Hydrogel dressing

Not to be confused with Hydrocolloid dressing.

An entirely transparent adhesive bandage, with a transparent hydrogel pad and adhesive waterproof plastic film (removable backing is blue and white).

Hydrogel dressings use a hydrogel pad in contact with the wound. The gel is mostly water, in a hydrophilic polymer matrix. They are designed to keep the wound slightly moist, releasing water or absorbing exudate. In a slightly moist environment, rodent skin heals faster than in a dry environment, from both cuts and partial-thickness burns. There exists little evidence comparing hydrogel dressing to other advanced dressings in humans.

A short-peptide-based hydrogel matrix, capable of holding about one hundred times its own weight in water. The thickness of the fibers is on the order of tens of nm, mimicking the fibrous microenvironment found in the extracellular matrix. FESEM image.

Polymers used in hydrogels include chitosan, dextran, alginate/gelatin and collagen/glycosaminoglycan. Other materials include custom polypeptides, and blends such as chitosan/sodium alginate/poly(vinyl acetate).