How to dress a wound properly, step by step
Most dressing failures come from the same three mistakes. Here is the order to do it in, and what each step is actually for.
A dressing does two jobs: it keeps contamination out, and it keeps the wound surface at the moisture level that lets it repair. Almost everything that goes wrong — edges lifting, the pad sticking, the wound staying wet — traces back to the preparation rather than the dressing itself.
1. Stop the bleeding first
Press firmly over the wound with a clean pad and hold it. Ten minutes of steady pressure does more than thirty seconds repeated six times, because each time you lift to look, you disturb the clot that was forming. Raise the limb above heart level if you can.
2. Clean the wound, not just around it
Rinse under cool running water for a minute or two, or use sterile saline. The aim is to flush out grit and debris; you are not trying to scrub. Avoid antiseptic liquids directly in an open wound — they irritate the tissue that needs to grow back. If dirt will not come out, that is a reason to see someone, not to cover it up.
3. Dry the surrounding skin
This is the step people skip, and it is the one that decides whether the dressing stays on. Adhesive will not bond to damp skin. Pat the skin around the wound dry with a clean gauze swab, leaving the wound bed itself alone. Skip creams, lotions and oils in the area — they defeat the adhesive.
4. Choose a dressing with margin
The absorbent pad should cover the wound with roughly 2cm of clear skin all the way round for the adhesive border to grip. Too small and the edges lift within hours; far too large and you are wasting adhesive on skin that does not need it. Our size guide maps wound size to pack size.
5. Apply from the centre outwards
Open the sachet, take the dressing by its edges without touching the pad, and place the pad over the wound first. Then smooth the adhesive down and outwards from the middle. Do not stretch the dressing as you apply it — stretched adhesive pulls back on the skin as it relaxes and lifts its own corners.
6. Change it on a schedule, not on a whim
Once a day is a sensible default for a clean, low-exudate wound, and sooner if it becomes wet, loose or soiled. Constant peeking sets healing back. If the dressing is dry, intact and not smelling, leave it be.
See a pharmacist, GP or urgent care if a wound will not stop bleeding after ten minutes of firm pressure, is deep or gaping, was caused by something dirty or rusty, contains anything you cannot flush out, or shows spreading redness, heat, swelling, pus or a fever. Get help urgently for animal or human bites, wounds over a joint, and any wound in someone with diabetes or poor circulation.
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FitMedix products are CE-marked medical devices intended for the care of minor wounds. This site does not provide medical advice — seek professional help for deep, dirty or non-healing wounds, or if signs of infection appear. Always read the instructions on the pack.