A foam dressing is one of the types a pressure sore might be dressed with — a film, gauze, gel, foam or another type. The starting point for this page is simple: talk with your provider about which one to use.
A foam is a two-layer dressing. The inner layer is polyurethane or silicone, and the outer layer repels water but lets air pass through.
What foams do well: foams absorb exudate — the fluid a wound produces. They partly seal the wound while still letting some air through, and their thickness gives extra protection from bumps and knocks.
Their drawbacks, which patients are rarely told about: you can’t see the wound through them, and they can dry out a wound. A foam sits over the wound rather than showing it, and it can take moisture past the point that helps.
Where they are used: foams are used for wounds with moderate to heavy drainage, chronic wounds and pressure injuries, with dressing changes daily or a few times a week.
That last figure is a general one, not an instruction for any particular wound. How often a dressing is changed depends on the type of wound and the type of dressing, and some dressings are designed to stay in place for up to seven days. If you have been given a schedule, it was set for your wound.
Knowing what a foam is for doesn’t tell you whether one suits your wound. That depends on how much fluid the wound produces and what stage it is at, which is why the choice belongs with the person treating it.