Hydrocolloid Dressing - What Is it and How Do You Use It?

Hydrocolloid dressing is a useful product that can be used to keep wounds protected. This will help speed up the healing process and ensure no infection.

Getting a hydrocolloid dressing for a wound you might have will help to keep the wound in an ideal healing environment. Hydrocolloid dressing keeps wounds moist and insulated, and each of these properties are what wounds need to heal effectively. The nice thing about hydrocolloid dressings is that you don’t have to change them as many times throughout the day or week as the other dressings on the market.

Hydrocolloid Dressing Have Unique Features

• There are gel-forming agents in a tiny wafer in the dressing

• They have a waterproof backing that’s constructed from polyurethane

• There are many different shapes and thickness of dressings to choose from

• You can get them with the adhesive border or without it

• They work well for areas of the body that are more complicated to dress, like heels and elbows

When Would You Use a Hydrocolloid Dressing?

Hydrocolloid dressings are useful in wounds that:

• Are fully clean

• Aren’t infected

• Are dry

• Don’t have any dirt in them

Hydrocolloid dressings are water-resistant and very flexible, and that makes them perfect for sealing up wounds that have just gone through the healing process. These dressings also work well for wounds that you want to keep protected from surface trauma. The nice thing about hydrocolloid dressings is that they mold right over the entire wound area and keep it insulated and moist. This means your body won’t be expelling as much energy to continue healing the wound.

Applying Hydrocolloid Dressings

There are a couple of steps to follow to correctly apply your hydrocolloid dressing.

1. Ensure your hands are fully washed before pulling some gloves on

2. Take off any dressing that is currently applied to the wound

3. Remember the date that you’re taking the dressing off

4. Take your gloves off, wash your hands again, and then put on another pair of gloves

5. Get some wound cleanser and clean out the wound

6. Using some gauze, pat the wound until it’s dry

7. Take off your gloves, wash your hands, and get another pair of gloves

8. Put a moisture barrier onto the skin

9. If you have a deep wound, apply some wound filler

10. Select a hydrocolloid dressing that is about 2 inches bigger than your wound

11. The hydrocolloid dressing should be held between your hands for a couple of seconds so that it will stick better

12. Take off the backing from the dressing

13. Begin to fold the dressing in half

14. Put the dressing on the wound from the middle and moving outward

15. Start to smoothen out the dressing in an outward motion

16. Hold the dressing to ensure it sticks better

17. If the dressing isn’t sticking as good as it should be, get some tape to secure it on better

18. Toss out any scraps

How Do You Take the Hydrocolloid Dressing Off?

Taking the hydrocolloid dressing off can be done by following these steps:

1. Apply some pressure to the part of the skin located by the perimeter of the hydrocolloid dressing and start to lift on the sticky side

2. Work your way around the dressing, lifting a little bit at a time until the dressing is completely free

3. Start peeling the dressing away from the wound in the direction that your hair is growing

4. If you think you might need to apply a new dressing, follow the same steps as listed above

How Often Should You Change Your Dressing?

Hydrocolloid dressings should last anywhere from 3 days to a full week. You might notice that the edges will start lifting up a little bit earlier than that. If this happens to you, you’ll want to change the dressing when you start to notice the dressing lifting off your skin. Hydrocolloid dressings keep your skin moist and protected from infection. Because of that, you don’t need to be cleaning it every single day. Wounds that have a hydrocolloid dressing on them will end up healing much quicker than wounds that aren’t constantly exposed to air.

Checking a wound that has a hydrocolloid dressing on it isn’t easy to inspect. Because of that, you’ll only want to be using hydrocolloid dressings on wounds that are fully clean and not infected.

What Are the Benefits of Hydrocolloid Dressings?

Hydrocolloid dressings are useful dressings for wounds because they don’t need to be applied as much as many of the other dressings out there. They are super straightforward to apply to wounds and come in many different sizes and shapes for wounds of all types. Hydrocolloid dressings have a number of benefits:

• They keep the wound in a moist environment which promotes healing

• They won’t adhere to the wound

• The flexible material allows them to mold right around the skin of the wound

• They won’t fall off from certain movements of the body

What Are Some Disadvantages of Hydrocolloid Dressings?

You might begin noticing some curling of the dressing on the edges after a while

There can be cases where the dressing will stick to the wound and can cause issues if the dressing isn’t removed delicately

Hydrocolloid Dressings for People That Have Diabetes

If you’re considering using hydrocolloid dressings and have diabetes, you’ll want to exercise a great deal of caution, especially if you’re using it for a wound located somewhere on your feet. If you’re diabetic and have feet wounds:

• You should get an assessment on your feet before using the dressing

• You should only use the dressing if the wound isn’t infected

• You should ensure there is a very little exudate

• You should ensure there aren’t any symptoms of ischemia

• You’ll want to keep changing the dressing very often

If you’re wanting to try out hydrocolloid dressing on any wounds you might have, consider visiting https://www.canmeddirect.ca/about-us today. They are an online medical supply company that has some of the cheapest prices on medical products in Canada. The quality of products are also premium-level ones that are carefully inspected.