The Product
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The product I am reviewing is Boots own brand of Melolin wound dressing pads. I recently had a skin tag removed from the lower part of my leg and a dressing had been placed on it over the stitches. I was told to keep this on for the rest of the day and replace it with a new one if it got too messy. For some reason my leg decided to bleed a lot and blood was seeping through the pad. I went to my local Boots store to ask for their advice and they advised me to change it in order to keep it clean until it was healed enough to leave it uncovered. I purchased some of the Melolin dressing pads as this was what was put on when I left the hospital. There dressing pads come in a dark green box and it has Boots logo on the top left hand corner. It tells you a bit of information on the front of the box and shows a picture of the dressing pad. On the back it tells you some information about the product and how to use it. Melolin is ideal for first aid wound coverage as it's highly absorbent which means it absorbs excess moisture from the wound. It also has multi layers, providing protection and cushioning to the wound and it's easily removed with a low adherent film. The pads are also individually wrapped and are sterile until opened. The box contains 5 dressings; each is 5cm x 5cm which was the perfect size for what I needed.

Price/Availability
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I purchased a pack of these from my local Boots store for £2.49 which I thought was reasonable value. They do a range of different sized dressing pads in here.

Using the Product
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Before using the product gently clean the wound and then apply the dressing to the wound, ensuring the shiny side of the dressing is against the wound. Secure the dressing in place with some tape or bandage. Apply a fresh dressing when needed. The dressing pads are only suitable for a single use. I gently took the old pad off and looked at the wound that I had. I could clearly see the stitches and a little blood which was still bleeding. I didn't want to clean it, in fear of pulling the stitches or making it worse so I took the pad out of the packaging and applied it to the wound ensuring that the shiny side was against the wound. I then used some surgical tape (also purchased from boots) to ensure the dressing stayed in place. The pad is a bright white in colour and was really soft against the wound and didn't cause any irritation to my skin. A lot of the time I couldn't even feel that I had it on as it was so light and soft and flexible against my skin. The dressing was easy to apply (perhaps easier if you have an extra pair of hands). I removed the dressing the following day after leaving it on for at least 24 hours and there was a small amount of blood on the dressing. I decided that it wasn't necessary to put another dressing on as it would be good to get some air to it wound to help it heal. The wound was fine left uncovered from then on and I didn't need re-apply a new dressing.

Overall Opinion
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The wound dressing pads are good value for money and are quick and easy to use. All the time I was wearing the dressing pad it felt comfortable and my wound felt protected. I haven't actually had a reason to use the dressing pads since I used one on my leg, how-ever I do still have 4 left in the pack should I need them for anything again. The date they are meant to be used by is 2015, so they have a lot longer on them yet. I would definitely recommend as they can be used for cuts, grazes and minor burns. There is no pulling of the skin or wound when removing the pad as it just simply pulls away without sticking to the skin. I would definitely purchase these again as I think they are of very reasonable value and are of good quality. I can't fault these in any way so they get the full 5 stars they deserve.


(review may also appear on ciao)