Skin wounds have traditionally been covered to protect the wound from contamination and to permit the skin to heal preferrably without leaving scars. These wounds may be treated in hospitals, clinics or at home. Fresh wounds initially produce a little to large amount of fluid exudate which provides an environment for bacterial growth and infection. One of the purposes of the dressing and bandage is to absorb the body fluid and maintain a sterile environment for wound healing.

The preferred material for medical/surgical dressings, sponges, and bandages for the past one hundred years has been woven cotton gauze in several plain weave variations. These materials, made from Absorbent Gauze, are described in the United States Pharmacopeia (USP). Because the gauze is used to convert it to dressings and bandages for wounds, the standards of construction and chemical purity of gauze are well defined in the Absorbent Gauze monograph. Sterilized dressings and bandages are used as wound care materials. The alternative way of producing gauze for wound care is through nonwovens technology of spunlacing. The presentation will describe how the spunlaced cottons are produced; and how they can be cost effective as well as property-wise superior to conventional woven gauze.