, if i couldnt only remember why I chose tampons…
Paint over the top is normal. But I guess you could try some of each and see which works for you. Experiment!! It is totally non-toxic. Johnson & Johnson makes a version for hospitals called “DermaBond.” It is the same thing, cyanoacrylate (sp??), just “sterile” (as if anything could grow in superglue…) which doctors charge lots of money to use on you. I never use bandaids anymore, just superglue much better for cuts, blisters, etc.
A friend of mine put maxipads inside his helmet when we were in St. Croix. It was so humid, that he needed something to keep the sweat out of his eyes. The super thing ones didn’t intefere with the fit, and had the adhesive to keep 'em stuck. It was pretty funny to see them among his training supplies…
5 times in a row… THAT is hardcore… Rugby is intense. “Give blood, play rugby!” Isn’t that the old slogan?
Ok, last question (I think). Do you prefer the standard superglue, or do you use the “gel” type superglue? It seems like the gel might be easier to keep in place while you wait for it to dry, but I thought I’d check just in case…
Thanks.
I tried the gel, and it worked okay, but it is, as you might expect, thicker and not as nice once you were running. The thin stuff really is almost unnoticable. I tried the gel for the same reason you thought (it stays in place better), but i went back to the thin stuff. Just put it on in thin coats and it dries really quickly. Use a fan and it will be almost instant with a thin coat. The gel takes longer to dry, even though it stays in place better while drying…
I just go to Home Depot or Lowes and get a multi-pack of little super glue containers. The standard old school super glue you use to fix things is perfect. BTW- did anyone hear the story about when Atlanta Falcons quarterback Mike Vick superglued his eyelashes together when he was a kid?
Rappstar: Give Blood, Play Rugby is one of the classics. My all time favorite was “Support your local Hooker, play rugby.” But in reality a broken nose isnt so bad once youve broken it once. Ive actually had a teammate tear ligaments in his elbow and try to tape it up and play when they couldnt even move his forearm.
OK, went to the store and bought the alcohol and glue. I cleaned them up and the glue is on - If I can do practice tonight, I owe y’all big time. Thanks for the help - I’ll let you know how it turns out. (I’m sitting here with my feet hovering nervously above my office floor…)
now… take the superglue and a quarter and go into the hallway. Place superglue on one side of the quarter, and press the quarter onto the floor. Go back to office and watch hilarity ensue.
Success!!! - Walking into work this morning, I was limping and cringing at every step.
I just got back from my team speed workout. Averaged 76 seconds per quarter (10 quarters) with minimal blister pain. Superglue is great!
We’ll just file it with your health insurance and we’ll bill you whatever the insurance doesn’t cover.