Integra Plus is a prescription iron supplement sold as a capsule containing 125 mg of iron along with additional vitamins designed to boost iron absorption. It is used to treat or prevent low blood iron levels caused by conditions like iron-deficiency anemia or increased iron demands during pregnancy. The name can cause confusion because a separate, unrelated medical product called the Integra Dermal Regeneration Template is used in wound and burn care. This article covers both so you can identify which one applies to you.
Integra Plus as an Iron Supplement
Integra Plus capsules deliver a high dose of elemental iron paired with vitamin C (ascorbic acid), which improves how well your stomach absorbs the iron. Iron supplements like this one work by replenishing your body’s iron stores, which are essential for producing hemoglobin, the protein in red blood cells that carries oxygen. When iron levels drop too low, you can develop anemia, leaving you fatigued, short of breath, and pale.
Your doctor may prescribe Integra Plus if blood work shows low iron or ferritin levels, or if you’re pregnant and need extra iron to support both your own blood volume and your baby’s development. Because the capsule contains 125 mg of iron, it should be kept well out of reach of children. Accidental iron poisoning in young kids is a medical emergency, and product labeling specifically warns about this risk.
What to Expect When Taking It
Iron supplements commonly cause digestive side effects like constipation, nausea, or dark-colored stools. Taking the capsule with a small amount of food can reduce stomach upset, though iron absorbs best on an empty stomach. The vitamin C already included in the formulation helps offset some of that absorption trade-off by enhancing uptake even when food is present. Most people notice improvements in energy and other anemia symptoms within a few weeks, but rebuilding iron stores fully can take several months of consistent use.
The Integra Dermal Regeneration Template
If you came across “Integra” in the context of surgery, burns, or wound care, you’re looking at a completely different product. The Integra Dermal Regeneration Template (sometimes marketed as Integra Omnigraft) is an FDA-approved medical device used to regenerate skin in patients with severe burns, chronic wounds, and diabetic foot ulcers. It is not a pill or supplement.
This product is a two-layer sheet. The bottom layer is a porous, three-dimensional scaffold made from bovine (cow) collagen and a naturally occurring sugar molecule called chondroitin-6-sulfate. This scaffold acts as a framework that your body’s own cells gradually grow into, forming new dermal tissue. The top layer is a thin silicone membrane that mimics the protective role of your outer skin, sealing the wound and controlling moisture loss while the deeper layer regenerates underneath.
How the Dermal Template Works
A surgeon places the collagen sheet directly onto a prepared wound bed, securing it with staples or sutures. If multiple sheets are needed, they overlap by 2 to 3 mm to ensure full coverage. Over the following weeks, your body’s blood vessels grow into the collagen scaffold, gradually replacing it with a new layer of living dermis.
This process follows a visible color progression. The wound area shifts from pink to pale yellow to peach as the new tissue, called a neodermis, becomes fully vascularized. In most patients, this takes about four weeks, though people with acute burns sometimes see faster progress (closer to two weeks) because of the body’s heightened healing response after a burn injury.
Once the neodermis has formed, typically around three weeks, the silicone top layer is gently peeled away. If the silicone resists removal, that signals the new tissue isn’t ready yet, and the surgeon will wait another week before trying again. After removal, a thin skin graft from the patient’s own body is placed on top of the new dermis to complete the reconstruction.
Clinical Success Rates
A large multicenter clinical trial published in the Journal of Burn Care & Rehabilitation tracked outcomes in burn patients treated with the Integra template. The median take rate for the template itself was 95%, meaning the scaffold successfully integrated with the wound bed in the vast majority of cases. The average was lower at 76.2%, pulled down by a smaller number of patients with complications. Once the neodermis was ready and a thin skin graft was applied on top, that graft had a median take rate of 98%.
Infection rates were relatively low. Invasive infection at treated sites occurred in about 3.1% of cases, while superficial infection was more common at 13.2%. These numbers reflect the importance of starting with a clean, uninfected wound bed before applying the template.
Who Should Not Use the Dermal Template
The Integra template is not suitable for everyone. It should not be used on wounds that are already infected, and it is contraindicated in anyone with a known sensitivity to bovine collagen or chondroitin materials. Beyond those absolute restrictions, clinical trials excluded patients with conditions that impair normal healing: severe malnutrition, liver disease, immunosuppressive therapy, active bone infections with necrotic tissue, or connective tissue disorders. Patients who had received radiation therapy to the affected area or chemotherapy within the prior 12 months were also excluded.
If you have diabetes and a foot ulcer, the template may still be an option, but wounds showing signs of gangrene or infection need to be treated and cleared before the device can be applied. Bony prominences from conditions like Charcot foot can also interfere with healing and may rule out use in certain locations.
Which Product Are You Looking For?
If your doctor wrote a prescription for Integra Plus capsules, you’re getting an iron and vitamin C supplement to address anemia or low iron. If a surgeon mentioned Integra in the context of a wound, burn, or skin reconstruction, they’re referring to the dermal regeneration template, a collagen-based scaffold that helps your body rebuild damaged skin from the inside out. The two products share a brand name but have entirely different purposes, ingredients, and medical contexts.