Older people are at higher risk of skin tears due to aging skin and comorbidities. 

One of the most common questions in aged care facilities is what dressing should be used on skin tears.

Back in the "olden days" the norm was to use steri-strips and a dry dressing for someone who obtained a skin tear. We still see this practice today, although there are more advanced options available.  

We all know that prevention is better than cure, but if you do come across a person who has sustained a skin tear, it's important to know what the current best practice guidelines recommend. 

 Initial Treatment Goals For Skin Tears 

Before we get into which dressings are recommended for skin tears, it is important to recognise the recommended initial treatment goals, which include:

• Control bleeding 
• Cleanse and debride
• Manage infection/ inflammation 
• Consider moisture balance/exudate control 
• Monitor wound edge/ closure 

Wound Products for Skin Tears 

There is a huge range of wound products available in the Australian market and it can be very confusing working out which is the best to apply to skin tears. When choosing a product, it is important to take into account:

• Patient goals for care
• Patient allergies 
• Costs for the patient/ family/ facility
• Location of skin tear
• Wound characteristics
• A treatment plan, i.e how often can the dressing be changed
• Skin type i.e very dry 

To answer the question of what is the best dressing to apply to skin tears, the answer is.. it all depends. Product choice will vary depending on various factors, such as wound size, exudate levels if the wound is still bleeding etc 

One of our go-to dressings for skin tears after the initial treatment has been completed is a silicon dressing. The silicon border dressings can be a good option to minimise pain and trauma during dressing changes. Silicon border dressings can also

• Reduce trauma at dressing times
• Comfortable for the patients
• Manage exudate
• Reduce time between dressings 
• Low allergenic 

 If the wound has been exposed to debris and there is a high risk of infection, there are silicon dressing options that have "ag" in them, which is silver. This acts as an antimicrobial and can work very well, although it can dramatically increase the cost of the treatment.

What not to do to manage skin tears?

• Leaving the wound open to the air
• Going to the beach and soaking it in salt water
• Covering the whole area in steristrips 
• Applying dressings that are sticky may increase the risk of further skin tears upon removal 
• Applying dressings that might dry and stick. Some alginates and gauze dressings can stick and cause trauma and/ or require soaking on removal. This can cause a lot of pain for the patient. 

1. Health and Human Services (2018).  Skin Tears- Standardised Care Process. Retrieved from 

2. LeBlanc K et al. Best practice recommendations for the prevention and management of skin tears in aged skin. Wounds International 2018. Available

   to download from www. woundsinternational.com