Robert Ebsen

On the six-week anniversary of my second-degree burn, I finally saw my dermatologist. Duh — why didn’t I see him six weeks ago?

My dermatologist is an expert on the skin, including burn wounds. He told me that moist wound healing (using an occlusive or semi-occlusive dressing) is best.

He said Tegaderm film is fine for that purpose. I could have cheered out loud.

Tegaderm was exactly what I had begun to use six weeks ago. It is what I stopped using when, after two weeks, I saw liquid accumulate under the Tegaderm. I visited my primary care physician. It was he who told me to leave my wound exposed to the air to form a scab, i.e., dry wound healing.

My physician is only partly to blame. The Tegaderm Company was less than forthright in explaining how to use their product.

Here is what they should have said:

If and when you see exudate, which is sterile, healthy liquid, formed from the healing wound, accumulate under your fully occlusive Tegaderm film, do not be concerned because this is normal.  Just remove your Tegaderm film, cleanse your wound, and apply a new Tegaderm film.

Here is why they do not say that:

They don’t want to lose customers.  Instead, they say you can use Tegaderm for up to seven days.

This is true, but it is misleading.  If you have exudate, it is more likely you will have to change your dressing each day. One day, although it is “up to seven days,” is only one day. Imagine if potential customers read that they might have to change their Tegaderm every day. That adds up to more money for the dressings and, because of decreased sales, less money for the Tegaderm Company.

Now I put on a Tegaderm film just before my daily swim to keep out any germs from the pool water.

I leave it on until it begins to loosen from an accumulation of exudate, which is about one day. When the dressing loosens, I remove it and apply a semi-occlusive dressing (a large band-aid) until it is time for my next swim.

The morals of this tale:

• Go to your medical specialist from the start.
• Don’t let exudate scare you – unless it is thick (pus) and the wound is reddened, which points to infection.
•  Go dermatologists!

Mr. Ebsen may be contacted at robertebsen@hotmail.com