We’re out of Silicone dressings…just use a Hydrocolloid…

How many times has this happened to you when you’re charged with the most important job of the day — wound care??

But Silicone dressings are not the same as Hydrocolloid dressings!

Now don’t get me wrong… I love hydrocolloids! In fact they were the first ‘second generation’ dressing I was introduced to in 1989 … and that’s when I began my love affair with wound care.

Nothing was ever the same … we moved from gauze dressings, changed every four hours, to hydrocolloid dressings that could remain in place for up to a week. Magic!

Now I still love hydrocolloids (e.g. DuoDerm and Comfeel) but not for frail [ageing] skin. They stick too well to skin, so much so that when they are removed from frail skin they can take a layer of skin with them causing a lot of pain…and making the wound much larger than it was.

So please do not use hydrocolloids on frail skin, e.g. on skin tears in the aged. Use ONLY silicone dressings (e.g. Biatain Silicone Foam, Mepilex Border or Allevyn Gentle Border).

Download the free book SHARP CLINICAL SOLUTIONS© for the prevention and treatment of skin tears from this website www.thewoundcentre.com