Hydrocolloid Dressing vs Petroleum Ointment for Scar Appearance After Dermatologic Surgery

How does scar appearance change with continuous use of a hydrocolloid dressing vs daily petroleum ointment application?This randomized clinical trial of 146 patients found that patients using the hydrocolloid dressing reported slightly higher ratings for overall scar appearance compared to those in the petroleum ointment group at 7 days but this difference did not persist at the 30- and 90-day evaluations. Surgeon ratings of scar appearance were similar when comparing the 2 regimens.These findings indicate that hydrocolloid dressing can achieve scar appearance comparable to that of daily petroleum ointment application; therefore, for patients who prefer to avoid daily wound care, hydrocolloid dressing is a reasonable option.

Corresponding Author: Syril Keena T. Que, MD, MPH, Department of Dermatology, Indiana University School of Medicine, 11590 N Meridian St, Suite 450A, Carmel, IN 46032 (keenaq@gmail.com).

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