What is a silicone foam dressing?
Silicone foam dressings are a type of foam dressings that have a soft silicone wound contact layer. This layer forms a seal between the dressing and the wound. The layer ensures that wound fluid, or exudate, is absorbed into the dressing and doesn’t leak onto the surface of the surrounding skin.2
Soft silicone dressings include a wide range of wound dressings that are coated with soft silicone, either as an adhesive or a wound contact layer.
These types of dressings were developed almost 20 years ago with three main goals:
- to minimise trauma and pain when changing a dressing;
- to protect the surrounding, or periwound skin; and
- to promote comfort during wear.2
They are some of the most widely used dressings in the field of advanced wound care.
What are soft silicones?
Soft silicones are a particular kind of solid silicones, which are soft and tacky. These properties help them conform and adhere well to dry surfaces. Soft silicones also have a low level of toxicity and cannot be absorbed by the body. All of these characteristics make them ideal for use in wound dressings.2
What is tack?
The term ‘tack’ describes a dressing’s ability to stick immediately to a surface. The fact that soft silicone dressings are tacky means that they can create multiple contact points between the dressing and the uneven surface of the wound and skin. This creates a tight seal that prevents wound exudate from leaking onto the surrounding skin.2
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