A blister, which is also called a vesicle by medical professionals, is a raised portion of skin that is filled with fluid. You’re probably familiar with blisters if you’ve ever worn ill-fitting shoes for too long.
Blisters can be caused by friction, infection, or, in rare cases, a skin condition. Here are 16 possible causes of blisters.
CONDITIONS THAT CAUSE BLISTERS
There are many temporary causes of blisters. Friction occurs when something rubs against your skin for a prolonged period of time. This happens most commonly on hands and feet.
♦ Contact dermatitis can also cause blisters. This is a skin reaction to allergens, like poison ivy, latex, adhesives, or irritants like chemicals or pesticides. It can cause red, inflamed skin and blistering.
♦ Burns, if severe enough, can produce blistering. This includes burns from heat, chemicals, and sunburns.
♦ Allergic eczema is a skin condition that is caused or worsened by allergens and can produce blisters.
Another type of eczema, dyshidrotic eczema, also results in blistering; but its cause is unknown, and it tends to come and go.
♦ Frostbite is less common, but it can cause blisters on skin that’s exposed to extreme cold for a prolonged period of time.
Blistering can also be a symptom of certain infections, including the following:
- Impetigo, a bacterial infection of the skin that can occur in both children and adults, may cause blisters.
- Chickenpox, an infection caused by a virus, produces itchy spots and often blisters on the skin.
- The same virus that causes chickenpox also causes shingles, or herpes zoster. The virus reappears in some people later in life and produces a skin rash with fluid vesicles that can rupture.
- Herpes and the resulting cold sores can lead to skin blistering.
- Stomatitis is a sore inside the mouth that can be caused by herpes simplex 1.
- Genital herpes can also result in blisters around the genital region.
- Erysipelas is an infection caused by the Streptococcus group of bacteria, which produces skin blisters as a symptom.
More rarely, blisters are the result of a skin condition.