What is a collagen dressing?

collagen dressing is a type of wound bandage that is made of a form of collagen that helps in the healing processes of the body. Collagen is a category of structural proteins that are naturally present in almost every part of the human body and are particularly common in connective tissue. In the wound, the application of these proteins protects its own collagen from degradation due to excessive activity of enzymes, so the body has building materials needed to repair damage.

In normal wound healing, special enzymes called matric metalloproteinases (MMP) decompose damaged or malformed collagen, so it cannot be mistakenly used to build scaffolding for new tissue to grow. Wounds often become chronic when too much MMP is present because they also decompose a healthy collagen, but when a bandage is used for wounds containing collagen. The collagen bandage also provides other advantages, such as the absorption of fluids that drain, keep wet beds and provide a barrier for external sources of infection. In addition, these bandages do not adhere to the newly forming tissue, so that when changing bandages, they leave no fibers or damage the tissue. There is also some evidence that shows that these bandages accelerate the production of fibroblasts, cells that create collagen and other parts of the extracellular structure, and that they attract fibroblasts from other areas to the wound site.

There are many variations on the construction of a collagen bandage and can be used collagen from one of several sources. Collagen, which has been harvested from horses, cows, birds or pigs, is cleaned for medical use, such as wound bandages. These bandages are available in rectangular blocks, membranes of the sibling pad, leaves, ropes and pastes. Even solid forms of collagen generally become a gel because they absorb fluid from the wound and match the surface to have contact with the whole woundou. Some of the products are 100 % collagen, but many of them are mixed with a substance such as oxidized regenerated cellulose, which is associated with an antimicrobial agent.

types of wounds that require collagen bandage, include chronic or stopped wounds and wounds with large surface surfaces. Pressure ulcers or bed ulcers and similar ulcers caused by complications of diabetes often become chronic and benefit from collagen bandage. Wound dressings that include collagen are very useful for burns that do not affect the entire thickness of the skin and places where the skin was removed for transplantation to another place or other person. Surgical wounds that cracked and infected wounds can be helped by collagen bandages if it is controlled.