Since non-adherent dressing and pads make direct contact with an open wound, they must be sterile to avoid infection or contamination of the healing area. The dressing also reduces the risk of infection by not leaving residue once you peel it off. Non-adherent pads come individually packaged in peel-open envelopes to avoid any cross-contamination. Also, some of these dressings contain an antiseptic to destroy infection-causing micro-organisms.