Treatment of Dermabrasion Wounds With a Hydrocolloid Occlusive Dressing

To the Editor.—  Occlusive dressings are effective in the healing of superficial wounds of animals and humans.^1-3In animal studies, there is an increase in collagen synthesis¹ and a greater rate of re-epithelialization.^1,2 During the last few years, many occlusive dressings—oxygen-permeable and oxygen-impermeable—have become commercially available. Examples of oxygen-permeable dressings include polyethylene oxide hydrogel (Vigilon) and polyethylene film (Op-Site). Copolymer starch hydrogel (Bard adsorption dressing) and hydrocolloid dressings (Duo-Derm) are relatively oxygen-impermeable. The precise mechanism for the accelerated wound healing with occlusive dressings is not well understood; however, it has been proposed that the trapping of wound moisture prevents desiccation of the epidermal cells and allows their unobstructed migration across the wound surface,^1-3 and the stimulation of granulation tissue growth facilitates the ulcers to heal.⁴We report herein two cases involving a comparison trial of hydrocolloid occlusive dressings (DuoDerm) and wet dressings in the postoperative management