Dressing choice depends on the level of exudate, but a dressing should also be comfortable and flexible. Dressings can be waterproof, while incorporating an absorbent pad and a semi-porous/breathable film to stop the skin around the wound from macerating.⁴

Hydrogels have a high water content, are cohesive (they adhere of their own accord), and can help with the debridement process. Hydrocellular dressings are absorbent and waterproof but breathable and are suitable for a lower degree of exudation. Alginates are highly absorbent, so are suitable for wounds that are exuding heavily. Hydrocolloids are similarly absorbent and can be used in an occlusive or non-permeable dressing.^2,3

Later in the healing process, at the epithelialisation stage in deeper wounds, it may be appropriate to use a tulle gras – a paraffin-impregnated loose mesh – to provide protection but not so as to remove healthy new tissue when changing the dressing.³

Backing materials can range from cloth fabrics through to synthetic films. A woven fabric dressing can be fairly robust, stretching along the directions of the weave. A film-based plaster can be transparent and therefore less conspicuous, as well as thinner.⁴

For wounds that are likely to take longer to heal, such as partial thickness or second-degree burns, it may be better to minimise disturbance to the healing process by having a dressing that can be left in place for up to 10 days or more. However, an injury of this nature is perhaps something that should be monitored by nursing staff.⁵

Another important factor in selecting a dressing is to use one that is the right size. A dressing that is too big or too small can impair the healing process. This can mean physically measuring the size of the wound, rather than estimating it.²