Note that whilst a sterile technique may be possible in a hospital environment, at home it is neither necessary nor practical – the accepted standard for EB dressings is cleanliness. Dressings for wounds should be changed every day whilst the nappy area is dressed as often as needed.

Remember to wash your hands carefully before and regularly during dressing changes. Make sure you have your supplies ready before you begin:

• Sterile needles/ lancets
• Antibiotic/ antiseptic ointment if needed
• Vaseline, Aquaphor® or other
• Contact layer eg Vaseline gauze/ Mepitel®, Restore®
• Soft conforming stretch rolled gauze
• Tubular retaining dressing - avoid tape or adhesives

Ideally there should be 2 people available for the dressing procedure; having assistance greatly speeds things up. Giving paracetamol or ibuprofen beforehand may be helpful; stronger analgesics such opiates may be needed under certain circumstances but will cause drowsiness.