Bed Sore Stages: What Families Need to Know.

Stage 1 is skin that's red or discolored and doesn't fade when pressure is removed, the warning shot. Stage 2 is a shallow open area or blister, skin broken but the damage still near the surface. Stage 3 goes through the skin into the tissue below, a crater. Stage 4 reaches muscle, tendon, or bone. There are also wounds that can't be staged because dead tissue hides the bottom, and deep tissue injuries that look like dark bruises but signal damage underneath.

Pressure relief beats every cream on the market. Reposition on a schedule, protect heels off the mattress, and take any red mark over a bony spot seriously, because a Stage 1 caught today is a Stage 3 prevented next month. What families should not do is guess at stages or treat deep wounds with drugstore supplies.

Any open area, any wound with odor or drainage, any darkening patch, or any Stage 1 that isn't gone in a day or two of real pressure relief deserves clinical eyes. That's the visit we do: honest staging, treatment, and an offloading plan built for the actual bed, chair, and caregivers involved. More on how we treat pressure injuries.