Ideal dressing, functions

The skin provides a number of protective functions. The stratum corneum acts as a barrier that prevents invasive infection, and sebum secreted by sebaceous glands has an antibacterial action. The burn wound is vulnerable to bacterial colonization and invasive bacterial contamination and sepsis. As the burn depth increases the potential reservoir for bacterial invasion increases before viable tissue and host defenses are reached. Burns dressing should have either an antibacterial barrier function or a bactericidal/bacteriastatic function or ideally both. 

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