In November 2012, leading wound care specialists met at the Wounds UK Harrogate conference to examine new evidence from the first ever study characterising the use of a range of superabsorbent dressings for managing venous leg ulcers (VLUs). Crucially, this cohort study used data from actual clinical practice and, with the help of the audience, a panel of experts challenged its author to convince them that the conclusions should be adopted in the clinical setting. This second Wounds UK debate followed on from last year’s discussion of how best to select an appropriate dressing.