Does flour stop bleeding and protect open blisters?

  • Thread starter Thread starter darkar
  • Start date Start date
Join the discussion
Registration is free. Start your own thread to ask a follow-up.
Sign up Log in
10 replies · 24K views
darkar
Messages
187
Reaction score
0
I just got a broken blister, but was then later I was trying to put some flour on the the fish. TO my amaze, it made a cover on top of the injured place and something like a plaster cover.

So i m wondering, do flour helps in preventing tissue under skin expose to air, and maybe helps prevent bleeding?
 
Biology news on Phys.org

Discussion

I've had a few blisters over the years, though they have never bled. They have a watery fluid in them. I've found this nice description of what comprises a blister:

The fluid inside a blister is called serum. It's a watery liquid that leaks from nearby tissues and blood vessels that have been destroyed. This blister filled with serum provides pillow-like protection for the skin beneath it.
reference

My thoughts of what is happening with the flour, it is acting as a dessicant on your blister. It is absorbing the serum, forming a paste which dries creating a physical barrier. The same would occur if you applied dry clay to a broken blister. The one problem I see, is that "neither" the flour or the clay is sterile and may contain bacteria that can cause infection of the new tissue.

What I usually do to take care of a blister is to wash with soap & water, let dry and apply a sterile adhesive bandage.
 
I see. Thats so true! Should be more wary next time. But how can u remove them once they stick onto ur broken blisters?
 
hmm, doesn't seems to work that well. Coz i been washing dishes in warm water as well but it is still there.

Edit: Anyway, once it really stick onto it, does it really matter anymore?
 
There are very few circumstances where I'd apply an adhesive dressing to a blister. I would generally go with a non-adherent, or at the very most a low-adherent dressing so that you don't damage the tissue when changing the dressing. The circumstances would vary on the type and location of blister, but I fail to see a good excuse to use an adherent dressing on one.

As for flour, Ouabache got it; it just soaked up the moisture in the wound. It won't be clean, and it definitely won't be sterile.


Once your blister is clean (warm soapy water) dress it with a non-adherent dressing, keep it covered, and change it regularly. Don't burst a blister if you can help it, though I'll admit there are circumstances when this is not practical. A blister is an example of how good the body can be at protecting itself; all that pus is effectively a sterile cushion protecting the wound whilst the body repairs itself.

If you do need to burst a blister (a few instances I've been in involve being stuck out on the moors with no way of getting home other than walking on a badly blistered foot), thoroughly clean the area first, preferably with an antiseptic fluid, drain with a sterilised needle, and be damn sure you dress it properly afterwards. Never burst a blood blister.
 
Pus? Serum? That fluid is lymph fluid, is it not? The body's lesser-known circulatory system.
 
Pus is associated with a bacterial infection and yellow or whitish yellow color. A blister's fluid is clear to transleucent. I've heard it referred to as interstitial fluid.

The adhesive bandages I use, do not adhere to healing tissue, they have a soft sterile gauze that covers the blister. Now you might also consider using a liquid bandage. We have discussed that here before too.

I was wrong about not seeing blood in a blister. I hadn't thought about
blood blisters because we always called them blood clots. But blood blister is a better description. I've gotten those using a hammer and not getting my fingers out of the way fast enough.
 
Last edited:
Ouabache said:
Pus is associated with a bacterial infection and yellow or whitish yellow color. A blister's fluid is clear to transleucent. I've heard it referred to as interstitial fluid.
Yes. that's what I was getting at. I was questioning the terms. Especially pus - which is really mostly dead white blood corpuscles.

I think interstitial fluid and lymph are the same thing.
 
DaveC426913 said:
I think interstitial fluid and lymph are the same thing.
Interstitial fluid (ISF) is but one component of lymph. ISF drains into the lymphatic system. Lymph is not homogeneous and so varies in composition thoughout the lymphatic system. (reference)

Lymph also contains chyle, some red blood cells and many white blood cells.
 
Too bad they don't make styptic powder for skin. Razor cuts are a royal pain.