1. What is a silicone foam dressing?
A silicone foam dressing is a dressing coated with silicone foam as an adhesive or a wound contact layer. The intrinsic properties of silicone foam are such that these dressings may be removed without causing trauma to the wound or to the surrounding skin.
2. What are the main indications for silicone foam dressings?
Silicone foam dressings are suitable for almost all indications where it is important to prevent trauma to the wound and the surrounding skin and pain to the patient. The different types of silicone foam dressings meet different clinical needs.
3. Can silicone foam dressings cause skin reactions?
Silicone is inert and less likely to cause sensitivity reactions than many other materials used in wound dressings. They are also widely used in consumer cosmetic products and as pressure sensitive adhesives in transdermal drug delivery systems.
4. What clinical advantages do silicone foam dressings offer over other types of dressings?
Published studies suggest that patients whose wounds are dressed with silicone foam dressings experience less trauma, less discomfort on removal and less maceration than those dressed with conventional dressings, thus reducing treatment costs.
5. Can silicone foam dressings be used on infected wounds?
Where there are clinical signs of infection the use of silicone foam dressings may be continued if appropriate antimicrobial treatment is initiated.
6. Can silicone foam dressings be used on diabetic foot ulcers?
Some early reports suggest that silicone foam products may have a role in the treatment of the diabetic foot.
7. Do silicone foam dressings have a role in scar management?
An international advisory group of scar management experts have recently published evidence-based clinical recommendations that support the use of silicone gel sheeting as a first-line therapy on immature, linear and widespread burn hypertrophic scars and minor keloids. Silicone gel sheeting should also be considered as a first-line prophylactic measure to help prevent the development of hypertrophic scars or keloids after surgery.
8. Is silicone foam safe?
Silicones are chemically inert and adverse effects from the use of silicones in medicine and surgery are rare. Results of animal studies with silicones have shown they do not cause skin reactions or systemic toxicity. Silicone foam has been approved for use in wound management by regulatory bodies around the world.
9. Is there any published literature to support the use of silicone foam products？
a. Numerous papers have been published describing the properties of silicone and the use of silicone foam dressings. These include:
b. Dahlstrom KK. A new silicone rubber dressing used as a temporary dressing before delayed split skin grafting. A randomised study. Scand J Plast Reconstr Surg Hand Surg 1995;29(4):325-27.
c. Dykes PJ, Heggie R, Hill SA. Effects of adhesive dressings on the stratum corneum of the skin. Journal Wound Care 2001; 10(2): 7-10.
d. Dykes PJ, Heggie R. The link between the peel force of adhesive dressings and subjective discomfort in volunteer subjects. Journal Wound Care 2003; 12(7): 260-62.
e. Gotschall CS, Morrison MI, Eichelberger MR. Prospective, randomized study of the efficacy of Mepitel on children with partial-thickness scalds. J Burn Care Rehabil 1998; 19(4): 279-83
f. Mustoe TA, Cooter RD, Gold MH, Hobbs FDR, et al. International clinical recommendations on scar management. Plast Reconstr Surg 2002;110(2):560-71.
g. Platt AJ, Phipps A, Judkins K. A comparative study of silicone net dressing and paraffin gauze dressing in skin-grafted sites. Burns 1996; 22(7): 543-45.
h. Meaume S, Van De Looverbosch D, Heyman H, Romanelli M, Ciangherotti A, Charpin SA. Study to compare a new self-adherent silicone foam dressings with a self-adherent polymer dressing in Stage II pressure ulcers. Ostomy Wound Management 2003; 49(9):44-51.
i. Vloemans AF, Kreis RW. Fixation of skin grafts with a new silicone rubber dressing (Mepitel). Scand J Plast Reconstr Surg Hand Surg 1994; 28(1): 75-76.
j. Williams C. Mepitel. Br J Nurs 1995; 4(1): 51-52, 54-55.
k. Young M, Robbie J. Case studies: use of Mepitel and Mepilex. Management of the diabetic foot: a guide to the assessment and management of diabetic foot ulcers. The Diabetic Foot 2002; 5(3): Suppl.