3M™ Tegasorb™ Hydrocolloid Thin Dressing

What are Hydrocolloid Dressings?

Hydrocolloid Dressing (hy-droh-kol-oid) are typically made of an absorbent layer of gel that is incorporated on a semi-permeable film or foam that promotes the rehydration and debridement of wounds.

How are Hydrocolloid Dressings Used?

Hydrocolloid dressings are among the most widely used in wound care treatment and are considered a modern dressing, however often these products are not widely understood.  Our goal in this article is to help foster an understanding of their composition and application in the treatment of specific types of wound care. As mentioned, hydrocolloid dressings are a type of dressing containing a gel forming agent such as carboxymethylcellulose and gelatin.  Often these agents are combined with a bandage type material that is also capable of adhering to healthy tissue that surrounds the wound.  These products are occlusive in nature which means they do not allow water, oxygen or bacteria into a wound area.  Often this type of therapy can help clean wounds so that granulation or epithelialization can occur, which means that the wound starts healing and becomes covered with a specific type of healthy tissue cells.  Hydrocolloid dressings also encourage autolytic debridement in wounds which means that the dressing promotes use of the body’s own enzymes and moisture to re-hydrate, soften and finally liquefy the dead tissue.

RepliCare® Hydrocolloid Dressing

Hydrocolloid dressing treatment is virtually painless for the patient and offers many advantages such as being very selective, with no damage to surrounding skin.  The process is safe, using the body’s own defense mechanisms to clean the wound of dead tissue debris.  It is also a very effective, versatile and easy to perform treatment with little to no pain for the patient.  There are some disadvantages such as not being as rapid as surgical debridement as well as the wound must be monitored closely for signs of infection due to the possibility of anaerobic (without oxygen) growth of certain bacteria.

EZMedShop offers several brands of hydrocolloid dressing such as Biatain Adhesive Foam Dressings, CombiDERM ACD Cover Dressing and Invacare premium hydrocolloid wound dressings at significant savings over other companies.