Treatment of excoriations with a transparent hydrocolloid dressing: a prospective study

A transparent hydrocolloid dressing (THCD) was compared with a traditional paraffin gauze dressing (PGD) in the treatment of excoriations with special focus on patient acceptability. A series of 12 emergency ward patients with 16 traumatic excoriations were included in the study. There were 9 women and 3 men. Average age was 26 years (range 12-66 years). Seven wounds were dressed with THCD and nine with PGD. Patients treated with THCD felt less pain than those treated with PGD. A significantly higher number of patients treated with PGD than THCD complained of wound or bandage sticking to their clothes (P = 0.0007). No infection was seen. We conclude that THCD is suitable for dressing acute excoriations. And the level of comfort is better than in traditional treatment with PGD.