The shrieking sound that skin makes when it’s actively being burned by the floor
That feeling when a fresh marley burn gets wet in the shower
The most gnarly marley burn I’ve had (so far) was in 2018 during tech week while at USF. I was in rehearsal for Alex Ketley‘s Ballast (Particulate Rage, Love & Recovery). In the choreography, there was a floor work section that I was a part of. I was sidelying on the floor while my duet partner (s/o to Justice, hey boo) held onto my arms and legs and briefly pulled me upstage while the side of my hip remained in contact with the floor. During a run-through (naturally, right before opening night) I sustained a sizable burn to my hip when my costume shifted and exposed my bare skin to the floor. I tried to find a picture of the burn for reference, but couldn’t, which is probably for the best haha. I will never forget the zing of pain I experienced that evening when exposing the floor burn to water during my shower – the numerous floor burns I had experienced before on my feet, knees, and elbows didn’t come close! But if given the opportunity, I would 100% do it all over again. I was very fond of the piece and my fellow castmates.
It wasn’t until my Integumentary course in PT school that I learned about the different layers of the skin, different types of burns, and the time frame for skin healing. There are four main types of burns: thermal burns, electrical burns, chemical burns, and radiation burns. Another type of burn that is not as exciting, is often “overlooked and ignored” in research1, and is commonly experienced by dancers, is the friction burn.
Friction burns occur when two surfaces move against each other and have forced contact, such as skin on the marley floor when dancing. Burns are classified as first-degree, second-degree, or third-degree, depending on the depth of the burn. Marley burns are for the most part minor, superficial first-degree burns, with damage being to the epidermis.1
First degree marley burns are pink or red due to the top cellular layer being rubbed off by the friction. Unless the burn is deeper into the dermis layer, blood isn’t usually present. This is because the epidermis is avascular, which means that there are no blood vessels found in this layer of the skin. But if the burn is deeper and into the dermis, we can expect to need a band-aide.
Since marley burns are superficial in nature, the body needs two to five days to heal. If the healing scab becomes compromised, or if the dermis layer becomes injured, the marley burn can take between 5 and 21 days to heal. After sustaining a marley burn, it’s important to keep the wound clean and free of bacteria so it doesn’t get infected and need more time to heal or to result in tissue death.
How do we prevent marley burns from happening?
Since we know marley burns are caused by friction between the floor and our skin, the best way to prevent a floor burn from occurring is by reducing the friction. We can’t easily reduce the friction of the floor each time we dance, but we can protect our skin by covering it with a material that has less friction potential. If you want to protect the skin around your knees I recommend wearing dance pants or these knee pads (my favs). To protect your feet try socks, ballet slippers (or dance footwear specific to the technique), or skin-safe tape depending on the movement placing your skin at risk. Long-sleeved shirts can be beneficial in protecting the arms from floor burns.
The formation of blisters is also due to friction, specifically from the forces mechanically separating the epidermis at the stratum spinosum level. Research shows that our skin is most at risk of forming a blister when our skin is moist (sweaty feet in pointe shoes, anyone?). The skin on our hands and feet is more prone to developing blisters compared to other areas due to the increased density of the stratum corneum layer of the epidermis.2 The stratum corneum is the most superficial layer of the skin and varies in thickness. It is most thick in the palms of the hands and soles of feet.3 When I was dancing en pointe I would put tape around my little toes and across the backs of my heels to prevent my pointe shoes from giving me blisters. It’s beneficial to be aware of blister formation, especially with new footwear, to prevent it from repeatedly causing damage to the skin. I have also seen other dancers dusting their feet with baby powder before applying toe pads as a way to manage moisture in the shoes and limit blisters from forming, but I was unable to find anything in the literature on the topic correlating duration of time in pointe shoes with blister formation or regarding using baby powder to prevent blisters. This could be a fruitful area to explore for any of my pals in the dance science community.
Is it okay to pop blisters?
I popped a blister (or two) back in the day, but from what I know now, I would let the blister do its thang. Research shows that after six hours of a blister forming, the skin cells at the base of the blister begin to take up amino acids and nucleosides (like Legos but for DNA) in preparation for healing and creating new skin cells. Within 24 hours there is new cell division in the basal cells, and within 48 and 120 hours there is new stratum granulosum and stratum corneum.2 Disrupting the blister fluid matrix can prolong healing time, expose a (now open) wound to germs, and cause more pain. On the other hand, repeated friction exposure to the skin at a low intensity can result in epidermal thickening and rapid cell growth, which can reduce the likelihood of a new blister forming in that area. An example of this would be dancing barefoot, such as in modern technique, and developing thickened skin of the feet over time. While tempting, it’s in your best interest to NOT pop your blisters.
As always, if you are experiencing an injury or pain when you dance, please consult a licensed medical professional. Bonus points if they are familiar with dance!
