Wound dressing types and how to treat minor injuries

Do not play down a small wound or minor burn: every small impairment of your skin deserves attention and the right treatment by following the Elastoplast Wound Care Routine. Fortunately, today’s wound dressings incorporate the latest medical technologies and come in different shapes, structures and sizes.

In this article, we guide you through the types of wound dressing, and some special solutions that you might not even know about. For example, did you know that today’s generation of Elastoplast plasters can even prevent scarring? Learn how to treat your small injury and burns to find the most suitable dressings or plasters.

Most wounds can be treated easily at home, and the different wound dressing types depend on the size, location and severity of an injury. Using the right wound dressing is crucial for optimal healing. Learn more about wound dressing types below:

• Cloth: The most commonly used wound dressing type, often applied to minor injuries such as cuts or grazes, or other areas of broken skin.
• Hydrocolloid: These can be used on burn dressings, pressure ulcers or wounds that are emitting liquid. For example, the Elastoplast Blister Plaster uses hydrocolloid technology to help blisters heal faster. Learn more about hydrocolloid wound dressings.
• Hydrogel: Designed to maximise patient comfort, hydrogel can be used for a range of wounds that are leaking little or no fluid, are particularly painful or are pressure ulcers or donor sites.
• Gauze: These types of wound dressing come in a variety of shapes and sizes, and are made of woven or non-woven materials. Gauze pads absorb drainage like blood or other fluids, and can be used on most wounds, including infected wounds, or ones that require frequent dressing changes.
• Transparent: Generally made of a polyurethane material, like the Elastoplast Scar Reducer Patches, these film wound dressing types allow oxygen to penetrate through the dressing to the wound. They can stay in place for up to one week, offer a visualisation of the wound and are a good option for covering an IV.
• Foam: For use on minor burns, skin grafts or pressure ulcers, foam dressings are less likely to stick to delicate wound beds. These are comfortable and keep the wound moist to promote faster healing, but sometimes require a secondary dressing to hold the foam in place.
• Alginate: These highly-absorbent, biodegradable wound dressing types should only be used for wet wounds that require significant liquid drainage. As they absorb a high amount of liquid, they require changing around every two days, so a secondary dressing is always required.
• Collagen: For chronic or surgical wounds, transplant sites, burns or injuries with a large surface area, collagen dressings help new skin cells to grow.

If you’ve suffered a cut, graze or scratch, the first thing to do is to clean and, if necessary, disinfect the wound using the Elastoplast Wound Spray. Cleansing the wound is an essential first step for optimal healing and it is recommended for all types of wounds. To ensure you clean the wound properly, you can use this step-by-step guide.

Depending on where your wound is located, choose a matching wound dressing. Smaller wounds may need a plaster from the Elastoplast Plastic or Fabric ranges. Although these plasters are available in different strip sizes they can be cut to size for a more exact fit while finger cuts are covered perfectly with Elastoplast Finger Strips.

For larger scrapes, use an Elastoplast Sensitive Dressing, available in XL or XXL. Learn how to protect larger wounds here.

Children often fall during sports or play, injuring themselves with a graze or a cut. There are child-friendly ways to treat these minor yet painful injuries, so that they are quickly forgotten.

Our skin-friendly Elastoplast Kids range includes fun motifs such as Animal Plasters, PAW Patrol, Disney Frozen 2 and Sensitive Plasters. You can also follow the guide here how to remove a plaster to avoid any tears once the wound dressing is ready to be removed.

To give your family the best wound care available, stock up on plasters in different shapes and sizes in your Medicine Cabinet.

Burns can vary in severity and it is vital that they are treated with proper care. Read our Burns guide for more information on how to treat them and what burn dressings to use.

While first and second-degree burns can be treated carefully at home, more severe burns will need emergency treatment as they can affect as they can greatly damage deeper layers of skin, burning nerve endings and even damage bones.

Blisters form when the skin is damaged by friction or heat causing the upper layer of the skin (depending on the severity of the burn) to be torn away from the layers beneath. Fluid, known as serum, collects in the space and forms a blister.

If your blister is still intact, decide if you want to leave it uncovered to let it heal on its own. But if it’s in an area where it might get rubbed – such as your hand or heel – you should definitely protect the blister from further friction as soon as possible with an Elastoplast Blister Plaster. Learn more about treating them in our dedicated Blisters article.

Always see a doctor if the wound is deep, bleeds heavily or shows signs of infection like reddening, swelling or warmth.

Please note that, although these were compiled with great care, the tips and advice given on this website by no means substitute medical advice and treatment. If you have or suspect a health problem, consult a doctor and follow medical advice regardless of what you have learned on this website.

Always read carefully and follow the instructions for use or the product leaflets. For further information about our products, please contact us via email at ConsumerRelationsUK@Beiersdorf.com.