My mother came to visit last month. She bought a new pair of shoes, wore them all day, and came home with a deroofed blister on her big toe. Bad news for mum. But as it turned out, good news for me. Because I wanted to show you the white gel bubble that shows hydrocolloid healing.
There’s only one other good photographic example of hydrocolloid healing showing the white gel bubble and I was keen to enhance that.
The only thing was, she was leaving the next day. So she promised to take photos and send them to me. She did a great job. Her photos clearly show how the hydrocolloid white bubble forms so you can see this is completely normal.
![New deroofed blister with hydrocolloid blister plaster applied.](https://www.blister-prevention.com/cdn/shop/files/New_deroofed_blister_with_hydrocolloid_blister_plaster_applied-1024x610.jpg)
New deroofed blister with hydrocolloid blister plaster applied.
![hydrocolloid healing - see the white gel bubble](https://www.blister-prevention.com/cdn/shop/files/A_white_gel_bubble_starts_to_form_within_hours_which_indicates_healing_is_occuring-1024x614.jpg)
A white gel bubble starts to form within hours which indicates the wound is healing.
What Hydrocolloid Healing Looks Like
Hydrocolloid blister plasters are exudate-absorbent hydrophilic gel dressings. They’re rubbery and slightly translucent. As your deroofed blister weeps, the hydrocolloid material absorbs the fluid and turns into a gel. From the outside, it looks like a white bubble. The dressing remains waterproof the whole time. The white bubble is a sign that your blister is healing.
You can learn more about how hydrocolloid blister plasters work here including:
- When you should change your plaster
- What your blister will look like when you take your plaster off
- Why you should tape the edges of your plaster down
![blister healed with hydrocolloid plaster](https://www.blister-prevention.com/cdn/shop/files/mums_healed_blister_600.jpg)
Blister healed! Mum sent me a photo of her healed blister a week later on her way down south.
Here's another example of the white bubble that indicates healing. This one is an actual burn from an oil spill while cooking.
![hydrocolloid healing bubble](https://www.blister-prevention.com/cdn/shop/files/hand-burn-from-oil-showing-while-hydrocolloid-bubble-1000-2.jpg)
Examples of Hydrocolloid Blister Plasters
- Compeed Blister Patches - Three convenient shapes/sizes of blister plasters.
- BlisterPod Hydrocolloid Blister Plasters - Like Compeed, but sterile! AND with fixation tape provided.
- Duoderm Ulcer Dressings - Used more in the hospital setting for ulcers and bed sores
- Comfeel Ulcer Dressings - As above