Super Absorbent Pads
These prevent staining clothes and furniture, and to avoid the “sight of blood” that would otherwise accompany the drainage of blood-tinged tumescent fluid. For example, the HK Super Absorbent Pads that measure 12 x 20 inches weigh just 6 ounces and have the capacity to absorb more than a liter (two pounds= 32 ounces) of water, or more than 5.5 times their own weight.
In practice, the absorbent pads have two distinct functions. First, they absorb the large volume of tumescent drainage to improve patient comfort and hygiene, and secondly the pads distribute the elastic garment’s compressive force more uniformly. This uniform compression narrows the gaps between interstitial collagen bundles in the dermis and prevents red blood cells from moving toward the skin surface where it appears as a bruise. HK Pads (US Patent 6,162,960) are the only commercially available pads of this type.