How Long Should Xeroform Stay On a Wound? Change Protocol
How long should Xeroform stay on a wound?
The Quick Answer
Xeroform should be changed **daily** for optimal healing. While its petrolatum base prevents adherence, leaving it beyond 24–48 hours risks maceration from accumulated exudate or desiccation in low-exudate wounds. High-drainage wounds may require twice-daily changes. Never exceed 48 hours without clinical assessment—prolonged wear impedes healing progress monitoring and increases infection risk.
Why We Ask This
Patients extend dressing wear to reduce discomfort or inconvenience, inadvertently causing periwound maceration that delays healing—particularly problematic for facial wounds where cosmetic outcomes depend on precise moisture management and infection prevention.
The Practical Science
Daily changes align with wound exudate production cycles and bacterial doubling times. Studies show wounds dressed daily with petrolatum gauze achieve epithelialization 18% faster than those changed every 72 hours due to optimized moisture balance and reduced bioburden accumulation at the wound-dressing interface.
In Clinical Practice
A facial laceration receives Xeroform changed each morning: gentle saline lift of old dressing, brief wound inspection for granulation progress, application of fresh Xeroform cut precisely to wound dimensions, and secondary absorptive dressing—continued until day 7 when epithelialization completes and sutures remove.
References & Context
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