Benefits of Collagen Dressing

Collagen dressing is a classification of wound dressing obtained from collagen. Its purpose is to help the body in healing. Collagen is familiar to the human body as it is structural proteins commonly found in connective tissues.

When collagen is used to dress the wounds, the body’s collagen supply does not degenerate from strenuous activities of enzymes. In such case, the human body has the needed building materials for damage repair.

Fiberacole Plus Collagen Wound Dressing

How Collagen Dressing Helps

When a wound is given any other dressing except collagen, the body’s natural enzymes, matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) will break down the damaged collagen so they will not be utilized for building the frames for growth of new tissues. However, due to the excessive production of the MMPs, which also break down even the healthy collagen, the wound becomes chronic.

Collagen dressings distract the MMPs from breaking down the healthy collagen with the additional collagen from dressings. Thus, the body’s healthy collagens are protected for more important chemical tasks.

Additional Benefits of Collagen Dressings

Collagen Dressing has other benefits. The most significant are:

1. Collagen from dressing absorbs the fluids.
2. It maintains the wound bed moist.
3. It acts as a barrier from external infection.
4. Collagen Dressings do not cling to the new tissues forming from the wounds. Hence, the collagen neither damages the tissue nor leaves behind fragments of fibers when new wound dressing is placed.
5. Using a collagen dressing can also accelerate the creation of fibroblast cells, which are essential in producing collagen and extra-cellular structures. The collagen dressings also draw the existing fibroblasts in the body towards the wound.

Sources of Collagen for Wound Dressings

The sources for collagen vary. But mostly, they are derived from animal sources such as pigs, horses, birds, and cows. The collaged extracted from these sources undergoes a purification process to fit for medical uses. Some forms of collagen dressing are sheets, pastes, ropes, and rectangular blocks. They all have non-stick membranes at the back.

References:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9862108

http://www.burnsurgery.org/Modules/BurnWound/rationale/collagen/collagen_dressing.htm

http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-a-collagen-dressing.htm

What is Hydrogel Dressing?

Hydrogel is a remarkably advanced material with medical purposes. The word hydrogel means technically a gel composed of water. Hydrogel dressings are capable of absorbing up to 99% liquid. The dressing swells as it takes on fluid, but does not break down when saturated.

Hydrogel reacts much like human tissue making it ideal for wound dressings. Hydrogel is such a versatile material that it has been used as a component in transplants. According to one United States patent, hydrogel material was used in the design of an artificial spinal disk. The hydrogel became the nucleus of the spinal disk in this design.

Much of hydrogels intrigue lies in the crystalline make-up of the smart material. Hydrogel is a smart substance because it can determine changes in environmental factors: moisture levels, bacteria, and ph levels. The hydrogel will react accordingly in response to those environmental changes. This reaction could be in the form of releasing medicines into the wound or quickly capturing wound drainage.

Hydrogel has a natural soothing feeling on a wound, because it creates a unique damp barrier that moisturizes a wounds surface. This environment is ideal for burns, dermal ulcers, scars, and other very dry wounds. The different types of hydrogel dressings are specifically designed for a variety of uses.

Some hydrogel dressings utilize the natural flexibility of hydrogel materials. The Flexigel dressing can absorb up to five times its weight in fluid and still remain affective. The lightweight Flexigel hydrogel sheeting is air permeable for breathability.

MediHoney is a new brand of hydrogel wound dressing that is designed with or without an adhesive border. Medihoney’s primary use is treating burns. It is scheduled to become available in Spring of 2012.

The Spenco 2^nd Skin Scar Gel is designed for treating scars. Unlike the MediHoney brand, the 2^nd skin scar gel comes in the form of a spray bottle. This dressing can be applied in areas that a wound dressing pad would not be ideal, such as, the face and neck.

Spenco manufactures a variety of hydrogel products, but they are not all for scar relief. The Spenco 2^nd Skin Circles Dressing is a solid dressing. The material consists of pre-cut small circles designed for blister, insect sting, and poison ivy relief.

Some other hydrogel dressings are stored in a tube, so that the ideal amount is applied directly to the wound. The Restore hydrogel dressing can be left in place up to 3 days when applied. The paste-like gel comes in a 3 oz. tube or impregnated into gauze sponges. The restore dressing is designed for partial or full thickness wounds.

Hydrogel is a multifaceted wound dressing because it flexes, absorbs, detects, and can be applied via spray, cream, or non-adhesive pads. The versatility of hydrogel allows there to be a dressing for many wound situations.

How To Remove Scars

Scars do not yield to improvement easily, especially red, dark, or raised ones. The disfigurement from a scar depends on how large it is, where it’s placed, how high it is raised, and, especially, how dark it is. The discovery of silicone gel sheeting has transformed the treatment of scars; and even patients with disfiguring scars from an old wound can find some hope here.

Silicone gel combines a silicone membrane and a gel, a combination that makes it durable; it also makes it comfortable to wear. Other silicone gel sheets tend to crumble. Since they are so durable, silicone scar reduction sheets can be applied to the scar both day and night although it is recommended that it be applied for only four hours the first time with wearing time increasing by two hours each day. The purpose of this is to get the patient’s skin used to the compound.

The sheet should be cleaned twice daily and more often if the patient is very active or the atmosphere is warmer. Cleaning is accomplished with a mild soap and dried with a lint-free cloth. It’s also a good idea to clean the scar. Silicone gel sheets do not interfere with bathing since they can be removed and then reapplied.

One side of the sheet has an applied adhesive, so no other bandaging is necessary. It can be applied to any part of the body, even sensitive ones. It’s especially useful for healing old and new scars since it will conform to any body area.

How it works

First of all, because of its ease of use, it is usually more successful than other treatments simply because the patient is willing to use it. Many question how silicon gel sheets work and why they are so effective. What it does is seal off the scar area and provide hydration to it. The moisture that is locked into the skin around the scar reduces blood supply to the area. This reduction in blood supply in turn reduces the amount of collagen in the area, causing the scar area to become paler and to slowly approximate the natural color of the skin.

How effective is it?

Silicone gel sheets are widely used by hospitals, dermatologists, and surgeons and have been proven to be 90% effective. They work effectively on old scars as well as new ones. Even an itchy scar can be improved. The sheets are 12cm x 15cm, but they can be cut into pieces to fit the scar. Twenty-eight days seems to be the life of a piece of a silicone gel sheet and average treatment time is two to four months. Many patients find that their scars can be effectively treated with only one sheet.

What are the Silicone Gel Sheet Options?

Smith & Nephew is the leader in Silicone Gel Sheets, selling the very popular Cica Care brand. Cica Care Silicone Gel Sheeting sells for $44.50 for a 5 by 6 inch sterile sheet at Vitality Medical. Molnlycke also manufacturers a very poplular silicone dressing called the Mepitel Self Adherent Silicone Dressing. A 2 by 3 inch dressing costs $17.03 at Vitality Medical. NM Technologies manufactures custom silicone scar reduction sheets under the brand name RETOUCH. These silicone scar sheets come in various sizes, including a Tummy Tuck Scar Sheet and Breast Anchor Scar Sheet. A 1.4 by 2.4 inch sheet is sold for $10.90 each.

Vitality Medical offers discount and wholesale pricing to consumers, clinics and hospitals. For over 10 years, Vitality Medical has offered online discount medical supplies for the home or facility at reduced prices. They take medical supply orders online and over the telephone toll-free at 800-397-5899.