Hi Lorna,

I too suffer from bad blisters because my feet are really bony so press in funny places. At first I used some soft blister pads (like scholls or those plastic second skin things) with a lot of elastoplast over them, and it helped a bit but I was still getting blisters through them. I then discovered something called "Friars Balsam". It is a yellow antiseptic that comes in a little bottle that helps the blister pads to stick and holds them firmly in place – so firmly that they can be tough to get off! You just wipe it on your heels, let it dry for a couple of minutes and then whack your normal tape and pads on as usual. This helped a lot, I think because it minimized the movement of the tape on my foot, especially when sweating. Like Geoff, I am a rower too, and have learned that skin does toughen up over time (my dream to be a hand or foot model has gone down the drain ). Something that helps to toughen your skin (but stinks like hell if the blisters are open) is dipping your blisters in methylated spirits. Lots of rowers do this for there hands and works just as well on the feet; if you're game!

But most of all, be patient and experiment with different tapes, blister pads, socks, etc. There are so many out there and you'll eventually find the perfect combination.

Good luck

Kerryn