Blisters are the bane of runners, walkers, hikers and sports players. Fortunately my current trainers fit like a pair of slippers from the first wear. The only blisters I have experienced have been during very long training runs or marathons when my shoes and socks have got wet and a huge fluid filled blister appears where the arch and ball of my foot meet. I have though frequently suffered when first wearing in a new pair of trainers, so I was happy to try a new product from Flexitol called Blistop for the prevention of blisters.

Blistop is described as forming a protective, water-resistant ‘second skin’ which acts as a barrier between the footwear and skin. It has also been awarded the prestigious American Podiatric Medical Association (APMA) Seal of Approval. All you need to do is spray an even layer of Blistop on to clean, dry skin areas of unbroken skin in the areas where blisters may occur and leave it to dry.

Whilst I didn’t have any blister causing trainers to test the spray with, I do suffer when I wear my girly summer shoes with blisters developing on my heels, little toes and across my foot where the straps rub.

In a highly (un) scientific experiment I applied the invisible spray to one foot in the blister susceptible areas and left the other foot. Not wanting to completely suffer for my science I walked for almost 2 miles in my new shoes until they became painful. Looking at my heel the protective layer provided by the spray had broken and my heel was beginning to get red. The instructions did say reapply as necessary and for brand new girly sandals I was quite impressed with a 2 mile walk especially as I imagine for most women they don’t walk more than a 2 miles through the course of a day at work.


Examples of treating heels with Blistop Anti-Blister Spray. Black line on treated heel is the edge of protective layer after wearing shoes.

I admit there are flaws in my road test: I didn’t wear them till skin broke on either foot; one shoe may have been bigger from being stretched in the shop; and a blister may never have developed in the sprayed areas anyway if left untreated. However, I was impressed. Yes Compeed and similar products are probably best for preventing or treating deep multi layered blisters. But they are quite unsightly to be worn with strappy shoes and can be quite expensive to be just worn as a daily prevention.

The spray however was quick to apply, invisible, cheap and convenient to carry around to reapply as necessary. I would not want to recommend it will protect against blisters on a 26.2mile run after all I imagine the layer would dissolve through the damp socks rubbing against it unless you are happy to keep stopping to dry your foot and reapply. However, for small blisters on the toe or back of the heel or rubbing of straps on sandals I would recommend it.

Overall

Blistop is cheap, easy to apply, invisible and protects against blisters and skin breaking. The  spray is also convenient to take it with you if you have missed a vulnerable spot, and to reapply at the first sign of friction.

Whilst it was great for strappy shoes, for runners it may dissolve in wet socks as it was easily removed by rubbing in water. Also it’s probably not so suitable for long events where you can’t easily re-apply.

Flexitol Blistop comes in a 32.5ml CFC-free can giving 50 applications.

It retails at just £5.99 and is available from Boots,  Amazon and other retailers nationwide.


related post

Blog Traffic Exchange Related Posts From Other Sites