Lotions, Creams & Skin Care
Skin Care · Barrier Creams · Periwound Protection · Pressure Injury Prevention
Protect the skin around the wound — because healthy periwound skin is part of healing.
The skin surrounding a wound is under constant threat — from wound exudate, adhesive trauma, moisture from incontinence, and the friction of repositioning. When periwound skin breaks down it enlarges the wound, makes dressing adherence impossible, and significantly increases patient discomfort. Barrier creams, skin protectants, and wound care lotions form the protective layer that keeps intact skin intact — preventing moisture-associated skin damage, protecting against incontinence-associated dermatitis, and maintaining the healthy periwound environment that allows dressings to seal and heal effectively. For guidance on periwound skin assessment and protection as part of a complete wound care protocol, see our complete wound care guide.
Skin Care · Clinical Reference · Southwest Florida
Choosing the right skin care product for wound care
What is a skin barrier cream and when is it used in wound care?
A skin barrier cream creates a protective film over intact skin that repels moisture, wound exudate, urine, and fecal matter — preventing the skin breakdown that occurs when these substances remain in prolonged contact with the skin surface. In wound care they are applied to the periwound area to protect intact skin from maceration caused by heavy wound drainage, under compression bandages to protect skin on venous disease legs, and around wound drainage collectors and ostomy appliances to maintain the seal and protect the adhesive border. They are also the primary prevention tool for incontinence-associated dermatitis in bed-bound or incontinent patients.
What is the difference between a barrier cream, a moisture cream, and a skin protectant?
These terms are often used interchangeably but they serve different primary functions. Barrier creams and skin protectants are designed to repel external moisture and irritants from the skin surface — they protect intact skin from damage. Moisture creams and emollients are designed to add hydration to dry, fragile, or scaling skin — they treat existing dryness and restore the skin barrier from the inside out. Many wound care patients need both: a moisture cream for dry or fragile skin overall, and a barrier product specifically over areas at risk of maceration or incontinence exposure.
Can I apply barrier cream under a wound dressing?
Barrier cream should be applied to the intact periwound skin around the dressing — not to the wound bed itself or to the skin surface where the dressing adhesive needs to bond. Applying barrier cream directly under an adhesive border prevents the dressing from adhering, causing early lifting and dressing failure. Apply the barrier product to the skin beyond the dressing margin, allow it to absorb briefly, then apply the dressing so the adhesive contacts clean uncoated skin. For the wound bed itself, the dressing or wound cleanser manages moisture — not barrier cream.
What skin care products help prevent pressure injuries?
Pressure injury prevention skin care focuses on two goals — keeping skin moisturized and protecting it from moisture damage simultaneously. A daily emollient cream applied to dry or at-risk skin on the heels, sacrum, and bony prominences maintains skin integrity and elasticity. A barrier cream or film applied over areas exposed to incontinence prevents the moisture-associated skin damage that dramatically increases pressure injury risk. Shaped foam dressings applied prophylactically to the sacrum and heels in high-risk patients add a further protective layer against friction and shear forces.
What is incontinence-associated dermatitis and how is it treated?
Incontinence-associated dermatitis (IAD) is skin inflammation caused by prolonged contact with urine or fecal matter — it presents as reddened, painful, sometimes eroded skin in the perineal, gluteal, and inner thigh areas. It is frequently confused with pressure injuries but has a different cause and requires different treatment. Management involves gentle skin cleansing with a pH-balanced no-rinse cleanser after each incontinent episode, followed immediately by application of a moisture barrier cream or film to protect the cleaned skin from the next exposure. Consistent skin care after every episode is more effective than treating established IAD after the skin has already broken down.
Skin care works alongside your wound management supplies
Complete your wound care supply kit with these frequently paired products:
Foam DressingsCompression BandagesWound Drainage CollectorsWound CleansersNon-Adherent DressingsAll Wound Dressings
For the full clinical picture on periwound skin assessment, moisture-associated skin damage prevention, and barrier product selection, see our Clinical Wound Care Guide →
Need help choosing the right skin care products for your patient?
Our team is available by phone or in person at all five Southwest Florida locations — Venice · Sarasota · Port Charlotte · Fort Myers · Naples