What is a Blood Blister and How Do You Treat It?

Blood blisters are minor injuries that occur when the skin is pinched without breaking the surface skin. Instead of escaping, the blood stays confined within a blister in the area that you injured. These injuries are not serious and don't need a lot of attention, but there are some things that you should know about them so that you know how to best treat them if you or someone around you gets one. Blood blisters are not that different from a normal blister. The only difference is that a blood blister fills with blood instead of clear fluid.

Treatment of a blood blister is about as easy as it gets. Do not break the skin around the blood blister. It will heal naturally without leaving any scarring. That is the first thing that you should remember if you get a blood blister. People make the common mistake that the blood blister should be broken to let it heal. Let it heal on its own for the best results. If the pinched area of your skin hurts, place a cold compress on it. Placing ice on the area will numb it until the pain begins to subside. When skin is pinched hard enough to get a blood blister, it is very painful. The pain doesn't last for long but putting a cold compress on it will help keep the pain to a minimum.

You will not need to go to the hospital if you get a blood blister. Blood blisters aren't that serious. In fact, they are no more serious than a bruise it. Elevate to part of your body that got pinched to help avoid getting a blood blister in the first place. It may not work, but it can relieve some of the swelling. Put a bandage on the blistered area to keep it from bursting when you are doing work.

If the blister should pop by accident, you will see blood seeping from it. Clean it up like you would any other injury. Be sure to use an antibacterial on it and put a little bit of ointment on the open area then recover with a bandage to keep it from getting infected. You still don't need to go to the hospital if you burst it. There is a chance that it could sting when you wash your hand now that the wound is open. The stinging will stop after you are done washing your hands. If not, put the cold compress back on it to ease the sting.

The blood blister will soon vanish and you will forget that you ever had it in the first place. Pinch injuries hurt very badly but they aren't something that you will have to worry about in the future. Try to avoid any situation that could result in this type of injury so that you don't have to worry about the pain that you will feel from it if it does happen.