What’s the Difference Between Medical Gauze and Bandages?

When it comes to medical supplies for treating wounds, many of the terms often get confused. For example, many people use the term Band-Aid when referring to bandages. Band-Aid is just a brand of medical dressings, so it’s understandable why people use this term.

However, people also mix up bandages and gauze, which is much worse because they aren’t quite the same thing. Today, we’ll clear up the differences between medical gauze and bandages. That way, those who need them know what to look for when shopping.

The Key Distinction

Let’s start with defining these two pieces of medical equipment since that will clear up much of the confusion. Gauze is a sterile fabric used to cover a wound. Bandages are the materials used to hold an injury together. Typically, people use the term bandage to describe the entire dressing, but in reality, it’s just the covering that keeps the gauze in place.

The Types for Each One

Even though we could simply leave it at that, it’s also helpful to discuss the variations of each medical supply item so that you can more easily tell the difference between medical gauze and bandages. For gauze, there are woven and non-woven options. Woven gauze is made of layers of cotton sheets that are loosely intertwined, whereas non-woven gauze is made of synthetic materials that are condensed together. Because of this, woven options are more breathable, and non-woven are more absorbent.

As for bandages, there are gauze-based bandages and elastic ones. On their own, bandages aren’t sterile. That’s why gauze-based ones have an absorbent material interwoven with them. That way, a person can wrap up a wound without needing to hold a separate piece of gauze in place. On the other hand, elastic bandages need a separate piece of gauze unless you’re using them for non-wound injuries. These bandages’ ability to hold tight makes them useful for compression-based healing.

Where You Can Get Them

Now that you understand the differences, it’s time to find a place where you can buy the type of dressing supplies you need. Luckily, you’ve already found one! At My Care Supplies, we offer all kinds of medical supplies that a person might need to be shipped directly to them. Even though we specialize in incontinence products, we also carry all the wound dressing supplies you could ever need. Check out what we have in store for you today.