Whitehead's varnish and Jelonet--a better dressing for skin graft donor sites than Jelonet alone

Two methods of skin autograft donor site management were evaluated in 40 patients in a prospective randomised double-blind clinical trial. Donor sites were dressed using either a standard dressing of Jelonet, gauze, wool and a crêpe bandage or Jelonet, Whitehead's varnish (compound iodoform paint BPC), gauze, wool and a crêpe bandage. Donor site pain was assessed daily using a linear analogue scale, and the healing time of the donor area was recorded. Whitehead's varnish significantly reduced donor site pain compared to the standard dressing (P = 0.0006). Although overall healing time was not statistically different in the two groups, larger donor sites treated with Jelonet and Whitehead's varnish healed more quickly than those treated with the standard dressing alone.