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Factors that exacerbate skin breakdown and ulceration

Factors that exacerbate skin breakdown and ulceration
Factors that exacerbate skin breakdown and ulceration
Although good skin care is recognised as a key component in the prevention of skin breakdown, in practice this is not always based on clinical evidence. The factors that research has identified as exacerbating skin breakdown are often overlooked. The important factors are age, continence, skin hygiene, mobility, nutrition and pressure. The combination of faecal and urinary continence is particularly damaging to the skin. These factors interact in a complex and imperfectly understood way.
Washing with conventional soap and water may damage skin by interfering with several of its protective mechanisms. Use of alternative skin cleansers to soap is largely based on clinical experience rather than good quality clinical evidence. There is similarly little evidence on the best way to dry skin after washing, and whether or not using emollients and barrier creams is effective at preventing skin breakdown. This is particularly important given that skin breakdown is more common in neonates and in the elderly. Incontinence has been found to affect 40-70% of patients in nursing homes and long-stay wards.
As well as immobility and age, altered consciousness and nutritional status have also been found to be strongly predictive of skin breakdown.
More research is needed into the mechanisms of skin breakdown, especially in pressure ulcers, and further studies are needed to assess the effectiveness of current interventions designed to prevent skin breakdown.
skin breakdown, ulceration, washing
17-21
Smith & Nephew Foundation
Voegeli, D.
e6f5d112-55b0-40c1-a6ad-8929a2d84a10
Smith & Nephew Foundation
Voegeli, D.
e6f5d112-55b0-40c1-a6ad-8929a2d84a10

Voegeli, D. , Smith & Nephew Foundation (2007) Factors that exacerbate skin breakdown and ulceration. In, Skin Breakdown: The Silent Epidemic. London, UK. Smith & Nephew Foundation, pp. 17-21.

Record type: Book Section

Abstract

Although good skin care is recognised as a key component in the prevention of skin breakdown, in practice this is not always based on clinical evidence. The factors that research has identified as exacerbating skin breakdown are often overlooked. The important factors are age, continence, skin hygiene, mobility, nutrition and pressure. The combination of faecal and urinary continence is particularly damaging to the skin. These factors interact in a complex and imperfectly understood way.
Washing with conventional soap and water may damage skin by interfering with several of its protective mechanisms. Use of alternative skin cleansers to soap is largely based on clinical experience rather than good quality clinical evidence. There is similarly little evidence on the best way to dry skin after washing, and whether or not using emollients and barrier creams is effective at preventing skin breakdown. This is particularly important given that skin breakdown is more common in neonates and in the elderly. Incontinence has been found to affect 40-70% of patients in nursing homes and long-stay wards.
As well as immobility and age, altered consciousness and nutritional status have also been found to be strongly predictive of skin breakdown.
More research is needed into the mechanisms of skin breakdown, especially in pressure ulcers, and further studies are needed to assess the effectiveness of current interventions designed to prevent skin breakdown.

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More information

Published date: 2007
Keywords: skin breakdown, ulceration, washing

Identifiers

Local EPrints ID: 47491
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/47491
PURE UUID: 869773e5-8632-45c7-b9f8-ede1e2e05ddd
ORCID for D. Voegeli: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0003-3457-7177

Catalogue record

Date deposited: 02 Aug 2007
Last modified: 22 Jul 2022 20:55

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Contributors

Author: D. Voegeli ORCID iD
Corporate Author: Smith & Nephew Foundation

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