How to Care for the Elderly: Skin Tear Dressing

Skin tears are wounds that occur when the dermis and epidermis are separated, according to Nursing Center. As people age, their skin becomes more susceptible to these tears. A majority of skin tears take place on the hands and arms. Skin tears can be prevented in the elderly by having them wear long sleeves and using stretch net to secure bandages instead of tape.

Things You'll Need

• Ionic silver powder
• Moisturizer that contains vitamin C or grapeseed extract
• Hydrogel sheet
• Elastic net dressing

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Instructions

• 1

  Pour ionic silver powder over the wound. This is antimicrobial and will keep the skin tear from getting infected.

• 2

  Apply moisturizer that contains vitamin C or grapeseed extract on the surrounding areas of skin. Do not apply the moisturizer to the wound itself. This is meant to make the skin stronger so when the wound is healed it is less vulnerable to skin tears.

• 3

  Place a hydrogel sheet over the wound. This is a cushioned bandage that does not have adhesives.

• 4

  Secure the hydrogel sheet by pulling elastic net dressing over the appendage that has the skin tear. This will hold the sheet in place without using tape. Pulling off tape is another cause of skin tears in the elderly.

• 5

  Repeat this process every day with a new hydrogel sheet every day until the wound is healed.