This work aims to identify common challenges in the preparation of the blister test devices designed for the measurement of the energy release rate for brittle thin films and to propose easy-to-implement solutions accordingly. To this end, we provide a step-by-step guide for fabricating a blister test device comprised of thin polystyrene films adhered to glass substrates. Thin films are first t...

Dear Editors, Suction blister roof grafting, a method of grafting the epidermis, has been used in the treatment of vitiligo and skin ulcers. Despite damage to keratinocytes and cell death during the suction procedure, application of suction blister roof to wounds appears to aid wound healing, possibly because of the production of cytokines such as TGF-α, PDGF, bFGF, VEGF, IL-1 and IL-6 (1). In ...

BACKGROUND Wrong-site surgery in dermatology often occurs due to difficulty finding the initial biopsy site prior to Mohs surgery. Patients frequently present for Mohs surgery weeks to months following the initial biopsy site. Visualization of the biopsy site may become difficult at presentation due to healing. OBJECTIVE To investigate the utility of anesthetic blister induction at a su...

BACKGROUND Suction blister epidermal grafting (SBEG) is a simple and effective way of surgical repigmentation in vitiligo. The major problem faced is the time taken for the formation of blisters. Temperature at the suction site is one of the factors affecting the blister formation time. AIMS AND OBJECTIVES To reduce the blister formation time in SBEG by increasing the surface temperature to 4...

Penciclovir is a drug active against herpes simplex viruses located in the epidermis basal layer. The aim of this study was to compare the suction blister technique and microdialysis as methods to measure the penciclovir concentration in the skin after a single dose (250 mg) of its prodrug, famciclovir. Suction blister fluid, microdialysates and plasma were sampled from 11 healthy volunteers fo...

BACKGROUND/PURPOSE Friction blisters, a common injury in sports and military operations, can adversely effect or even halt performance. Given its frequency and hazardous nature, recent research efforts appear limited. Blistering can be treated as a delamination phenomenon; similar issues in materials science have been extensively investigated in theory and experiment. An obstacle in studying bl...

DEAR EDITOR Blister beetle dermatitis is an irritant contact dermatitis, caused when beetles of the genus Paederus are crushed on the skin, releasing the vesicant pederin. It is also known as Dermatitis Linearis or Paedrous Dermatitis. It is characterized by the presence of erythematous and edematous lesions, pain and burning sensation, blisters, pustules and kissing lesions. Though blister bee...