Choosing the Right Wound Care Material

The wound care materials available on MedicalExpo include products designed to help protect and heal skin lesions, such as bandages, compresses, medical tape, and tubular bandages.

View our wound care materials

  • What are the main categories of wound care products on MedicalExpo?

    Adhesive dressings, bandages, gauze rolls, undercast padding, tubular bandages, and liquid bandages are among the main products for treating skin lesions.

    • Wound dressings: These are dressings made of breathable material, which are available in different sizes and shapes and with different characteristics (antimicrobial, hemostatic, hydrocolloid, etc.).
    • Medical tapes: These are tapes with an adhesive side, suitable for fixing bandages and compresses. They are generally sterile, waterproof, and made of non-woven materials.
    • Gauze rolls: These are rolls of a lightweight fabric, usually cotton, made up of one or more layers. They are available in different lengths and widths.
    • Undercast padding: These are usually found in rolls, which are then cut to size. They are used to protect the skin and bony prominences when making casts and fitting orthoses respectively. They can be made from different materials, such as natural or synthetic cotton.
    • Tubular bandages: These have no seams and can be used for fixing dressings or protecting wounds. They fit the body perfectly without restricting movement, even when there is an increase or decrease in volume (from swelling, for example).
    • Liquid bandages: Liquid bandages form a transparent, flexible, and impermeable protective film over the wound.
    3M Nexcare liquid bandage

    3M Nexcare liquid bandage

  • What size and shape bandage should you choose?

    The size and shape of the dressing you choose will depend on the extent of the wound and where it is located.

    • Conventional dressings/bandages (pre-cut): These come in a variety of sizes and shapes so that they can be applied to different parts of the body: extra-long, extra-wide, crossed, “H” or butterfly-shaped for phalanges, round for wounds made from shots or blood sampling, small and patterned for children, etc.
    • Cut-to-size dressings/bandages: These are very practical as they can be cut to size to fit the size of the injury or maintain the desired freedom of movement.
    Johnson & Johnson Band-Aid

    Johnson & Johnson Band-Aid

  • What are the most important characteristics to take into account?

    When choosing dressings, bandages, compresses, tubular bandages, or other materials for wound treatment, there are several aspects to pay attention to, such as the characteristics of the packaging, the level of comfort for the user, and their treatments.

    • Structure and packaging:
      • Sterile: Most dressings, compresses, and other materials applied to skin lesions are packed in sterile packaging to reduce the risk of infection.
      • Non-woven: Non-woven fabric dressings are very well tolerated by the skin and have excellent breathability. They also ensure effective adhesion.
      • Transparent: Transparent dressings (usually made of polyethylene) are thin, invisible and offer discreet protection for superficial wounds.
    • User comfort:
      • Hypoallergenic: These are usually made of a soft material that lets the skin breathe. They can be removed easily and painlessly.
      • Non-adhesive: These must effectively protect the wound and also be able to be gently removed without damaging the skin.
      • Breathable: Most breathable dressings have micro holes to allow the skin and wound to breathe.
      • Elastic: These do not adhere to the wound and offer great strength and elasticity for joints such as the elbow or knee.
      • Waterproof: Thanks to their strong adhesion even in the presence of moisture, waterproof dressings do not peel off when they come in contact with water.
    • Treatment:
      • Antimicrobial: These are the ideal solution for infected wounds, at risk of superinfection or with pus.
      • Hemostatic: These provide an active mechanical barrier at the bleeding site, which helps control moderate to severe bleeding resulting from traumatic injuries (due to an accident, for example).
      • Hydrocolloid: These dressings are used, in particular, to soothe and moisturize burns.
      • Absorbent: Absorbent dressings stand out for their effectiveness in treating exuding, bleeding, or chronic wounds.
      • Healing: These absorb pus, soothe, and promote the healing of superficial wounds and burns.
      • Bioabsorbable: These are biodegradable, environmentally friendly dressings, usually made of bioresin film, and used for surgical wounds, for example.
    Pietrasanta Pharma non-woven waterproof bandage

    Pietrasanta Pharma non-woven waterproof bandage

  • Which material should you choose?

    The material you choose is important when it comes to wound care products. Dressings and related products can be made of synthetic or natural fibers, with or without latex, and with or without zinc oxide.

    • Synthetic or natural fibers

    Most of these products are made from natural (cotton) or synthetic fibers. These are the synthetic fibers that can be used to make them:

    The material influences the elasticity, hypoallergenicity, impermeability, and resistance of the product.

    • With or without latex

    For a long time, adhesive dressings contained latex in both the strip and the adhesive material. However, as many people are sensitive or allergic to latex, manufacturers have stopped using it in adhesive bandages. You should always check the information on the packaging to find out whether an adhesive bandage contains latex or not.

    • Watch out for the composition of the adhesive

    Some adhesives contain zinc oxide, latex resins, or acrylic resins, in a quantity that varies depending on the type of dressing and the intended use (in a humid environment, for example).

    McKesson cotton gauze roll

    McKesson cotton gauze roll

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