Early-stage bedsores on the buttocks can often be treated at home by relieving pressure, keeping the area clean, and supporting healing with proper nutrition. Stage 1 sores (unbroken skin that stays red when you press on it) can reverse in about three days with consistent care. Stage 2 sores (shallow open wounds or blisters) typically take three days to three weeks. Stages 3 and 4, where the wound extends deeper into fat, muscle, or bone, require professional wound care and are not safe to manage at home.
Know Which Stage You’re Treating
Before you start any home treatment, figure out what you’re looking at. A Stage 1 bedsore appears as a patch of skin that looks red (or darker than surrounding skin on darker skin tones), feels warm, and doesn’t turn white when you press on it. The skin is still intact. A Stage 2 sore has broken through the top layer of skin, creating a shallow open wound, blister, or raw-looking area. Both of these stages respond well to home care.
If you can see fat, muscle, or bone in the wound, or if the sore is deep with darkened or dead tissue at the bottom, that’s Stage 3 or 4. These need a wound specialist. Don’t attempt to treat deep pressure injuries at home.
Relieve Pressure Immediately
The single most important thing you can do is get pressure off the sore. As long as weight continues pressing the skin against the surface beneath it, healing can’t begin.
For someone in bed, reposition at least every two hours. Lying at an angle rather than flat on the back keeps direct pressure off the buttocks. Place pillows between the knees and under the calves to reduce contact points. For someone in a wheelchair, aim for complete offloading of both buttocks for at least 15 seconds every two hours, with partial weight shifts every 25 minutes. Leaning side to side, doing wheelchair push-ups, or tilting the chair back all count as pressure relief.
If the sore doesn’t show any improvement within 24 to 48 hours of consistent offloading, contact a healthcare provider. The wound may need more than repositioning alone.
Pressure-Relieving Surfaces
A standard mattress or wheelchair cushion concentrates weight on the buttocks. Specialized cushions and overlays distribute pressure more evenly and can make a real difference in both healing and prevention. Air flotation cushions are one of the most common options. These use individual air cells that conform to your body shape, reducing the peak pressure on any single point. Some advanced models automatically inflate and deflate on a timed cycle, shifting pressure contact points without requiring you to move.
For bed use, foam or alternating-pressure mattress overlays serve a similar purpose. Egg-crate foam toppers are inexpensive and better than nothing, but medical-grade overlays or low-air-loss mattresses provide significantly more relief for active sores. Many of these products are available through medical supply companies and may be covered by insurance with a prescription.
How to Clean the Wound
Keep the sore clean every time you change the dressing. For Stage 1 sores where the skin is still intact, gently wash the area with mild soap and water. Pat dry rather than rubbing.
For Stage 2 sores with broken skin, use a saline rinse instead of soap. You can buy pre-made saline wound wash at most pharmacies, or make your own by dissolving half a teaspoon of salt in a cup of boiled (then cooled) water. Gently pour or spray the saline over the wound to flush away loose debris and dead tissue. Don’t scrub.
Avoid hydrogen peroxide and iodine-based cleansers unless your provider specifically tells you to use them. Both can damage healthy tissue and slow healing.
Choosing the Right Dressing
The goal of any dressing is to keep the wound moist without making it soggy. A moist wound environment promotes new tissue growth and speeds healing, while a dry wound forms a hard scab that actually slows things down.
For Stage 2 sores, international wound care guidelines recommend hydrocolloid, foam, or hydrogel dressings. Hydrocolloid dressings are adhesive pads that form a gel over the wound as they absorb fluid. They’re waterproof, stay in place well on the buttocks, and can be left on for several days. Foam dressings are soft, absorbent, and good for sores that produce more drainage. Hydrogel dressings add moisture to drier wounds and come as sheets or tubes of gel.
All of these are available over the counter at pharmacies. Change dressings according to the product instructions or whenever they become saturated, loose, or soiled. The buttocks area is prone to contamination from urine and stool, so check the dressing frequently and change it immediately if it gets dirty.
Skin Hygiene Around the Sore
Moisture from sweat, urine, or stool is one of the biggest threats to a healing bedsore on the buttocks. Prolonged moisture softens and breaks down skin, making the sore worse and raising the risk of infection. Keep the surrounding skin clean and dry. Use absorbent incontinence pads if needed, and change them promptly after any soiling. A barrier cream or ointment on the intact skin around (not inside) the wound helps protect against moisture damage.
Eat Enough Protein and Key Nutrients
Your body needs raw materials to rebuild damaged tissue, and wound healing demands significantly more protein and calories than normal daily life. Aim for 1.2 to 1.5 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight each day. For someone weighing 150 pounds (about 68 kg), that’s roughly 82 to 102 grams of protein daily. People who are bed-bound or severely ill may need up to 2 grams per kilogram.
Good protein sources include eggs, chicken, fish, Greek yogurt, cheese, beans, lentils, and tofu. If appetite is poor, protein shakes or supplements can help fill the gap.
Vitamins A, C, and E, along with zinc and iron, all play roles in forming new tissue, supporting immune function, and delivering oxygen to the wound site. Citrus fruits, berries, peppers, broccoli, spinach, red meat, nuts, and seeds are all rich in these nutrients. If you suspect nutritional deficiencies, a daily multivitamin is a reasonable supplement while the wound heals.
Signs of Infection to Watch For
Even with good home care, bedsores on the buttocks carry infection risk because of their proximity to bacteria from the bowel. Watch for these warning signs:
- Fever or chills, often the earliest signal that infection has set in
- Increasing pain at the wound site, beyond what you’d expect
- Foul smell coming from the sore
- Redness, warmth, or swelling spreading outward from the wound edges
- Pus or cloudy drainage
Any of these signs warrants prompt medical attention. Infected pressure ulcers can progress to serious complications quickly, especially in older adults or people with weakened immune systems.
What Realistic Healing Looks Like
With consistent pressure relief and proper wound care, a Stage 1 sore can resolve in roughly three days. Stage 2 sores take anywhere from three days to three weeks depending on size, nutrition, and how well pressure is managed. Progress should be visible week over week: the wound edges gradually close inward, drainage decreases, and new pink tissue fills the base of the wound.
If a sore isn’t improving after two weeks of diligent home care, or if it’s getting larger, deeper, or more painful, it needs professional evaluation. Some wounds stall because of underlying issues like poor circulation, uncontrolled diabetes, or inadequate nutrition that may not be obvious from the surface.