An adhesive bandage, also called a sticking plaster, medical plaster, or simply plaster in British English, is a small medical dressing used for injuries not serious enough to require a full-size bandage. They are also known by the genericized trademarks of Band-Aid or Elastoplast.
Typical adhesive bandage
Reverse of an adhesive bandage, showing backing
Opened adhesive bandage, showing the non-adhesive absorbent pad, adhesive area (colored) and backing (peeled back)
A hydrogel dressing. An entirely transparent adhesive bandage, with a transparent hydrogel pad and adhesive waterproof plastic film (removable backing is blue and white).
A dressing or compress is piece of material such as a pad applied to a wound to promote healing and protect the wound from further harm. A dressing is designed to be in direct contact with the wound, as distinguished from a bandage, which is most often used to hold a dressing in place. Modern dressings are sterile.
An adhesive island dressing, in its original packaging (left) and on a person's wrist (right)
Two packages of gauze. One 10 cm by 4.1 m. The other 5 by 5 cm.
Three types of gauze
Depiction of a dressing on a face from a painting from 1490
