A Guide to Different Types of Medical Plasters
Read on to learn about the different types of plasters, the best plasters for various injuries and situations, and some recommended Steroplast plasters. We supply adhesive, assorted plasters for wound dressing.
Read all the common wound plaster FAQs answered by experts.
Plasters meaning: An adhesive strip with a central low-adherent wound pad that covers minor cuts and abrasions to prevent contamination or infection and protect wounds as they heal naturally.
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Wart, Cold Sore, and Verruca Plasters
Some brands offer medicated plasters for warts, cold sores, and verrucas. These are not recommended by the NHS, which states they can involve painful and lengthy treatments that generally don’t produce positive results. Wart, verruca, and cold sore plasters often contain active ingredients like salicylic acid, which increases cell turnover to help speed up the lifecycle of the skin ailment.
Warts, cold sores, and verrucas can be spread through direct skin contact or contact with contaminated surfaces. The risk of infection is higher if the surfaces are wet. Because of this, people often use washproof verruca plasters for swimming or regular plasters to cover the affected areas until they heal.
Simplify Workplace First Aid
Interactive Online Guide & Downloadable Brochure
Simplify Workplace First Aid
Interactive Online Guide & Downloadable Brochure
Choose the format that works for you: check out our Workplace First Aid Interactive Online Guide or download our Workplace First Aid Brochure as an easy-to-save PDF. Both include a self-assessment, product details, pricing, and comprehensive training and support.
Hypoallergenic Plasters
Some people are allergic to the adhesive used on plasters, like acrylate or methyl acrylate. This allergy can present with red, itchy, or sensitive skin with which the plaster was in contact. Anyone can have an allergic reaction to a plaster, but they're more common in children and those with sensitive skin.
Using hypoallergenic plasters will reduce the chance of an allergic reaction. Hypoallergenic plasters are used with materials that generally do not elicit allergic reactions. Hypoallergenic plasters will usually state as much on their packaging. They are also sometimes called plasters for ‘sensitive skin’. Generally, all children’s plasters are hypoallergenic.
Shop Hypoallergenic Plasters
Read our article A Guide to Plaster Allergies: Diagnosis, Treatment, and Prevention for more details about plaster allergies. There’s no industry standard by which products can be defined as ‘hypoallergenic’. We look at how brands can call their products hypoallergenic and how to know you can trust them in our article What Does 'Hypoallergenic' Mean? How to Tell if a Product Really is Hypoallergenic.
Surgery Plasters
Closed surgical wounds are usually covered with plasters to keep them clean while healing. A closed surgical wound may be quite long, so a dressing strip is sometimes used. A sterile plaster should be used to ensure an optimal healing environment. Surgery plasters are usually washproof, so the patient can shower or bathe without letting water in or needing to change the plaster.
Usually, a patient need not change their surgical plaster at all. It can just come off when the wound is sufficiently healed.
Washproof Plasters
Washproof plasters have a plastic, water-resistant backing that prevents moisture from penetrating through to the skin and wound. Washproof plasters are great for added protection if you expect to get the wounded area wet and can help people continue with regular daily activities.
Washproof plasters are ideal for:
- Children who get wet and messy easily through playtime
- Athletes and swimmers
- Workers who need to wash their hands regularly or get their hands wet.
Washproof plaster for showers means you can keep clean without worrying about contaminating a wound dressing or changing your plaster more frequently. Washproof plasters are a recommended component of the workplace first aid kit. Find out what you need to know about having plasters as a business owner on your premises.
Shop Washproof Plasters
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Personal First Aid Online Guide
Find everything you need, from first aid kits, plasters & bandages to hot & cold therapy.
Fabric Plasters
Fabric plasters are the standard plaster consumers can buy. Generally, they have a superior sticking ability against other types of plasters. In fact, Steroplast Premium Elastic Fabric Plasters beat all other mainstream braids as the most durable in the UK, as voted by Which?, the independent review website.
Our fabric plasters will stay put for as long as you need them to, but it’s important to know when to change a plaster to allow a wound to heal properly. Find out how long you can leave a plaster on. Fabric plasters can sometimes leave some adhesive residue on the skin when removed. Find out how to get rid of this plaster adhesive residue.
We stock a wide range of fabric plasters and fabric plaster roll, which can be cut to size.
Shop Fabric Plasters
Foam Plasters
Foam plasters are made with an added layer of padding that provides cushioning wherever you apply it. People use foam plasters for a few different reasons, primarily for foot ailments.
- Plasters for bunions: bunions are growths that alter the shape of the feet slightly by producing lumps. These can cause pain when wearing shoes and walking. Foam plasters offer some padding around a bunion which can alleviate this pain. You can even get specific bunion plasters which are foam plasters in a ring-shaped design.
- Calluses and corns: these are small patches of thick, rough skin. The pressure of these against the insides of shoes or clothing can cause discomfort, which can be eased with cushioned foam plasters.
- Blisters: foam heel plasters or foot plasters can be used to both soothe and prevent blisters from forming by offering a cushioned area and preventing chafing. Often people use heel plasters for shoes that rub to prevent blisters until the shoes have been broken in.
Bunions can cause pain and discomfort walking, but treating and even preventing them is possible. Find out more in these articles:
Shop Foam Plasters
Coloured Plasters
In addition to the usual skin tone plasters, it’s easy to find other colours and styles. These include:
- Invisible plasters: plasters with a clear backing so your natural skin shows through. These are ideal if you need a discreet plaster. These thin, flexible alternatives are also sometimes known as second-skin plasters.
- Novelty plasters: if they’re for little ones, a plaster with a fun design, like Leukoplast’s Batman, Superman, or Wonder Woman plasters with recognisable cartoon images that can make wound care more fun and less daunting.
- Blue plasters: a requirement of the HSE, all first aid products that are worn on the body must be blue for best visibility if they ever contaminate food. Find out all about blue plasters.
Small Round Plasters
Sometimes you only have a minimal injury. In that case, small plasters are ideal. Small circle plasters are used after injections or drawing blood to protect the minute puncture wound caused by the needle.
Plasters for Extremities
Fingers and Toes
Applying plasters to fingers and toes can be tricky. The shape of the digit can lead to extra material bunching up. This can make plasters cumbersome to wear, or their effectiveness might even be compromised. There are two ways to ensure finger and toe plasters stay out of the way and adequately protect wounds.
1. Use a butterfly plaster
A butterfly plaster is flared on either end to look like a butterfly. This unusual shape is designed especially for application on digits. Check out the tutorial video below to see how to apply one.
2. Cut a normal-shaped plaster to adapt it to your digit
Cutting a slit on either end of a plaster means wrapping around your finger is easier. Follow our short video tutorial below for how to do this.
Earring Plasters
Ear plasters to cover earrings are used during sports activities to protect against catching and causing injury. They may also be requested in food-handling environments or surgery.
You can use any plasters as ear-piercing plasters by folding them under your ear lobe.
Large Plaster Dressings
Sometimes you need a big plaster. But how big does a wound get before a plaster isn’t enough? Check for these signs.
- The wound pad is not large enough to cover all of the wound area (open or broken skin). Never put the plaster adhesive in direct contact with broken skin.
- The wound is very deep or will not close or stop bleeding.
- The wound has signs of infection (swollen, red, hard, hot, pus present, foul smelling).
We offer various big plasters for wounds.
- Steropore Large Plasters are available in two sizes: 8.6cm x 6cm and 7cm x 6cm.
- Blister Foam Plasters are 7.5cm x 2.5cm and can be cut to size.
- Steroplast Fabric Dressing Strips are 7.5cm x 0.5m and can be cut to size.
Shop with Steroplast Healthcare for all the plasters you need. We have over 25 years of experience perfecting them.
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Read on to learn about the different types of plasters, the best plasters for all kinds of injuries and situations, and some recommended Steroplast plasters. We supply adhesive, assorted plasters for wound dressing to help the body’s natural healing process.
Read all the common wound plaster FAQs answered by experts.
Plasters meaning: An adhesive strip with a central low-adherent wound pad that covers minor cuts and abrasions to prevent contamination or infection and protect wounds as they heal.
Medicated Plasters
Medicated plasters contain an active ingredient and are designed to assist with healing or alleviate the symptoms of a wound, such as pain or irritation. They are sometimes called healing plasters.
Some examples of active ingredients in plasters are:
- Pain-relief plasters: the local analgesic lidocaine is a common ingredient in pain-relief plasters, capable of soothing the symptoms of post-herpetic neuralgia, a painful skin condition that occurs as a result of shingles.
- Faster healing plasters: to be clear, no plaster actually activates faster healing. The body will heal at its natural rate. That said, some active ingredients can help the body heal as quickly as possible by providing an optimal healing environment. Hydrogels and hydrocolloids are great examples of this type of plaster, containing ingredients which draw exudate out of a wound which helps to remove fluid and bacteria to give way to natural healing.
- Antiseptic and antibacterial plasters: plasters with silver as an active ingredient have a microbial effect that can help to ward off infection.
Hydrocolloid Plasters
Hydrocolloid plasters are plaster for blisters, burns, and even spots because they have soothing properties and benefit the body's natural healing process. They do this by drawing fluids out of a wound. This means blisters can be drained more quickly but without deroofing the blister, which can cause infection if not done professionally. This is why they’re ideal plasters for blisters, boils, ulcers, and bed sores. Hydrocolloids are plasters that draw out pus and speed up the spot's life cycle when used on spots.
A hydrocolloid is an active substance that turns into a gel when mixed with water, which is why these are sometimes called gel plasters. This gel acts as a soothing, moist, synthetic scab over the wound. This humid environment is optimal for wound healing. The synthetic scab created by a colloidal plaster helps by providing a barrier to external bacteria, protecting open wounds and blisters from popping or tearing. They also deter the temptation to pick at spots or blisters.
Steroplast Hydrocolloid Plasters are discreet and breathable, made with a low-allergy adhesive. The wound pad itself is low-adherent, ensuring a painless removal. The backing of the plaster is water-resistant for added protection and longevity.
We also stock Hydrogel burn plasters for more extensive wounds. If you’re looking for anti-blister plasters for prevention, consider our foam plasters that protect your skin from chafing.
Blemish and Spot Plasters
Hydrocolloid blister patches have become popular as a cheap alternative to acne plasters thanks to a viral hack on social media with videos showing their effectiveness. As an active ingredient that draws out fluids from a wound, hydrocolloids are ideal for use on spots and acne. A spot plaster also offers a physical barrier to deter any picking that would worsen a spot by infecting it, causing scarring, or prolonging the healing process.
Some plasters for spots offer additional benefits, like micro-darts targeting deep cystic spots, but ultimately, the hydrocolloid provides the active benefit in any spot patch. A hydrocolloid plaster can drain a spot overnight, a process which could take a week if left untreated. However, not all spots can be cured by using spot plasters. They only work if the spot is in its life cycle's pustule or papule stage. If you can see visible pus beneath the surface, this is when the acne plaster is likely to work.
Dermatologists approve of the hydrocolloid pimple plaster for treating spots over alternatives like pore strips which can be harsh and damaging to the skin, as they offer a gentler way to remove bacteria from the skin's pores. Many face plasters are very discreet and small, although hydrocolloid plasters marketed as acne plasters are more expensive than standard hydrocolloid plasters.
Wart, Cold Sore, and Verruca Plasters
Some brands offer medicated plasters for warts, cold sores, and verrucas. These are not recommended by the NHS, which states they can involve painful and lengthy treatments that generally don’t produce positive results. Wart, verruca, and cold sore plasters often contain active ingredients like salicylic acid, which increases cell turnover to help speed up the lifecycle of the skin ailment.
Warts, cold sores, and verrucas can be spread through direct skin contact or contact with contaminated surfaces. The risk of infection is higher if the surfaces are wet. Because of this, people often use washproof verruca plasters for swimming or regular plasters to cover the affected areas until they heal.
Hypoallergenic Plasters
Some people are allergic to the adhesive used on plasters, like acrylate or methyl acrylate. This allergy can present with red, itchy, or sensitive skin with which the plaster was in contact. Anyone can have an allergic reaction to a plaster, but they're more common in children and those with sensitive skin.
Using hypoallergenic plasters will reduce the chance of an allergic reaction. Hypoallergenic plasters are used with materials that generally do not elicit allergic reactions. Hypoallergenic plasters will usually state as much on their packaging. They are also sometimes called plasters for ‘sensitive skin’. Generally, all children’s plasters are hypoallergenic.
Shop Hypoallergenic Plasters
Read our article A Guide to Plaster Allergies: Diagnosis, Treatment, and Prevention for more details about plaster allergies. There’s no industry standard by which products can be defined as ‘hypoallergenic’. We look at how brands can call their products hypoallergenic and how to know you can trust them in our article What Does 'Hypoallergenic' Mean? How to Tell if a Product Really is Hypoallergenic.
Surgery Plasters
Closed surgical wounds are usually covered with plasters to keep them clean while healing. A close surgical wound may be quite long, so a dressing strip is sometimes used. A sterile plaster should be used to ensure an optimal healing environment. Surgery plasters are usually waterproof, so the patient can shower or bathe without letting water in or needing to change the plaster.
Usually, a patient need not change their surgical plaster at all. It can just come off when the wound is sufficiently healed.
Waterproof Plasters
Waterproof plasters have a plastic, water-resistant backing that prevents moisture from penetrating through to the skin and wound. Waterproof plasters are great for added protection if you expect to get the wounded area wet and can help people continue with regular daily activities.
Waterproof plasters are ideal for:
- Children who get wet and messy easily through playtime
- Athletes and swimmers
- Workers who need to wash their hands regularly or get their hands wet.
Waterproof plaster for showers means you can keep clean without worrying about contaminating a wound dressing or changing your plaster more frequently. Washproof plasters are a recommended component of the workplace first aid kit. Find out what you need to know about having plasters as a business owner on your premises.
Shop Waterproof Plasters
Fabric Plasters
Fabric plasters are the standard plaster consumers can buy. Generally, they have a superior sticking ability against other types of plasters. In fact, Steroplast Premium Elastic Fabric Plasters beat all other mainstream braids as the most durable in the UK, as voted by Which?, the independent review website.
Our fabric plasters will stay put for as long as you need them to, but it’s important to know when to change a plaster to allow a wound to heal properly. Find out how long you can leave a plaster on. Fabric plasters can sometimes leave some adhesive residue on the skin when removed. Find out how to get rid of this plaster adhesive residue.
We stock a wide range of fabric plasters and fabric plaster roll, which can be cut to size.
Shop Fabric Plasters
Foam Plasters
Foam plasters are made with an added layer of padding that provides cushioning wherever you apply it. People use foam plasters for a few different reasons, primarily for foot ailments.
- Plasters for bunions: bunions are growths that alter the shape of the feet slightly by producing lumps. These can cause pain by wearing shoes and walking. Foam plasters offer some padding around a bunion which can alleviate this pain. You can even get specific bunion plasters which are foam plasters in a ring-shaped design.
- Calluses and corns: these are small patches of thick, rough skin. The pressure of these against the insides of shoes or clothing can cause discomfort, which can be eased with cushioned foam plasters.
- Blisters: foam heel plasters or foot plasters can be used to both soothe and prevent blisters from forming by offering a cushioned area and preventing chafing. Often people use heel plasters for shoes that rub to prevent blisters until the shoes have been broken in.
Bunions can cause pain and discomfort walking, but treating and even preventing them is possible. Find out more in these articles:
Shop Foam Plasters
Coloured Plasters
In addition to the usual skin tone plasters, it’s easy to find other colours and styles. These include:
- Invisible plasters: plasters with a clear backing so your natural skin shows through. These are ideal if you need a discreet plaster. These thin, flexible alternatives are also sometimes known as second-skin plasters.
- Novelty plasters: if they’re for little ones, a plaster with a fun design, like Leukoplast’s Batman, Superman, or Wonder Woman plasters with recognisable cartoon images that can make wound care more fun and less daunting.
- Blue plasters: a requirement of the HSE, all first aid products that are worn on the body must be blue for best visibility if they ever contaminate food. Find out all about blue plasters.
Small Round Plasters
Sometimes you only have a minimal injury. In that case, small plasters are ideal. Small circle plasters are used after injections or drawing blood to protect the minute puncture wound caused by the needle.
Covering moles with plasters isn’t always necessary, but large, raised moles might need extra protection. Your dermatologist or GP might also advise you to cover certain moles. Dot plasters can be used as mole plasters for sun, sunbeds, or UV protection plasters, provided they are opaque.
Plasters for Extremities
Fingers and Toes
Applying plasters to fingers and toes can be tricky. The shape of the digit can lead to extra material bunching up. This can make plasters cumbersome to wear, or their effectiveness might even be compromised. There are two ways to ensure finger and toe plasters stay out of the way and adequately protect wounds.
1. Use a butterfly plaster
A butterfly plaster is flared on either end to look like a butterfly. This unusual shape is designed especially for application on digits. Check out the tutorial video below to see how to apply one.
2. Cut a normal-shaped plaster to adapt it to your digit
Cutting a slit on either end of a plaster means wrapping around your finger is easier. Follow our short video tutorial below for how to do this.
Earring Plasters
Ear plasters to cover earrings are used during sports activities to protect against catching and causing injury. They may also be requested in food-handling environments or surgery.
You can use any plasters as by folding them under your ear lobe.
Large Plaster Dressings
Sometimes you need a big plaster. But how big does a wound get before a plaster isn’t enough? Check for these signs.
- The wound pad is not large enough to cover all of the wound area (open or broken skin). Never put the plaster adhesive in direct contact with broken skin.
- The wound is very deep or will not close or stop bleeding.
- The wound has signs of infection (swollen, red, hard, hot, pus present, foul smelling).
We offer various big plasters for wounds.
- Sterospore Large Plasters are available in two sizes: 8.6cm x 6cm and 7cm x 6cm.
- Blister Foam Plasters are 7.5cm x 2.5cm and can be cut to size.
- Steroplast Fabric Dressing Strips are 7.5cm x 0.5m and can be cut to size.
Shop with Steroplast Healthcare for all the plasters you need. We have over 25 years of experience perfecting them.
Please enter your details into the form below along with any questions or comments and a member of our team will be happy to provide you with more information:
