Hollister Restore Wound Care Dressings

The Hollister Restore line covers two workhorse dressing categories that clinicians reach for when matching the dressing to the wound bed: calcium alginate dressings for moderate to heavily exuding wounds, and hydrocolloid dressings for light-exudate wounds that benefit from a moist, protected healing environment. Understanding which does what is the whole point of choosing between them.

Restore alginate dressings — available as a 12-inch rope for packing cavities and tunneling wounds, and as sterile squares and rectangles in 2 x 2, 4 x 4, and 4 x 8 inch sizes (SKUs 529937, 529938, 529939, 529940) — are made from calcium sodium alginate that gels on contact with wound fluid. That gel absorbs heavy drainage, supports autolytic debridement, and lifts away cleanly at dressing changes, making them well suited to pressure injuries, venous ulcers, and other draining wounds. The rope form conforms into deep or irregular spaces where a flat pad can't reach.

Restore hydrocolloid dressings work differently. The 4 x 4 inch options — including the Extra Thin Hydrocolloid (519921) and the standard tan hydrocolloid (519953) — form a protective seal over the skin, absorbing light exudate while keeping the wound moist and shielded from contamination. The extra-thin version is discreet under clothing and flexes with the body, a common choice for shallow wounds, superficial pressure areas, and skin protection over bony prominences.

A practical rule: heavy drainage or a deep wound points to alginate; light drainage or a wound that mainly needs coverage and moisture retention points to hydrocolloid. Many wounds move through both as they heal — alginate early when exudate is high, transitioning to hydrocolloid as the bed closes. All Restore dressings here are sterile and packaged for single-use clinical or home wound care.

Pair these with skin barrier and cleansing products from the Restore Touch collection to protect the surrounding skin during treatment.