Frequently Asked Questions On Silicone Dressings

Soft silicone dressings are used for low-to-highly exuding wounds involving pressure ulcers, traumatic wounds, partial thickness burns and skin graft fixation. These dressings are suitable for patients both young and elderly, especially those with fragile skin and sensitive to pain during dressing change. They are not meant to absorb heavy fluid but work well as wound contact layers.

Soft silicone is tacky and soft. The tack helps form a seal around the wound, creating multiple adherence points on the skin. Silicone possesses stable and quick-adhesive profile unlike acrylic adhesives and so is a great bonding agent. The tacky quality of the dressing allows retention of its adhesive quality thus making repeated application possible. Silicone’s hydrophobic property prevents adherence towards moist wound bases therefore it does not cause trauma.

1. Primary wound contact layers: These are not absorbent but allow exduate to pass through into an absorbent secondary dressing. They are thin, made of flexible polyamide net and non-adherent to the wound bed. Most appropriate for superficial wounds including skin tears, burn wounds and blistering diseases. 
2. Silicone adhesive in foam dressing: A soft silicone wound contact layer is incorporated into the foam absorbent dressing. The silicone layer creates a gentle bonding between the dressing and the wound, ensuring that fluid is absorbed by the dressing and does not escape to the skin surface.
3. Silicone gel sheets: Silicone sheets with gel are thicker and do not need secondary dressing. These can be used on healed wounds for minimizing hypertrophic and keloid scarring.

Soft silicone dressings provide more benefits than conventional dressings. These include:

• Lesser trauma
• Less discomfort during removal
• Lesser maceration
• Minimized treatment cost