Showering with a wound dressing: what to ask and how to stay safe.

Why the answer depends on your wound

Whether showering with a wound dressing is safe depends on the wound and the dressing. Some dressings are made to stay on, and stay dry, for several days. Some wounds may be rinsed in the shower at a dressing change. Others, such as a leg in a compression wrap or a foot in a cast, must stay completely dry.

The instructions from your treating clinician come first. Use the questions and precautions below within those instructions, whether you have a leg ulcer, a pressure injury or a post-surgical wound.

Questions to ask before you shower

Ask at your next visit, or call the office that manages your wound, and write the answers down.

• May I shower, and starting when?
• Should the dressing stay dry, or may it get wet?
• If it must stay dry, what kind of cover suits my skin and this spot on my body?
• If the dressing comes off for the shower, may water or soap touch the wound?
• What should I do if the dressing gets wet, loosens or falls off?
• May I soak in a tub? If not, when should I ask again?

Share the answers with anyone who helps with your dressing. Our guide to managing wound dressing changes at home explains how to keep everyone working from the same instructions.

General precautions once you are cleared to shower

Use these common habits only where they fit your clinician’s instructions.

• Keep showers short, with warm water instead of hot.
• If the dressing must stay dry, put the cover on before the water runs and check the seal at the edges.
• Pat the skin around the dressing dry with a clean towel. Do not rub.
• Remove the cover right away and look at the dressing. If it is damp, lifting or soiled, follow the instructions you were given for a wet dressing.

Skin that stays damp can soften, turn white and break down, which is why keeping skin healthy around a wound matters. If your dressing edges are often wet after bathing, the treating clinician may adjust the dressing selection and change schedule.

Why soaking is different from showering

In a shower, water runs off. A bath, hot tub, pool or lake holds the wound under water. Soaking can soften the skin, loosen the dressing and expose an open wound to germs, so clinicians commonly ask people to avoid it until the wound has closed. A yes for the shower is not a yes for the tub.

If you cannot shower safely, a seated wash at the sink cleans everything except the dressing area.

Wraps, casts, pumps and other special situations

• Compression wraps. Multi-layer wraps generally need to stay dry between changes. A wet wrap can slip, bunch or irritate the skin. See our guide to keeping compression wraps comfortable.
• Casts and offloading boots. Ask how to protect the device and whether you may put any weight on that foot in the shower.
• Negative pressure therapy. Ask whether and how you may shower with the dressing in place, and keep the pump away from water. Our guide explains what a wound VAC is.
• Diabetes or numb feet. You may not feel water that is too hot. Test it with your elbow or a bath thermometer.

Preventing a fall in the bathroom

A wet floor, a bulky dressing and a sore leg are a risky combination. A shower chair, a non-slip mat, a handheld shower head and properly installed grab bars lower the risk.

Our guide to fall prevention during wound recovery covers the rest of the house. If bathing has become hard to do alone, say so at a primary care visit, where mobility and fall risk can be reviewed.

What to report after bathing

Call the clinician or team managing your wound if:

• The dressing is soaked, has come off or will not stay sealed.
• A compression wrap or cast got wet.
• The skin around the wound looks white, wrinkled or raw.
• You see new redness, swelling, warmth, more drainage or a new odor, or you have fever or chills.

Call 911 for bleeding that will not stop with firm pressure, a fall with a possible head injury or broken bone, or any other emergency.

If you do not have a wound care team in Greater St. Louis or the Metro East, you can request care or call 314-325-0126. Gateway arranges visits with partner clinicians and helps the treating clinician’s instructions reach you and your family.

Common questions

Related pages

• Dressing changes at home
• Dressing selection and changes
• Skin care around a wound
• Fall prevention during wound recovery
• Post-surgical wounds
• Sleeping comfortably with a wound
• Eating for wound healing
• Staying hydrated and wound healing