Important Medical Warning: Stage 2, 3, and 4 pressure ulcers, as well as any wound showing signs of infection (increasing pain, redness spreading outward, warmth, swelling, pus, or fever), require professional medical evaluation and treatment. Do not attempt to treat deep, open, infected, or worsening wounds at home without physician guidance. This guide focuses on Stage 1 wound prevention and basic early-stage care — consult a wound care nurse or physician for anything beyond that.
How to Treat Pressure Ulcers at Home: Complete Guide 2026
Pressure ulcers — also called bed sores, pressure sores, or decubitus ulcers — are injuries to the skin and underlying tissue caused by prolonged pressure, typically over bony prominences. They are most common in people who are bedridden, use a wheelchair, or have limited mobility, and they range from mild redness that resolves quickly to deep wounds that expose muscle or bone. Early identification and consistent preventive care at home can stop most pressure ulcers before they progress. For wound care supplies, explore our wound care products and first aid supplies at AllCare Store.
Understanding Pressure Ulcer Stages
The National Pressure Injury Advisory Panel (NPIAP) classifies pressure ulcers into four stages plus two additional categories:
Stage 1: Intact skin with non-blanchable redness (the redness does not turn white when pressed and released). The area may be painful, firm, soft, warmer, or cooler than surrounding tissue. In darker skin tones, Stage 1 may not appear as redness — look for color changes, warmth, or skin texture differences. Stage 1 ulcers are reversible with prompt pressure relief and proper care.
Stage 2: Partial thickness skin loss presenting as a shallow open wound with a pink or red wound bed, or an intact or ruptured serum-filled blister. No slough (yellow fibrous tissue) or bruising visible. Stage 2 wounds require wound care beyond basic home management and should be evaluated by a clinician.
Stage 3: Full thickness skin loss. Subcutaneous fat may be visible but bone, tendon, and muscle are not exposed. Slough may be present. Depth varies by anatomical location. Stage 3 and 4 ulcers require professional wound care and often hospitalization.
Stage 4: Full thickness tissue loss with exposed bone, tendon, or muscle. Slough or eschar (dark, dried, leathery tissue) may be present. These are serious wounds with significant infection risk and require immediate medical attention.
Unstageable: Full thickness tissue loss in which the actual depth of the wound cannot be determined because it is obscured by slough or eschar. Requires debridement (removal of dead tissue) by a clinician before staging.
Deep Tissue Pressure Injury (DTPI): Intact or non-intact skin with a localized area of persistent non-blanchable deep red, maroon, or purple discoloration, or epidermal separation revealing a dark wound bed. These may evolve rapidly and require medical evaluation even when the skin surface appears mostly intact.
Common Sites for Pressure Ulcers
Pressure ulcers develop wherever sustained pressure compresses tissue between bone and an external surface. For people who are bedridden, the most common sites are the sacrum (tailbone area), coccyx, heels, hips (greater trochanter), shoulder blades, back of the head, and elbows. For wheelchair users, the sacrum, coccyx, and ischial tuberosities (the bones you sit on) are highest risk. Medical devices — oxygen tubing, casts, braces, urinary catheters, and monitoring equipment — can also create pressure injury under or around them.
Stage 1 Home Care: What to Do
A Stage 1 pressure ulcer — non-blanchable redness on intact skin — can often be managed at home with consistent and correct care. The goals are to relieve pressure completely from the affected area, protect the skin surface, and monitor closely for any progression.
Step 1: Relieve All Pressure from the Area
This is the single most important intervention. Continued pressure on a Stage 1 ulcer will cause it to progress within hours. Reposition the person so that no weight bears on the affected area. For sacral ulcers, this typically means side-lying positioning with pillows supporting the back and between the knees. For heel ulcers, suspend the heels off the mattress using foam wedges, pillows, or specialized heel-offloading boots. Do not put the person back on the affected area until it has fully resolved — which may take several days.
Step 2: Establish a Repositioning Schedule
In bed, reposition every 2 hours around the clock, including at night. Use a written schedule or alarm to ensure this happens consistently. In a wheelchair, weight shifts (lifting up or tilting the chair back) every 15–30 minutes are recommended. Document each repositioning with time and position to track compliance. For caregivers, repositioning is physically demanding — proper body mechanics, a slide sheet or transfer board, and appropriate bed height are essential to prevent caregiver injury.
Step 3: Clean and Protect the Skin
For intact Stage 1 skin (no open wound), gentle cleaning with mild soap and water or a no-rinse skin cleanser removes moisture and irritants. Pat dry — do not rub, which creates friction. Apply a barrier cream or film to protect the skin from incontinence moisture (urine and stool are highly corrosive to fragile skin). Dimethicone-based skin protectants and petrolatum-based barrier creams both provide moisture barrier protection. Avoid alcohol-containing products, harsh cleansers, or rubbing the skin vigorously.
Step 4: Use a Pressure-Redistributing Surface
Standard mattresses create high pressure over bony prominences. Pressure-redistributing support surfaces spread the body's weight over a larger area to reduce peak pressures. Options range from foam mattress overlays (least expensive, suitable for low-to-moderate risk) to alternating pressure mattresses (air cells inflate and deflate in sequence, shifting pressure continuously) to low-air-loss mattresses (for people with existing Stage 2+ wounds). For wheelchair users, a gel, foam, or air cushion is essential. Donut-shaped cushions are not recommended — they create pressure around the ring that worsens, rather than prevents, ischial ulcers.
Step 5: Address Moisture and Incontinence
Moisture from urinary or fecal incontinence dramatically increases pressure ulcer risk and speed of progression by softening and weakening the skin. A structured skin care program using pH-balanced cleansers, skin protectants, and moisture-wicking incontinence briefs or pads after every episode reduces this exposure. Containment devices (condom catheters for men, external female catheters) or absorbent underpads can help manage volume between changes. Address the underlying cause of incontinence with your healthcare provider.
Step 6: Support Nutrition and Hydration
Tissue integrity and wound healing both require adequate protein, calories, vitamins C and E, zinc, and hydration. Malnutrition is both a risk factor for developing pressure ulcers and a barrier to healing them. Ensure the person receives adequate protein (1.2–1.5g per kilogram of body weight per day for at-risk individuals), sufficient calories, and 6–8 glasses of fluid daily unless fluid restrictions apply. Nutritional supplement drinks (protein shakes formulated for wound healing) can help when appetite is reduced. Consult a registered dietitian for individuals with complex nutritional needs.
Wound Dressings for Early-Stage Wounds
For intact Stage 1 skin, a dressing is not always necessary — pressure relief and skin protection are the priority. However, when the skin begins to break down (early Stage 2), a dressing protects the wound, maintains a moist healing environment, and cushions against further pressure. Common dressing choices for early pressure ulcers include:
Transparent film dressings: Thin, flexible polyurethane films that adhere to the skin around the wound and create a moist, occlusive environment. Suitable for Stage 1 and shallow Stage 2 wounds with minimal exudate. Allow wound observation without removal. Changed every 3–7 days or when integrity is compromised.
Hydrocolloid dressings: Adhesive wafers containing gel-forming agents that absorb exudate and maintain moist wound environment. Self-adhering, cushioning, and protective. Suitable for Stage 2 wounds with low to moderate exudate. Changed every 3–5 days. Not appropriate for infected wounds or high-exudate wounds. Do not use over deep or tunneling wounds.
Foam dressings: Soft polyurethane foam that absorbs moderate to heavy exudate while cushioning the wound from further pressure. Available with or without adhesive borders. Good choice for Stage 2 wounds in high-friction or high-exudate locations. Changed every 3–4 days depending on saturation.
Silicone dressings: Soft, conformable dressings with a gentle silicone contact layer that does not adhere to wound tissue, reducing pain and trauma on removal. Suitable for fragile peri-wound skin. Often used as a wound contact layer under foam or other secondary dressings.
Warning Signs That Require Immediate Medical Attention
Contact a physician, wound care nurse, or emergency services immediately if the person develops any of the following:
Fever (temperature above 38°C / 100.4°F) combined with wound changes. Increasing redness spreading outward from the wound edges (cellulitis). Warmth, swelling, or pain that is increasing rather than improving. Pus or cloudy, malodorous drainage from the wound. The wound progressing from Stage 1 to a deeper stage despite pressure relief. Black, brown, or gray discoloration of the wound bed (eschar or necrosis). Any wound in a person with diabetes, peripheral vascular disease, or immunosuppression — these conditions dramatically impair healing and increase infection risk and should have professional wound management from the start.
Preventing Future Pressure Ulcers
Prevention is far more effective than treatment. The core prevention strategies are consistent repositioning every 2 hours in bed and every 15–30 minutes in a chair, use of pressure-redistributing support surfaces, meticulous skin hygiene and moisture management, maintaining adequate nutrition and hydration, and regular skin inspection — at least daily — of all high-risk areas. Family caregivers and professional aides should be trained in repositioning technique, skin inspection, and early recognition of Stage 1 changes so that intervention happens before wounds progress.
Shop Wound Care and Pressure Relief Supplies at AllCare Store
AllCare Store carries wound dressings, skin protectants, pressure-redistributing cushions, repositioning aids, and incontinence supplies with free shipping on every order. Call our team at 1-888-889-6260 for help selecting the right products for your situation.
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Frequently Asked Questions: Pressure Ulcer Treatment at Home
How long does a Stage 1 pressure ulcer take to heal?
A Stage 1 pressure ulcer (non-blanchable redness on intact skin) typically resolves within 1–3 days when pressure is completely relieved from the area and skin care is consistent. If the redness has not improved within 24–48 hours of complete pressure relief, or if the skin begins to break down, the wound is progressing and requires professional evaluation. Healing time depends on the person's nutritional status, skin integrity, and whether the underlying cause (pressure, moisture, friction) has been fully addressed.
Can I treat a pressure ulcer at home with regular bandages?
For Stage 1 (intact skin, non-blanchable redness), a dressing may not be required at all — pressure relief and skin protection are the priority. When the skin begins to break down, standard adhesive bandages are not appropriate for pressure ulcer care because they do not maintain a moist wound environment, can adhere to fragile wound tissue and cause trauma on removal, and do not manage exudate appropriately. Wound care dressings specifically designed for pressure ulcers — such as hydrocolloid wafers, foam dressings, or transparent films — are the appropriate choice. These are available without a prescription from medical supply stores and online.
How often should I reposition someone with a pressure ulcer?
The standard recommendation for bedridden individuals is repositioning every 2 hours, day and night, to prevent sustained pressure at any one point. This schedule should be maintained or increased (not decreased) when a pressure ulcer is present. In a wheelchair, small weight shifts every 15–30 minutes are recommended — tilting the chair back, doing push-ups off the armrests, or leaning forward for 30–60 seconds. Positioning aids like wedge pillows, heel protection boots, and pressure-redistributing mattress overlays are used alongside the repositioning schedule, not as a replacement for it.
Is it okay to apply antiseptic like hydrogen peroxide or iodine to a pressure ulcer?
No — hydrogen peroxide, iodine, and Dakin's solution (diluted bleach) are toxic to the granulation tissue (new healing tissue) that forms in healing wounds. Using these agents on open wounds slows healing rather than helping it. Clean open pressure ulcers with normal saline or a commercially prepared wound cleanser. Antimicrobial wound products (such as silver-impregnated dressings) are sometimes indicated for infected wounds but should be used under clinical guidance, not applied indiscriminately. For intact Stage 1 skin, use gentle skin cleansers and barrier products, not antiseptics.
