- Collagen vs. Traditional Therapies
Although numerous wound dressings have been developed, the majority of these materials fail to provide the numerous benefits of collagen dressings. The following comparisons between collagen dressings and conventional wound care methods illustrate this point. Given enough resources under the appropriate conditions, a wound will heal by itself and there is very little need for any type of external dressing. The body goes through the same healing process regardless of the size, type, or nature of a wound. External help is used to expedite the process of wound healing or, in many cases, to achieve wound closure when resources are lacking or proper conditions need to be created. Most of the available products cater to the physical needs of the wound such as protection from further assault, keeping the wound moist etc. Collagen can impart both physical as well as biological properties to the wound provided it is in a form that the body can recognize and use. Wound dressings can help in the wound healing process by aiding in one or more of the above factors. Some of the commonly used traditional dressings are the calcium alginate dressing, film dressings, foam dressing, hydrocolloid dressing, and hydrogel dressing. These dressings are applied in order to provide a moist environment to the wound base and to manage wound drainage. Appropriate environmental conditions are important in wound healing and in some cases, are enough to heal a wound. Collagen is the only biomaterial natural to the body’s tissues that creates an optimal environment for wound healing.
