We are independent & ad-supported. We may earn a commission for purchases made through our links.
Advertiser Disclosure
Our website is an independent, advertising-supported platform. We provide our content free of charge to our readers, and to keep it that way, we rely on revenue generated through advertisements and affiliate partnerships. This means that when you click on certain links on our site and make a purchase, we may earn a commission. Learn more.
How We Make Money
We sustain our operations through affiliate commissions and advertising. If you click on an affiliate link and make a purchase, we may receive a commission from the merchant at no additional cost to you. We also display advertisements on our website, which help generate revenue to support our work and keep our content free for readers. Our editorial team operates independently of our advertising and affiliate partnerships to ensure that our content remains unbiased and focused on providing you with the best information and recommendations based on thorough research and honest evaluations. To remain transparent, we’ve provided a list of our current affiliate partners here.
Health

Our Promise to you

Founded in 2002, our company has been a trusted resource for readers seeking informative and engaging content. Our dedication to quality remains unwavering—and will never change. We follow a strict editorial policy, ensuring that our content is authored by highly qualified professionals and edited by subject matter experts. This guarantees that everything we publish is objective, accurate, and trustworthy.

Over the years, we've refined our approach to cover a wide range of topics, providing readers with reliable and practical advice to enhance their knowledge and skills. That's why millions of readers turn to us each year. Join us in celebrating the joy of learning, guided by standards you can trust.

What is a Hydrogel Wound Dressing?

By Christina Whyte
Updated: May 17, 2024
Views: 22,024
Share

Hydrogel wound dressing is a type of synthetic dressing that is particularly good for wounds that need to be kept moist, such as burns or necrotic wounds. Necrotic wounds are wounds with dead and dying tissue that must be removed before healing can effectively take place. Some types of hydrogel wound dressing can clean wounds by removing necrotic and infected tissue from the wound bed. Hydrogel is also used as a wound filler or as a flat dressing. It is available in sheet form, on pads in a variety of shapes, or simply as a gel that can be applied to wounds.

Originally developed in the 1950s, Hydrogel is a cross-linked polymer composed mainly of water. It has many other uses besides wound dressing, particularly in biomedical settings since adverse biological reactions to it are rare. It started being used as a wound dressing after many studies showed the effectiveness and importance of moist wound healing. Hydrogel is such an important tool in wound treatment because it helps to maintain an optimum hydration balance in the wound area. It also promotes the body's own sloughing of dead tissue, a process called autolytic debridement.

Besides wound hydration, one of the main advantages of hydrogel wound dressing, is that hydrogel dressing is that it doesn't stick to wounds. This means that it can be removed during dressing changes without damaging the wound further or disrupting healing. This is particularly useful for burns and other types of open or chronic wounds. Patients may be more likely to accept and comply with hydrogel dressings because it doesn't stick, which can mean much less pain during dressing changes. Due to the high water content and gel-consistency, hydrogel also feels cooling and soothing on the wounded area.

There are a few disadvantages to hydrogel wound dressing, such as a probable need for a secondary dressing like gauze to keep the hydrogel in place, which may necessitate two dressing changing schedules. Proper wound treatment also requires flexibility and adapting the dressing to suit the wound. Other types of wound dressing may be more appropriate than hydrogel for certain types of wounds. Hydrogel wound dressing is not suitable for wounds that are moderately to highly exudative - wounds that are seeping a great deal of plasma, blood cells, and platelets. This is because it is not as absorbent as some other wound dressings, although hydrogel is acceptably absorbent for mildly exudative wounds.

Share
WiseGeek is dedicated to providing accurate and trustworthy information. We carefully select reputable sources and employ a rigorous fact-checking process to maintain the highest standards. To learn more about our commitment to accuracy, read our editorial process.

Editors' Picks

Discussion Comments
By croydon — On Mar 12, 2012

@umbra21 - I've read about those clear plastic dressings as well. They actually originated in one of the world wars when the nurses realized the only sterile material available to them was the plastic wrappers of cigarette packaging.

It was actually pretty sophisticated for the time, although I'm sure this kind of hydro gel dressing is much better.

It sounds like it would be much less painful than almost anything else they would traditionally put into that kind of wound. I know with burns they often had a difficult choice between binding them to protect them from infection or leaving them free in the air so that they could heal more effectively.

This new kind of dressing gives them a much better third option, which hopefully will make it more likely for people to survive severe burns. Unfortunately, burns are still one of the most dangerous wounds you can get. If they cover too much of your body, you're very likely to die.

By umbra21 — On Mar 12, 2012

Hydrogel dressing seems to be the next step in dressings from one I read about a while ago. which was clear plastic dressings.

It didn't make sense to me at first, as I think of dressings as something which absorbs the fluids that come from the wound.

But really, all they are is something to protect the wound, and being absorbent is actually a disadvantage, especially if the wound is scabbing over, since it means the bandaging will stick to the wound.

This dressing obviously won't do that, and if it is antiseptic, they don't have to worry about the fact that it might catch airborne particles or anything like that either.

Plus, just like the clear plastic dressing, they'll be able to see the wound through it, which means they don't have to remove it every time they need a look, which is a good thing as well.

By anon133296 — On Dec 10, 2010

Thank you. Was informative.

Share
https://www.wisegeek.net/what-is-a-hydrogel-wound-dressing.htm
Copy this link
WiseGeek, in your inbox

Our latest articles, guides, and more, delivered daily.

WiseGeek, in your inbox

Our latest articles, guides, and more, delivered daily.