It used to be that skin wounds were wrapped in strips of cotton or wool that had been salvaged from an old sheet or blanket. During the 20th century, however, medical treatment advances included the development of a new bandage form that padded cotton gauze with adhesive that would stick to the skin to protect the wound.
Originally there was one basic bandage style and size. Larger wounds might require the placement of several plastic bandages, while smaller ones had to make do with an oversized wrap or covering.
Nowadays, however, all that has changed. Shop any pharmacy or supermarket and you will find multiple types of bandages to choose from. How do you know which one to buy for a scrape or burn? Here are some of the more popular options:
1. The traditional plastic bandage is about 4" long and 1" or 2" wide. The earliest products contained latex in the adhesive portion, which helped it stick to the skin and promote quicker healing. As more people developed latex allergies, however, it was replaced by plastic or vinyl. Many old-timers still use this bandage as the most recognizable and trustworthy design of its type.
2. Plastic bandages now come in a variety of sizes and shapes. There are small round ones for blisters, and large square ones for larger burns. Kids' theme characters frequently provide colorful designs and patterns to encourage children to keep them in place. Clear bandages are another option if you don't care for the tan adhesive strips that hold the gauze to the skin.
3. Water-resistant bandages became more common in recent years when it was observed that young children could lose wound coverings in the bathtub or swimming pool, or even when outside in the rain. These bandages cling tightly and can be stubborn to remove, but this helps to keep the wound securely covered to heal more quickly than if there were no bandage over it.
4. Antibacterial ointment has been added to some brands of bandages. With this type you need not buy or add a separate medical treatment; just let the bandage do its work by staying in place until the wound begins to heal. Just check the wound every day while wearing these bandages to be sure no allergies have developed, as evidenced in a rash, redness, burning, or hives.
5. For those who are allergic to any type of skin adhesive, you can always buy a separate roll of gauze to wrap around the wound and secure it with paper tape, which is hypo-allergenic. Potential problems include keeping the gauze pads and wrapping in place, since even with tape, they can slip away from the wound and expose it to more bacteria.
Whatever wound type you seek to protect, there is a bandage to cover it if you shop long enough. If you don't find one that you want, ask the pharmacist or supermarket health and beauty department manager to order the brand that will work best for you.
