A Basic Approach to Wound Care

Residents are faced with treating wounds all the time. In fact, it is a dermatologist's job to make wounds either from biopsies or surgical excisions. Because of the aging population and the rise in chronic conditions such as diabetes mellitus and obesity, the global wound care market is projected to reach $20.3 billion by 2015. There are more than 6500 types of wound dressings in 30 categories, and choosing a product can be a confusing task. With wounds playing such a large role in the practice of dermatology, it is important to have a clear understanding of why dermatologists treat wounds the way they do and how to treat wounds that are difficult to heal. Dr. Consuelo V. David answers the following 4 questions: Is the wound acute or chronic? Does the wound need debridement? Is the wound infected? Is the wound dry or exudative?