Healing blisters for calluses

[Elerion]

Hey, first post!

Two weeks ago I picked the bass back up, after 5 years without so much as a pluck. I played very casually for 2-3 years as a teenager.

Now I'm jamming once a week with some friends, and I have decent sized (~5mm diameter), unbroken blisters on all 3 plucking fingers. What is the best way to let those heal until the next jam, when aiming for building calluses? The next jam is 6 days away, and I can get by with minimal playing until then.

Should I leave them unpopped and just play them next week hoping they have drained and hardened enough not to pop? This seems like it would preserve as much skin as possible, but would possibly slow healing inside the blister.

Should I pop them carefully with a small prick and drain them?

Should I use any medical supplies?

Thanks in advance!

Note: I did use the search function, but found very contradicting advice, and the situations were somewhat different.

[HaVIC5]

I constantly deal with blisters because I dabble on upright and haven't had the time to develop serious upright calluses, and can safely say that there really isn't a cure-all solution for them. Letting them be, draining them with a needle, not playing, etc all work...and yet sometimes they don't. It depends on the kind of blister, your style of play, and your body. I will say this, though, I've had some small luck draining the blister immediately as its starting to form, and continue draining with a tiny needle in the side (remembering to sterilize it of course) as the blister fills up with liquid. If I let it heal until the next day, I usually won't have any signs that there was a blister there. That's just what works for me, it might be different.

[ghiadub]

Drain with a small hole that is as away from the part that plucks the strings as possible then coat with super glue.
If you have a "flap" glue that down as well.

[Kevmove]

The trick is to only practice enough to trigger the hardening response without cause damage. The fact that you are getting blisters is an indicator that your body thinks you are injured, instead of your boy thinking you are working. For example, if you spend alot of time on your feet, they will harden at the points where the most friction/pressure occurs. The pain you start to feel is your bodies way of saying "ease up". Because we fail to heed this warning, we get blisters. Another caution: once you do develop calluses, don't stop practicing or you will be to square one.

[onlyclave]

Superglue and vitamin E capsules. The ones with that gel inside.

[TheFrogPrince]

Lighten your touch on the strings, turn up the volume and switch to a lighter gauge of strings. My fingers don't blister anymore because of doing those things.

[Kirkowitz]

With six days till the next jam, I would just leave them alone. The blisters should go down by then and you could have a nice jump on some callouses.

[Stumbo]

IME, I would pop the blisters and carefully remove the dead skin. The skin is dead so it won't "form" into anything. Get some waterproof bandages and Neosporin. Take off at night. Change once a day until healed.

Bottom line is that callouses take time to build up. Player lighter or put on some skin protection if you have to play a long time until the they build up. Maybe some flatwound strings would help.

Also, make sure your hands and strings are clean before you play so you won't grind the dirt into them.

Here's a link you may want to take a look at: Repairing cuts on your fingers