I originally posted this on a dance forum, but hopefully some people here can help; I find EC more helpful in general. A few days ago, an attempt at breaking in new shoes and a switch back to lamb's wool from gel toe pads resulted in a giant blister on each pinky toe, both of which bled through the toe pads and onto my tights. That was Wednesday. The next day I had another ballet class (no pointe) and jazz, which didn't hurt too bad, and tap, which hurt a lot. Today, Friday, I have a rehearsal for a show troupe which will involve a lot of tap-shoe wearing. Saturday I have a two and a half hour rehearsal for Nutcracker which will all be on pointe. And then three shows with the Show Troupe in tap and jazz shoes. I slept with no bandaids last night, and the blisters have dried a little but are still really painful. I don't know if I'll be able to dance on pointe by tomorrow. Please, any advice on how to either cover them so they don't hurt or speed up their going-away? ~megan~
Blisters should be kept moist. The fluid that forms around a blister normally is there so that the white cells can repair the damage. At sporting goods stores and larger drug stores, there are blister pads that are made to put over the blister. They are made to stay on for several days. They serve to pads the blister and keep it moist so that it will heel. You might also look into "toe caps". They are used by runners to keep their shoes from rubbing their toes. You probably wouldn't be able to use them en pointe but they might be helpful with your regular shoes and your tap shoes.
Basically, what KaraBulut said. Keep them moist, get blister pads and look into toe caps. And people say that dance isn't a sport. HA! And kick ass in Nut.
I walk a lot, and have similar problems with blisters - again the advice is solid - keep them clean, use "blister plasters" (if I remember correctly when I was in the US a few weeks ago, I found some good ones under the "Band Aid" brand from the local Publix supermarket) - do not "pop" them - the fluid is there for a reason.
Ah those blister pads are amazing. In the UK (not sure if there is the same in the US) there is a brand called Compeed, and they are god's gift to blisters. They act like a synthetic skin and there is no pain at all. http://www.boots.com/webapp/wcs/sto...03&callingViewName=&langId=-1&catalogId=11051
Thanks, everyone. I think I'll look into those toe caps for the future; I know girls who use them or something like them. I have another question. On the dance forum I also posted this on, somebody told me to use Orajel and put a bandaid over it. Would that work? I just tried both Orajel and the baby kind in my mouth to see which numbed the most (and my tongue is all tingly), but I put it on my toes and I'm not sure if it's working. Does anybody know any other kind of numbing stuff I could use? Thank you all so much again! ~megan~ PS: Thank you.(*hug*)
Orajel is an interesting idea. It contains benzocaine which is a mild topic anesthetic ("numbing medication"). It works very well on mucous membranes in the mouth because the nerve endings are very close to the top of the skin. Toes are usually a little tougher skin (especially areas that are calloused), so it may not be very effective unless the top of the blister has been pulled off (which is not a good thing to happen). Products with benzocaine or lidocaine are available at the drug store. You might look in the first-aid area for a burn gel (http://www.drugstore.com/products/prod.asp?pid=162246&catid=13140) type product that contains lidocaine.
dance isnt a sport its an art . an art which demands good phyisacl strenght and staminia but yet not a sport
