Skin Blister

The blisters that most people think of are the ones that we get on our hands and feet from friction, but there are a variety of ways to get blisters.

• Friction is the most common form of blister. When a concentrated area of skin is rubbed over time, a tear forms beneath the outermost late of skin. This tear below the epidermis fills with fluid that remains trapped between the layers of skin. These blisters are frequently caused by repetitive activities such as shoveling or by walking in shoes that rub.
• Irritation of the skin is another means of blister formation. Prolonged exposure to sun or extreme cold as well as chemicals can cause irritation blisters. Skin conditions where the epidermis remains irritated, like eczema, can also cause blisters.
• Viral and bacterial infections can also involve blisters. Viruses ranging from chicken pox to herpes can cause blistering on the skin. Bacterial infections from staphylococci and streptococcus can also cause small clusters of blisters. All of these infections need to be addressed seriously and treated
• There are also some skin diseases that create blisters. Diseases that cause sensitivity of the skin such as dermatitis herpetiformis, epidermolysis bullosa, and porphyria cutanea tarda can all result in uncomfortably blistered skin.
• Some medications have blisters as a side effect. Medications that regulate water retention may result in blisters. There are also medications that cause sensitivity to sunlight and over exposure to the sun may cause the patients skin to blister. There are a few severe reactions that involve blistering to drugs such as penicillin. This is called toxic epidermal necrolysis syndrome and as blisters spread over 30 percent of the body, can be life-threatening.
• There are other allergic reactions that are not life-threatening but also create blisters. Poison ivy, sumac and oak all create a similar blistering on exposed skin.