How to Choose the Right Wound Dressing: A Buyer's Guide

With so many dressing types on the shelf, it's easy to default to whatever's already in the cupboard. Here's a practical rundown of what each option is actually good for, so treatment rooms, care homes and first-aid cabinets stock the right thing rather than just the familiar thing.

Gauze swabs

Gauze swabs are the most versatile option in any clinical setting — absorbent, low-cost, and suited to cleaning wounds, padding, and use under a secondary dressing or tape. They're not adhesive on their own, so they're normally paired with micropore or zinc oxide tape to hold them in place.

Fabric plasters

Fabric plasters flex with movement, which makes them better than plastic plasters for joints and awkward areas — hands, knuckles, elbows. They're the standard choice for general first-aid cabinets in workplaces, care homes and clinics.

Spot plasters

Round spot plasters are sized for small cuts, blemishes and minor puncture wounds where a full-size plaster is overkill and would just peel at the edges.

Wound closure strips

Wound closure strips hold the edges of a clean, shallow cut together without stitches — useful in first-aid kits and clinics as a step between a plaster and professional wound closure.

A quick way to decide

If the wound needs cleaning or padding first, start with gauze. If it's on a joint or moves a lot, fabric plasters outlast plastic ones. If it's small, a spot plaster wastes less product than cutting down a standard plaster. None of this replaces clinical judgement or your own care setting's protocols — it's a starting point for what to keep in stock.

Stocking a treatment room or care home and want a starter bundle recommendation? See our care home supplies or apply for a trade account to order regularly at trade prices.