page_title: Dressing (medical)
section_title: Types
hierarchical_section_title: Dressing (medical) / Types
caption_attribution_description: English: Two packages of gauze. One 10 cm by 4.1 m. The other 5 by 5 cm.
context_page_description: A dressing is a sterile pad or compress applied to a wound to promote healing and protect the wound from further harm. A dressing is designed to be in direct contact with the wound, as distinguished from a bandage, which is most often used to hold a dressing in place. Many modern dressings are self-adhesive.
context_section_description: Historically, dressings were made of a piece of material, usually a cloth, but the use of cobwebs, dung, leaves and honey have also been described.
  However, modern dressings include dry or impregnated gauze, plastic films, gels, foams, hydrocolloids, alginates, hydrogels, and polysaccharide pastes, granules and beads. They all provide different physical environments suited to different wounds :
  Absorption of exudate, to regulate the moisture level surrounding the wound- for example, dry gauzes absorb exudate strongly, drying the wound, hydrocolloids maintain a moist environment and film dressings do not absorb exudate;
  Gas permeability and exchange, especially with regard to oxygen and water vapour;
  Maintaining the optimum temperature to encourage healing;
  Mechanically debriding a wound to remove slough.
  Pressure dressings are commonly used to treat burns and after skin grafts.  They apply pressure and prevent fluids from collecting in the tissue.
  Dressings can also regulate the chemical environment of a wound, usually with the aim of preventing infection by the impregnation of topical antiseptic chemicals. Commonly used antiseptics include povidone-iodine, boracic lint dressings or historically castor oil. Antibiotics are also often used with dressings to prevent bacterial infection. Medical grade honey is another antiseptic option, and there is moderate evidence that honey dressings are more effective than common antiseptic and gauze for healing infected post-operative wounds. Bioelectric dressings can be effective in attacking certain antibiotic-resistant bacteria and speeding up the healing process.
  Dressings are also often impregnated with analgesics to reduce pain.
  The physical features of a dressing can impact the efficacy of such topical medications. Occlusive dressings, made from substances impervious to moisture such as plastic or latex, can be used to increase their rate of absorption into the skin.
  Dressings are usually secured with adhesive tape and/or a bandage. Many dressings today are produced as an "island" surrounded by an adhesive backing, ready for immediate application – these are known as island dressings.
caption: Two packages of gauze. One 10 cm by 4.1 m. The other 5 by 5 cm.
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