Hydrogel dressings: Revolutionizing burn care with innovative wound healing technology

Severe burns result in deep and extensive wounds that are associated with a high mortality rate. While wound closure is an essential part of the treatment for such injuries, merely providing superficial coverage of the defect is inadequate. Adequate reconstruction requires repairing the damaged area from the innermost layers outward. Hydrogel dressings have become a very popular choice due to their unique properties: contributing to wound moisture, cooling and soothing, and autolytic debridement. This type of dressing offers the potential to overcome disadvantages of traditional treatments and allows partial skin regeneration. This review aims to outline the benefits of hydrogel dressings, emphasizing their role in wound healing and tissue regeneration, particularly in the context of chronic burn wounds. The discussion also covers how these dressings may address current shortcomings in wound care and provides a focused overview of specific attributes and potential future improvements in the field. This review enhances the general understanding of their therapeutic implications by examining the benefits of hydrogel dressings.