Get good advice and choose dressings carefully

Always follow the guidance of your specialised medical team. When blisters form, they should be lanced with a sterile needle at their lowest point to prevent them from spreading.

If the roof of the blister remains intact and is on a part of the body where it will not be knocked or rubbed, a dressing is generally not necessary.

Where the roof of the blister has been lost, an injury has caused skin loss, or for those who have chronically unhealed wounds, a variety of dressings are available.

The dressing selected depends upon:

• Personal preference.
• If the wound is infected.
• Depth of wound.
• How wet the wound is.
• Where the wound is on the body.

It is very important to use a dressing which will not stick to the wound or the fragile skin around it as removing the dressing may make the wound worse or tear the skin. We recommend Mölnlycke Health Care dressings with Safetac® Technology.

Infection

When the skin is broken, the barrier to infection is lost. It is important to keep the wound clean. You may find that using a cream or ointment containing an antiseptic helps to keep infection at bay.

Signs of infection include:

• Delayed healing or enlargement of the wound.
• Fever.
• Poor feeding, diarrhoea and vomiting in babies.
• Pus.
• An increase in pain.
• Odour.
• Redness.

Not all of these may be present but if you are concerned that a wound may have become infected, see your doctor immediately.

EB hurts

EB is a painful condition. Blisters and wounds cause pain, but pain may also arise from other sites. The doctor and staff at your specialised EB Centre can prescribe medication to reduce pain.

Choosing the correct dressing will help reduce pain when the dressing is changed. If your skin is very fragile, seek advice from your EB nurse before using any new dressings.

Help

Mölnlycke Health Care dressings have a gentle surface which prevents the dressing from damaging the wound or skin when it is removed. This is called Safetac Technology. If your skin is very fragile, seek advice from your EB nurse before using any new dressings.

If you want to learn more about pain and how you can minimise it, please visit our Pain centre.