Skin glue - school me?

[Desk Jockey]

Used some from a friend for a couple of cuts on a recent trip And want add some to my kit. What brands should I check out? Any do‘s or don‘ts to consider?

 

[Rob5589]

Like for cuts? Dermabond is awesome but not sure if it's otc. I've used Gorilla gel and it works pretty well for a couple days.

 

[Desk Jockey]

Yeah, like for minor cuts and stuff.

 

[BigCountry49]

Household super glue is usually good to go. I carry a tiny bottle of loctite super glue but would check ingredients on anything used for heavy duty purposes.

 

[GWT]

I carry the loctite super glue gel control in my first aid kit. It works great for minor cuts. I usually wait for the cut to slow down or stop bleeding then put the super glue on to seal it up.

 

[mb6355]

Have used regular super glue close a 2" long cut in an emergency. Healed up extremely well.

 

[TheHammer]

I also carry loctite super glue in my first aid kit. Along with alcohol wipes, wound closure/blood clotter, sutures, gauze, adhesive strips and electrical tape. As for the op, glue and tape can typically get about any basic cut/puncture handled

 

[Fatcamp]

Nothing compares to Dermabond, but Amazon requires an account and medical license for purchase.

I've used super glue of various types, and they work.

 

[sodaksooner]

Duct tape and super glue should be in every back country first aid kit IMO

 

[snowymtnwolf]

Medical professionals use a glue that costs $100+ a tube (or so it used to be that price) and I was told my medical professionals their “glue” was essentially the same as super glue

You are just using it topically, so with anything, clean the cut thoroughly and then glue.

You shouldn’t be operating on yourself and then using glue. Ha. These are bush fixes, especially if something serious, deep, or prone to infection


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[docdb]

I am a surgeon and use dermabond all the time. With that said, I had a a self inflicted camp saw to the finger injury on the nondom hand. It was bleeding pretty bad, but was evident that no tendon was cut. I put a betadine soap soak on it then a quick clot pack and wrapped it up with a stretchy ace type bandage called “Corban”. This lasted til the next day when I could hike out. Pulling that dressing off was PAINFUL as it re opened the wound, and I did have to take some keflex as it started to look ugly. I was able to do surgery on Monday with all nine of my fingers. It’s all better now. Now to the point. When you have not got the bleeding stopped, blood and glue mix up into a sticky sludge. Yes, I think home superglue is the same

 

[RS_Non-Res]

Pretty sure hobby superglue has a small but significant chemical difference from Dermabond/Vetbond. Difference results in less brittleness and toxicity and better skin adhesion for the medical stuff.

 

[Rob5589]

Dermabond definitely lasts longer and doesn't seem to burn like ordinary super glue. Much more elastic as well which is great on fingers.

 

[schmalzy]

I’ve used regular super glue for cuts for quite a while and Combine with butterfly Bandages. It’s been effective for me and saved a trip or two to get a few stitches.


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[Desk Jockey]

Trying out some new skin on a recently acquired plumbing injury. Seems pretty good but it comes in a bottle like nail polish And you paint it on with a brush. Not exactly travel friendly.

 

[Mtnmilsurp]

I got glued up in an ER (talked my way out of stitches) and asked the doc where I could get some. He told me the medical glue is the same as any superglue so I carry a couple small tubes from Harbor Freight.

 

[GWHunter]

I had the sales rep for Dermabond tell me that it is the same as regular super glue but with purple dye so you can more easily see where you've put it. I've used Dermabond quite a few times in the ER and the trick is to clean and dry the would well get the edges tight to each other and put on multiple light layers of whichever glue you end up using. If any laceration is deep or you could not get it cleaned well leave a little bit of it unglued to allow drainage.

 

[ztc92]

I am a family medicine physician who recently finished residency and while there, I was very active in our wilderness medicine program. I gave a talk on first aid kits for the backcountry a few years ago and one of the things I looked into as I prepared that talk was medical grade skin glue (Dermabond) vs standard superglue.

What I learned is that the medical grade glue has more carbon units in the “glue” compared to standard superglue, which allows it to be more flexible when it hardens and is thought to also have anti-bacterial properties. That unique chemical make up also allows for a unique patent and a much higher price tag.

What I tell patients and friends is that yes the medical grade glue is better, but for first aid kits, I don’t think it’s worth the high cost when standard glue works nearly as well.

A few additional points I’d like to add for anyone reading this:

1) Most medical experts don’t recommend using sutures in the back country because if you suture a dirty wound shut, you create a perfect environment for infection. Sutures should only be used in a clean (ideally sterile) environment to close clean wounds. This is the same reason we are taught never to close bite or puncture wounds with suture, as they often get infected and if that occurs you want the wound to be open so it can drain.

2) In addition to super glue and duct tape, I would also suggest “Steri-Strips” as another thing to keep in your first aid kit for closing minor cuts. They are extremely thin and lightweight, work nearly as well as sutures or glue for superficial cuts, are painless to apply and easily removed if you need to check the wound or become concerned for infection. They work best if you also use benzoin or something similar to prep the skin for maximum adhesiveness.

 

[croben]

Used some from a friend for a couple of cuts on a recent trip And want add some to my kit. What brands should I check out? Any do‘s or don‘ts to consider?

Regular super glue works. Less is more in my experience.

 

[Sccritterkiller]

Trying out some new skin on a recently acquired plumbing injury. Seems pretty good but it comes in a bottle like nail polish And you paint it on with a brush. Not exactly travel friendly.

They make single serving tubes check big industrial 1st aid kits...thats where I find mine...