The local treatment and available dressings designed for chronic wounds

The great diversity of wounds and the broad range of available dressings complicate the selection of proper chronic wound treatment. Choosing the right treatment is the essential step in the healing process. In this review, we focus on chronic nonhealing ulcers, which are a critical problem in clinical practice, and current knowledge about persistent wound care. Here, we present the objectives of local treatment with description of several types of dressings and their ingredients, features, indications, and contraindications. These include hydrocolloid, alginate, hydrogel, and dextranomer dressings; polyurethane foam and membrane dressings; semipermeable polyurethane membrane dressings; and TenderWet (Hartmann, Rock Hill, SC) and flax dressings. There is also a brief section on the use of other alternative wound-healing accelerators, such as platelet-rich plasma and light-emitting diode therapy. (J Am Acad Dermatol 2013;68:e117-26.)