Hydrocolloid Dressings & Caterpillar Spikes

I just love Sydney in the summertime! I bet you find summer glorious too, no matter which hemisphere you live in right now. It is a perfect time to go bare-foot everywhere. But often times hidden in the grass, basking in the sun, are furry, stinging caterpillars which, when stood on, detonate hundreds of tiny spikes into the sole of your foot. This stops you dead in your tracks because it is not only excruciatingly painful but the spikes make it impossible to walk.

You can pick the spikes out one at a time with tweezers but this can take forever and the pain is still searing!

One really easy way to reduce the pain and remove all those stinging furry spikes at the same time is to stick a hydrocolloid dressing over the sole of the foot. Make sure you cover the spiked area, with a good margin around – say 3-4 cms., and lay back and relax for a while, allowing your body heat (and/or sun) to soften the hydrocolloid dressing. The dressing will adhere firmly to the spikes and the soles of your feet. For best results leave on as long as practical… overnight is good; two to four days is better.

When you peel off the hydrocolloid, which may well have turned into a gluggy, sticky, jelly and custard-looking substance all the spikes should be embedded in the hydrocolloid!! Wash your feet – you can repeat the process if spikes still remain in the skin – and remember to wear thongs or sandals.

Why not pass this on to your colleagues working in emergency departments. You can use this process for other areas of the body that get spiked too.