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Bay Biosciences provides high quality, clinical grade, frozen human blister fluids with matched sera (serum), K2-EDTA plasma and peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) samples from unique blistering disease patients.

Human Blisters Overview

A blister is a pocket of fluid between the upper layers of skin. The most common causes are friction, freezing, burning, infection, and chemical burns. Blisters are also a symptom of some diseases.

Although, The epidermis, as the uppermost layer of skin, forms the blister bubble. However, it’s purpose is to protect and cushion the layers below. Furthermore, serum, plasma, blood, or pus can fill up blisters, depending on how and where they are formed.

Consequently, this stops further damage and gives the tissue time to heal.


Facts on Human Blisters

  • Blisters are filled with serum, plasma, blood, or pus.
  • Friction, burns, frostbite, and some medical conditions can produce blisters.
  • Blisters help prevent further damage to deeper tissues.
  • It is best to leave blisters intact to protect the underlying layers from infection.
  • Wear well-fitting shoes and avoiding exposure to certain chemicals can prevent blisters from occurring.


Causes of Blisters

There are many activities and diseases that can induce blistering. Below are some of the more common ways that blisters can form.

Chemical Exposure

Skin can occasionally blister because of certain chemicals. This is known as contact dermatitis.

It can affect some individuals on contact with the following:

  • Cosmetics
  • Detergents
  • Balsam of Peru, a flavoring
  • Chemical warfare agents, including mustard gas
  • Insect bites and stings
  • Nickel sulfate, used in electroplating
  • Solvents

Crushing and Pinching

If a small blood vessel near the surface of the skin is ruptured, blood can leak into the gap between the layers of skin causing a blood blister to form. For example this is a blister filled with blood.

Extreme Temperatures

The timing of blister formation helps categorize burns. Although, second-degree burns will blister immediately, but first-degree burns blister a couple of days after the incident.

At the opposite end of the spectrum, frostbite also produces blisters. However, in both cases, the blister is a defense mechanism deployed to protect lower levels of skin from temperature-related damage.

Friction

Any repetitive friction or rubbing can cause blisters.

For example, these blisters will usually appear on the hands or feet, as these are the areas that most often encounter repetitive abrasion, whether walking, running or playing the drums.

Although, areas of skin with a thick horny layer, attached tightly to underlying structures (such as palms of hands and soles of feet) are more likely to generate blisters.

While blisters occur more readily if the conditions are warm, for example, inside a shoe. Also, they form more easily in damp conditions, compared with wet or dry environments.

Additionally, blisters can lead to more serious medical issues such as ulceration and infection, although, under normal conditions, this is rare.

Medical Conditions

A number of medical conditions can cause blisters.

These include:

  • Chickenpox: The rash forms small blisters that eventually scab over.
  • Herpes: The cold sores produced by the herpes simplex virus are clusters of blisters.
  • Bullous impetigo: Mostly seen in children under 2 years, blisters can form on the arms, legs, or trunk.
  • Eczema: Blistering can occur alongside a number of other skin symptoms such as cracking, crusting, and flaking.
  • Dyshidrosis: A skin condition characterized by a rapid occurrence of many small, clear blisters.
  • Bullous pemphigoid: An autoimmune disease that affects the skin and causes blisters, this is most common in older patients.
  • Pemphigus: A rare group of autoimmune diseases, this affects the skin and mucous membranes. The immune system attacks an important adhesive molecule in the skin, detaching the epidermis from the rest of the layers of skin
  • Dermatitis herpetiformis: This chronic blistering skin condition is unrelated to herpes but similar in appearance.
  • Cutaneous radiation syndrome: These are the effects of exposure to radiation.
  • Epidermolysis bullosa: This is a genetic disease of the connective tissue that causes blistering of the skin and mucous membranes.

Types of Blisters

Following are the three main types of blisters:

  • Blood blisters
  • Friction blisters
  • Heat blisters

Other types of blister are named after the condition they are linked to, such as chickenpox and shingles blisters and atopic eczema blisters.

How are Blisters Formed?

The most common type of blister for most individuals is the friction blister. In their most basic form, they occur due to increased shear stress between the surface of the skin and the rest of the body.

Although, the layer of the skin most susceptible to shear forces is the stratum spinosum. As this layer tears away from the tissues below, a plasma-like fluid leaks from the cells and begins to fill the created gap. While, this fluid encourages new growth and regeneration.

Roughly 6 hours after the blister appears, cells at the base of the blister start to take up amino acids and nucleosides. These are the building blocks of protein and DNA.

At 24 hours, cell division is markedly increased. Consequently, new skin layers above the stratum spinosum are steadily formed.

A new layer of skin is develops in 48 hours, and at 120 hours, a new upper layer of skin is visible.

Because of these new cells develop, the swelling subsides.

Painful blisters on the palm of the hands or soles of the feet are often caused by tissue shearing in deeper layers of the skin. These layers lie next to nerve endings, thereby producing more pain.


Treatment of Blisters

Most blisters will heal without medical intervention. As the new skin grows beneath the blister, the fluid will slowly disappear and the skin will naturally dry and peel off.

The protective bubble in a blister should not be popped. It wards off infection.

When bacteria are no longer prevented from doing so, they can invade and infect the wound.

Covering the blister with a band-aid or gauze can help protect it from additional trauma while it heals.

If the blister bursts, resist the urge to peel off any dead skin on the top.

Allow the fluid to drain away naturally and carefully wash it with mild soapy water.

Cover the blister and the surrounding area with a sterile, dry dressing.

Some medications, such as hydrocolloid dressings, can help prevent further discomfort and encourage the healing process. 

Similarly, with blood blisters, allow them to heal under in their own time. They can be more painful than standard blisters and an ice pack can offer some relief. Place a towel over the affected area, ensuring that the ice pack does not come into contact with the skin directly.

Natural Remedies

People with blisters on their hands can try the following natural remedies:

  • Coconut oil: Coconut oil contains lauric acid, a fatty acid that can hydrate the skin and reduce swelling. Therefore, people can apply coconut oil onto the blister, which may help speed up wound healing.
  • Calendula: Derived from marigold plants, calendula contains antioxidants that may reduce swelling and speed up skin healing. One systematic review showed some evidence for the beneficial effects of calendula extract in wound healing.

It is important to note that calendula may cause contact dermatitis. For people using calendula for the first time, they should first test a small amount on the skin before using it to treat blisters.

Additional Treatments

The following natural remedies may help a friction blister heal quicker and provide some comfort:

  • Aloe vera: A 2019 systematic review of aloe vera found that its anti-inflammatory properties can improve wound healing and reduce the risk of infection. A person can try applying a thin layer of aloe vera cream or gel to the affected area two or three times a day until the skin heals.
  • Eucalyptus oil: A 2017 study suggests that eucalyptus oil has antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory benefits. People can purchase a cream or ointment containing eucalyptus and follow the directions on the packaging.
  • Petroleum jelly: The AAD recommends petroleum jelly as a method of keeping wounds moist, which aids healing. A person can apply it as often as necessary to prevent the wound from drying out.
  • Tea tree oil: People have used tea tree oil for hundreds of years as a natural treatment for infection, and research notes that it has antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, and pain-relieving properties. People wishing to try tea tree oil ointment or cream should follow the directions on the packaging.

Prevention of Blisters

Friction blisters are best prevented by removing the cause of the friction. This can be achieved in a number of ways.

Avoiding blisters on the feet

Wear well-fitted, comfortable footwear and clean socks. Badly fitted or stiff shoes, such as high heels, carry a higher risk of blistering. Moist skin blisters more easily, so socks that manage moisture or frequent sock changes can be helpful.

During exercise and sports, specially designed sports socks can reduce the amount of available foot sweat.

Adequately breaking in walking or hiking boots before embarking on a long trek is also important.

Applying tape, padding or moleskin to trouble spots can help prevent blisters from appearing. These products are available for purchase online.

Friction-management patches are more effective when applied to the inside of shoes. These will remain in place longer, throughout many changes of socks or insoles.

Avoiding Blisters on the Hands

When using tools, carrying out manual work or playing a sport where holding a bat is necessary, wearing gloves will prevent the majority of blisters.

In some sports, such as gymnastics, weightlifting or rowing, taping up the hands is good practice. Additionally, new effective treatments (drug discovery & development) in oncology, and other therapeutic areas and diseases are identified by researchers using patient’s data which is extremely valuable. But, because talcum powder absorbs moisture, it will not work well for long durations of activity.

Although blisters are a painful annoyance, they do not typically signify any medical issues. A few of the basic rules above can often prevent blisters.

When to See a Doctor?

A person should schedule an appointment with a doctor if blisters on the hands do not heal after about a week or they experience the following symptoms:

  • A fever
  • Signs of infection, such as pus oozing
  • Redness around the blisters
  • Severe pain and swelling

Summary

While blisters on hands can cause pain and discomfort, most cases are not a cause for alarm.

When a person gets a blister, they should not pop it as this may lead to an infection. If the blister pops on its own, clean and cover it with a bandage.

A person should make an appointment with a doctor if there are signs of infection or if they experience severe pain or swelling.


Biospecimens

Bay Biosciences is a global leader in providing researchers with high quality, clinical grade, fully characterized human tissue samples, bio-specimens, and human bio-fluid collections.

Samples available include cancer (tumor) tissue, cancer serum, cancer plasma, cancer, peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC). and human tissue samples from most other therapeutic areas and diseases.

Bay Biosciences maintains and manages its own bio-repository, the human tissue bank (biobank) consisting of thousands of diseased samples (specimens) and from normal healthy donors available in all formats and types.

In fact, our biobank procures and stores fully consented, de-identified and institutional review boards (IRB) approved human tissue samples and matched controls.

Our human tissue collections, specimens, and bio-fluids come with detailed patient clinical data associated with them.

So this critical patient’s clinical data includes information relating to their past and current disease, treatment history, lifestyle choices, biomarkers, and genetic information.

Additionally, new effective treatments (drug discovery & development) in oncology, and other therapeutic areas and diseases are identified by researchers using patient’s data which is extremely valuable.

Bay Biosciences banks wide variety of human tissue samples and biological samples, including cryogenically preserved at – 80°C.

For example fresh frozen tissue samplestumor tissue samples, formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE), tissue slides, with matching human bio-fluids, whole blood and blood-derived products such as serumplasma and PBMC.

Bay Biosciences is a global leader in collecting and providing human tissue samples according to the specified requirements and customized, tailor-made collection protocols.

Please contact us anytime to discuss your special research projects and customized human tissue sample requirements.

Types of Biospecimens

Bay Biosciences provides human tissue samples (human specimens) from diseased and normal healthy donors which includes:

Moreover, we can also procure most human bio-specimens, special collections and requests for human samples that are difficult to find. All our human tissue samples are procured through IRB-approved clinical protocols and procedures.

In addition to the standard processing protocols, Bay Biosciences can also provide human plasmaserum, and PBMC bio-fluid samples using custom processing protocols; you buy donor-specific collections in higher volumes and specified sample aliquots from us.

Bay Biosciences also provides human samples from normal healthy donors; volunteers, for controls and clinical research, contact us Now.

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