If you’ve ever suffered a significant injury, you know that the healing process can be long and painful.
Wound types vary widely depending on location and injury, meaning there isn’t one specific treatment for a wound. The care method varies greatly depending on its depth and placement.
For over 38 years, Strouse has helped clients choose the right materials and optimize designs for custom wound dressings to enhance patient health and comfort.
This guide will help you understand what types of dressing and material you need based on how different wound dressings are used.
A wound dressing is a type of bandage that covers a wound by sticking to the surrounding skin using wound dressing tape or glue. They help prevent infection, encourage healing, and reduce pain.
Wound dressings can be gel (hydrogel), foam, gauze, bandage, or any other type of patch.
Different types of wound dressings are helpful for different kinds of wounds. Most wound dressings are made of compounds like polymers, elastomers, and natural products, but alternative dressings include wet-to-dry bandages, alginates, hydrogels, and film dressings. These dressings are often used post-surgery or to treat severe injuries like burns.
There are many types of wound dressings on the market today, and understanding their basic function will allow you to differentiate between them. In this section, you’ll compare multiple wound dressings and how they heal certain types of injuries.
Gauze is an easy-to-find, relatively inexpensive one-use material that can absorb wound exudate.
USES:
Gauze doesn’t stick to the skin or adhere well to wounds, so it cannot hold fluids or bacteria in the damage and can also fall off at any time. Because it doesn’t form a tight seal, long-term use isn’t recommended.
Certain types of wound bandages serve similar purposes to wound dressings.
Hydrocolloid bandages are transparent, sticky bandages placed over wounds with a layered effect. When applied to wounds, they absorb fluid matter while maintaining moisture levels. This lets tissue below the surface promote healing quicker by reducing redness and inflammation.
Hydrocolloid dressings, made of gelatinous material, are very useful in helping all kinds of wounds heal. When applied on top of other dressings, they form a seal to protect the injury from external factors.
USES:
Hydrocolloid bandages aren’t helpful for deep or infected wounds because they don’t absorb blood or bacterial infection. They are also challenging to keep in place and can come loose.
Hydrogel helps reduce skin irritation and provides a cooling sensation for burns or tender skin. It can withstand frequent changes without losing effectiveness or irritating sensitive skin. Gel bandages have a high water content and improve blood flow to the deepest layers of the skin.
USES:
Hydrogel wound dressings use thick, one-use, and unsterilized bandages. Because their thickness can be uncomfortable for the patient, they require a conscientious application.
Moisture-retentive bandages are transparent dressings made from materials like cotton wool. Moisture-retentive bandages absorb drainage, preventing deeper infection and reducing pain via the protective layer over the healing wound.
USES:
It’s common for moisture-retentive bandages to fall off, causing the patient both external and internal discomfort. They also prevent wounds from breathing when the injury needs to cleanse itself of bacteria or fluid.
Oxygen-absorbing bandages use materials like blue cellulose to manage the amount of oxygen a wound absorbs. These dressings encourage healthy cell growth and regeneration.
USES:
Oxygen-absorbing bandages cannot remove liquid from wounds. They can be harmful if applied with several exudates and unsuitable for deep or infected wounds.
Sterile gauze bandages allow wounds to breathe, so oxygen can still reach the damaged spot even when it’s covered up. They are made of cotton or synthetic material like rayon, and come in various sizes and shapes, making them very easy to apply to complex wounds or smaller areas.
USES:
Sterile gauze bandages are ineffective at controlling bleeding or infection because they do not absorb blood or fluids well and don’t create a strong seal over wounds. They might even come loose while healing and need to be reapplied.
Transparent film dressing tape, or transparent film bandages, are made from PVC materials. They are cost-effective and allow wounds to breathe and heal rapidly.
USES:
Transparent film bandages do NOT absorb blood or exudate well. Thus, if used on deep or infected wounds, healing may take longer, or infection may spread.
Tissue adhesive bandages are transparent and made from cyanoacrylate materials. These materials form chemical bonds with the tissues they encounter. The bandages enable a tight seal, significantly reduce pain levels, and promote faster new tissue growth in cut-open areas.
USES:
Tissue adhesive bandages don’t allow wounds to heal naturally because they don’t create an environment for natural healing. Also, they form blisters when applied over a wound. These blisters come loose with ease, so the dressing needs regular application.
Wound dressing foam is a safe alternative to gauze. It is easy to use, has excellent sealing properties, and adheres well to the surrounding skin. It promotes granulation (new tissue/blood vessels) and the wound bed’s re-epithelialization (new skin).
USES:
Wound dressing foam does not adhere well to dry wound surfaces. It also contains latex, which could trigger an allergic reaction. From polyurethane foams to others, there are plenty of double sided foam options available for wound sites.
There are countless brands, styles, and shapes of bandages on the market today, making it hard to determine the best option. However, while the variety may seem intimidating initially, it will ultimately allow you to find the best wound dressing application for your needs.
Of course, you may not always be able to find the exact type, shape, or formulation of wound dressing on the market. If you’re developing a custom wound dressing, adhesive tape converters can help you bring your product from the initial idea to the production process.
Dressings are designed to be safe and effective. Start by reaching out to Strouse with your idea so we can help you plan your manufacturing process based on how the material is intended to function to achieve your goals.
Producing a custom product in a clean environment presents its own set of challenges and quality standards. Talk to your converter to discuss your goals, design, and quality needs.
Lastly, you can learn more about developing and finding the right medical adhesives in our Learning Center.
Originally published: October 21, 2021