Encyclopedia >  Medicine  >  Diseases and Conditions  >  Pathology

blister

blister, puffy swelling of the outer skin (epidermis) caused by burn, friction, or irritants like poison ivy. A response of the body to protect deeper tissue, blisters generally contain serum, the liquid component of blood. The so-called blood blister, however, forms over ruptured capillaries and therefore contains whole blood.

The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2012, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.

More on blister from Fact Monster:

  • fever blister - fever blister: fever blister: see herpes simplex.
  • rust, in botany - rust rust, in botany, name for various parasitic fungi of the order Uredinales and for the diseases ...
  • What Ails You - What Ails You Most healthy kids get sick once in a while. No matter how well you take care of ...
  • herpes simplex - herpes simplex herpes simplex , an acute viral infection of the skin characterized by one or more ...
  • poison gas - poison gas poison gas, any of various gases sometimes used in warfare or riot control because of ...

See more Encyclopedia articles on: Pathology