Mepore Film + Pad (Waterproof Adhesive Film Dressing)

Patients managing wounds at home often face a practical challenge: standard absorbent island dressings manage exudate well but cannot get wet, making showering awkward. A film dressing is waterproof but has no absorbency. Mepore Film & Pad resolves this by combining a waterproof transparent polyurethane film outer layer with a central absorbent wound pad. The result is a dressing that manages wound exudate and can be worn during showering. Four sizes: 4cm x 5cm, 5cm x 7cm, 9cm x 10cm, and 9cm x 15cm. No secondary fixation required. No prescription needed.

Mepore Film & Pad is a regulated medical device from Molnlycke Health Care. It is a waterproof film island dressing that brings together two properties from other products in the Mepore range. The outer layer is a transparent polyurethane film, the same waterproof and moisture vapour permeable material as Mepore Film. The central area contains an absorbent wound pad with a low adherence wound contact layer, similar in principle to the wound contact pad in Mepore. Together these layers create a dressing that absorbs wound exudate, protects the wound from external water, and allows the wound to be observed through the transparent film without removing the dressing.

Mepore Film & Pad occupies a distinct position in the Mepore family. Mepore (the absorbent island dressing) absorbs exudate but is not waterproof. Mepore Film is waterproof and transparent but has no absorbency. Mepore Film & Pad provides both: an absorbent pad for exudate management and a waterproof film outer for protection from water during daily activity. For patients who need an absorbent wound dressing but also want to shower without covering or protecting the dressing, Mepore Film & Pad combines those requirements in a single product.

The dressing is self-adhesive. The film layer extends beyond the central pad on all sides to form an adhesive border that adheres to the periwound skin. No secondary fixation is required. The transparent film allows the wound and the state of the pad beneath to be observed at any time without removing the dressing.

Four sizes are available: 4cm x 5cm, 5cm x 7cm, 9cm x 10cm, and 9cm x 15cm. Total dimensions include both the central pad and the surrounding film adhesive border.

Mepore Film & Pad requires dry intact periwound skin for the adhesive film to bond. Do not apply to wet, greasy, or damaged surrounding skin. The waterproof film keeps external water out, but also means the dressing is less breathable at the skin surface than a fabric-backed island dressing. Change the dressing if the pad becomes saturated or the film edges lift. Do not apply to infected wounds.

Waterproof Outer Film

The outer layer is a transparent polyurethane film that is impermeable to liquid water. When the dressing is applied, and the film edges are adhering fully to the surrounding skin, external water from showering or bathing cannot reach the wound or the absorbent pad beneath the film. The film is also moisture vapour permeable, meaning water vapour from the skin surface beneath the dressing can pass through the film and evaporate rather than accumulating under the dressing.

Absorbent Wound Pad

The central pad absorbs wound exudate from the wound surface. The wound contact layer has low adherence properties, reducing the tendency for the pad to bond to wound tissue as healing progresses. Absorbed exudate is held within the pad material. The combination of pad absorbency and waterproof outer film means that wound fluid produced by the wound is absorbed inward by the pad while external water is excluded by the film, keeping the wound environment managed in both directions.

Transparency for Wound Monitoring

The polyurethane film is transparent. The wound and the pad beneath can be observed through the outer film at any time without removing the dressing. This allows the pad saturation level to be assessed visually and the wound to be monitored for signs of healing or deterioration without the disruption of a dressing change.

Single Dressing Solution

By combining film and pad in one unit, Mepore Film & Pad removes the need to layer a film dressing over an absorbent island dressing as a two-component system. The two functions are delivered by a single sterile unit that is applied in one step and requires no secondary fixation.

Preparation

• Wash hands and use gloves.
• Clean the wound and surrounding skin. Pat completely dry before application.
• The adhesive film border requires dry intact skin.

Application

• Select the appropriate size: 4cm x 5cm, 5cm x 7cm, 9cm x 10cm, or 9cm x 15cm.
• Remove the release liner.
• Position the central pad over the wound, keeping the film relaxed and free of tension.
• Smooth the film border down onto the surrounding skin from the centre outward.
• No secondary fixation is required.

Removal and Change

• Change when the absorbent pad is saturated, when the film edges have lifted, or when clinically indicated.
• Lift one corner of the film border and peel slowly back along the skin surface.
• Do not peel upward at a sharp angle, particularly on fragile or elderly skin.
• If the wound contact pad feels adherent, dampen with water or saline before lifting.
• Assess the wound at each change.

Apply Mepore Film & Pad relaxed and without tension. Applying the film under stretch can cause skin stripping at the edges when the film recoils, particularly on sensitive skin. Smooth from the centre outward to ensure full contact with the skin without overstretching.

Mepore Film & Pad 4cm x 5cm

A small dressing for minor wound sites, small post operative incisions, and wound areas where a smaller pad coverage is appropriate. Suited to wound sites where the 5cm x 7cm would extend significantly beyond the wound margins.

Mepore Film & Pad 5cm x 7cm

A small to medium dressing for minor wounds, digit sites, and other wound areas requiring moderate pad coverage with waterproof film protection. Practical for home use for everyday wound management.

Mepore Film & Pad 9cm x 10cm

A medium dressing for moderate-sized wounds requiring both exudate management and waterproof outer protection. Suited to post operative incision cover, wound sites in the healing phase, and everyday wound management where showering with the dressing in place is needed.

Mepore Film & Pad 9cm x 15cm

A larger dressing for more extended wound areas including longer post operative incisions and wound surfaces requiring broader pad coverage alongside waterproof film protection. Suited to clinical and home settings where the 9cm x 10cm does not provide adequate pad coverage for the wound dimensions.

All four sizes use the same film and pad construction. The wound should sit entirely within the central pad area, with the film border adhering to intact periwound skin on all sides.

When Not to Use Mepore Film & Pad

• Wet, greasy, excoriated, or compromised periwound skin where the adhesive film cannot bond.
• Infected wounds.
• Wounds where adhesive contact with the surrounding skin is contraindicated.

Precautions

• Apply to completely dry intact skin only.
• Apply relaxed, without stretch or tension.
• Do not apply creams or lotions to the adhesive area.
• Peel the border slowly along the skin surface at removal, not at a sharp upward angle.
• On fragile skin, dampen the border edge before removal to soften the adhesive.
• Single use only.

Adverse Effects

• Skin stripping if the film is applied under tension or removed at a sharp angle from fragile skin.
• Wound pad adherence if the dressing is left beyond the normal change interval on a dry wound.
• Adhesive skin reaction in individuals sensitive to the adhesive components.

Suitable Uses for Mepore Film & Pad

• Post-operative wound cover where waterproof protection alongside exudate management is needed, and the patient wishes to shower normally during recovery
• Minor to moderate exuding wounds where an adhesive island dressing is appropriate and waterproof outer protection is a clinical or practical requirement
• Wound cover during active recovery periods, where the wound area is likely to come into contact with water
• Adults and children where clinically directed, with care on fragile or sensitive skin at the adhesive border

Mepore Film & Pad vs Mepore vs Mepore Film

Mepore Film & Pad sits between the other two Mepore products in the Molnlycke Health Care range. Mepore is an absorbent island dressing with a fabric backing that manages exudate but is not waterproof. Mepore Film is a transparent waterproof film with no absorbency, suited to dry wounds and sites requiring waterproof cover without wound contact pad management. Mepore Film & Pad combines both: a waterproof transparent film outer layer with a central absorbent wound pad. It is the appropriate choice when both exudate management and waterproof protection are required from a single dressing.

Mepore Film & Pad does not require a prescription. All four sizes are available from Pharmacy Planet without a clinical consultation.

Our pharmacists can advise on which size suits the wound and on when Mepore Film & Pad, Mepore, or Mepore Film is the more appropriate product for a specific wound management situation.

For infected wounds, wounds not healing as expected, or wounds where the periwound skin is not suitable for adhesive film contact, seek clinical assessment.

• Store in a cool, dry place away from direct heat and sunlight.
• Do not store above 25 degrees C.
• Keep in original sealed sterile packaging until immediately before use.
• Do not use if the sterile packaging seal is broken.
• Check expiry date before use.
• Apply as soon as the packaging is opened.
• Keep out of reach of children.

Pharmacy Planet is a GPhC registered online pharmacy. All four Mepore Film & Pad sizes are genuine Molnlycke Health Care products stocked through regulated UK supply chains.

Our pharmacists can advise on the full Mepore range and on matching the right dressing format to the wound type and patient situation.

References

1. Molnlycke Health Care. Mepore Film & Pad — Product Information. Molnlycke Health Care. https://www.molnlycke.com. Accessed June 2026.
2. NHS. How to treat minor cuts and grazes at home. https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/cuts-and-grazes. Accessed June 2026.
3. National Institute for Health and Care Excellence. Wound care products: selection and prescribing. https://www.nice.org.uk. Accessed June 2026.