When Your Skin is Blistered, One of These Could Be Why

Just about everyone has gotten a blister on their foot due to shoe friction. But other types of blisters aren’t as mild. These bubbles that form when fluid pools in pockets under your top layer of skin can include water, blood or pus. 

When receiving care from a dermatologist, you want a thoughtful and detailed provider who makes you feel at ease, listens to any of your concerns, offers excellent service and works with you throughout your treatment. Dermatology for the Family is proud to possess all of those attributes, as well as up-to-the-minute technology and knowledge.

Most blisters are circular and appear alone or in groups. A blister can be itchy and painful or only somewhat uncomfortable; the discomfort level depends on the source. 

These are some causes of blisters. 

Extreme temperatures. Yes, frostbite and sunburns are at the opposite ends of the weather spectrum, but they can nonetheless spark blisters. So can handling extremely cold objects while not wearing gloves—frozen goods, snow—and touching a hot stove. Blisters are second-degree burns called partial thickness.

Insects. Bites from fleas, bedbugs and tiny mites (scabies) hone in on wrists, feet, hands and underarms. A bite from the infamous brown recluse spider becomes a blister and then a painful, open sore. Seek immediate medical help. 

Contact and atopic dermatitis. Contact dermatitis is self-explanatory. It crops up when you touch something you’re allergic to, such as poison ivy, latex gloves, or certain types of laundry detergents, soaps, perfumes and fabrics. Meanwhile, the atopic variety, also called eczema, debuts as a rash. Particular genres of eczema bring blisters with clear fluid in them. Dyshidrotic eczema triggers infuriatingly itchy blisters on your palms and the soles of your feet. A pus-filled blister indicates infection. Get to a doctor as soon as possible. 

Hand, Foot and Mouth Disease. Its name is derivative of where the blisters show up. Usually limited to kids 10 and under, the virus spreads through contact with feces, saliva, mucus or someone else’s blisters. The blisters are the main indications that lead to a diagnosis. 

Shingles, herpes and herpes simplex. These viruses also come with blisters. 

Causes for concern. See a doctor if you have blisters and chills, fever or other flu-like symptoms, or if the blisters are near your eyes or on your genitals. Blisters that are painful, swollen, full of pus, warm, red or have red streaks leading away from them may indicate a virus or infection. 

We here at Dermatology for the Family are courteous, professional and friendly. We explain everything to our patients in simple terms and give them as much time as they need to ask questions. Please call us today to learn how we can serve you.