In a prospective, randomised study we compared the efficacy of a new occlusive dressing (Granuflex-E) with a semi-open dressing (tulle gras) in the management of skin-graft donor sites. The study examined 10 patients with burns, each with two donor sites. Each patient acted as his or her own control. The donor sites were mirror images of each other, the anterior surface of the thighs. One donor site was dressed with Granuflex-E and the other with tulle gras. The sites dressed with the occlusive dressing healed significantly faster and were more comfortable than the sites with the semi-open dressing.