Should You Pop a Blister?

In most cases, you should avoid popping a blister.

This is usually the safer choice because the fluid inside helps speed up the healing process; and with any open wound (including an intentionally popped or accidentally burst blister) you run the risk of infection.

But depending on the type of blister, if done safely, you can — and sometimes should — drain it.

Here’s what to know about popping or not popping the following types of blisters.

Friction Blisters

Friction blisters form when something rubs repeatedly against your skin, often on the hands and feet. Most commonly they appear because of poorly fitting shoes, or prolonged use of gardening tools like shovels or rakes.

Generally they shouldn’t be popped and should be left to heal on their own.

“I recommend that patients let their blisters be, but if it’s causing discomfort or you think it may open on its own, you can safely burst it yourself to prevent infection,” says Rosalyn George, MD, a dermatologist in private practice in Wilmington, North Carolina.

If left alone, friction blisters should disappear in a few days.

Blood Blisters

You can think of blood blisters as a sibling of friction blisters, caused by many of the same activities that can damage your skin. But instead of serum (the clear fluid contained in friction blisters), they’re filled with blood.

They fill with blood because the irritation is usually more severe and causes damage to small, nearby blood vessels.

As with friction blisters, you should leave blood blisters unpopped in most cases. If you have a large or painful blood blister that you suspect is at risk of bursting on its own, visit a dermatologist rather than popping it yourself, says Mohiba Tareen, MD, a dermatologist in private practice in Roslyn Heights, New York, and a medical reviewer for Everyday Health.

Blood blisters typically take around a week to heal on their own, depending on how badly your skin was pinched. It is normal for a blood blister to turn red, black, or purple.

But if a blood blister turns white, yellow, or green (a sign that the blister is filling with pus) — or if the skin around the blister starts to turn red or swell — seek medical attention. These can be signs of infection.

Burn Blisters

Burn blisters can appear after your skin experiences a temperature extreme like a typical burn or sunburn.

On the opposite end of the spectrum, a blister might also form after your body warms up from frostbite. Either indicate that you’ve suffered a second-degree burn.

You should not pop a burn blister, because they are very prone to infection, says Gretchen Frieling, MD, a dermatopathologist in private practice in Wellesley, Massachusetts.

A smaller one will normally take about three weeks to heal when left alone.

But if you apply a petroleum-based jelly (after gently washing with soap and water and drying), your blister will likely heal faster, Dr. Frieling says.

If your skin turns black, white, or red with a leathery appearance, you likely have a third degree burn and should seek a doctor’s care.

Fever Blisters or Cold Sores

If you have a fever blister, also known as a cold sore or herpes simplex type 1 (HSV-1), you want to keep your hands off of them. HSV-1 is very common, infecting about 67 percent of people globally under the age of 50.

Unpopped cold sores normally last one to three weeks; when medication is applied early on, they may go away sooner.

You should not pop them because they are highly contagious. Open sores can easily infect others or different parts of your body.

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