Wound dressings are used to cover open wounds. The key characteristic of an open wound is skin damage. This damage may be limited to the epidermis or dermis (abrasion), but can also involve complete rupture of the structure of the skin layers. Damage to the skin layers results in a loss of the skin’s protective function. Further tissue damage and contamination by microorganisms and foreign particles are dangers which may hamper rapid healing of the wound.
A wound dressing is an aid to stimulate the natural wound healing process. This process starts to close the wound starts as soon as the wound has been inflicted. Until the wound has closed up fully in the natural way, the dressing replaces the skin’s barrier function. Before the dressing is applied, the wound should be inspected, cleaned and stitched, if necessary.
A wound dressing should consist of three layers:
- A sterile layer covering the skin, consisting of absorbent gauze or non-woven cellulose.
- An absorbent layer of white wadding or cellulose.
- A fixing layer consisting of a roller bandage, adhesive plasters or an elastic net bandage.