Hydration and occlusive treatment of a sutured wound

To evaluate the effects of surgical tape application to an incised wound after suture removal, a test using Micropore and Blenderm tape (3M, St. Paul, MN) was carried out. Eighteen patients with a sutured wound following surgery in the groin and extremities were divided into two groups. Each group was treated in one of the following ways for a period of 3 months: with Micropore, Blenderm, or with no treatment at all. After 3 months the plaster was removed and no further treatment was rendered. Evaluation of the scar was carried out for 6 to 9 months after surgery and the two areas were compared in each patient. In 13 groin wounds, better cosmetic results were achieved in the areas treated with Blenderm compared with the areas treated with Micropore or no treatment, although the difference was not significant. Better results were also observed on areas treated with Blenderm in 5 patients with scars on the extremities. The areas treated with Blenderm were less red and less hypertrophic than the areas treated with Micropore.