Wound Care Made Incredibly Easy

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Moisture-associated skin damage

Method

How it works

Did you know?

Use medical adhesive remover while removing tape or other adhesive.

Dissolves the adhesive rather than tearing it off the skin

No medical adhesive remover handy? Any skin product such as lotion or a skin barrier with oil in it can also help prevent skin damage during clear film dressing, tape, or ostomy barrier removal. Prior to applying new tape or an ostomy barrier, the adhesive remover or oil must be cleansed from skin. Do not use these products close to any incision closed in surgery with a medical adhesive rather than sutures or stitches; it will dissolve it, and the incision may dehisce. For persons with fragile skin there is silicone based clear film for protecting intravenous devices and silicone-based drape available to seal negative pressure wound therapy dressings.

Use silicone tape rather than adhesive tape.

Adheres to skin well (except on very moist skin) but does not strip it when removed. Be sure to dry skin well before ap plying and press it into place.

Moisture-associated skin damage

Moisture-associated skin damage (MASD) includes damage to skin related to contact with external moisture and often includes the effects of friction on the overly moist skin. It usually manifests in inflamma tion of the skin (becoming red, hot, and tender), sometimes with ero sion or denudement and possibly weeping of serous fluid causing the skin to glisten. The location often tells the story about which bodily fluid is causing the damage.

Effects of excess moisture on skin health

We’ve discussed the problems associated with excessively dry skin and what to do about it. Now let’s examine the opposite side of the coin—too much moisture. Skin has a delicate balance when it comes to moisture content and the risk of skin damage is high when it is overhydrated. When skin gets “drowned,” maceration occurs. The skin becomes lighter in color and often wrinkled (a common example is how skin looks after soaking in a bathtub too long). For people with healthy skin, some layers of epidermis slough off and we’re left with intact and still functional skin. Those with less healthy skin may expe rience additional consequences, often before the maceration becomes apparent. Let’s look at what happens to unprotected skin when ex posed to external moisture such as sweat or urine.

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