Years ago Nu Skin had a glue-like substance you could use to seal skin cuts or broken fingernails. I used to use a glue called Durofix to do the same job, but that too is no longer available. Is there anything available these days that's safe to use on skin or fingernails ?
Jim Hawkins
Jim Hawkins scribbled...
Goggle liquid plaster
superglue
originally developed as a fast suture device
Durofix was, more or less, 'balsa cement' or 'clear nail varnish' in general properties - a dissolved (cellulose?) plastic in an organic solvent.
Sort of, the story I've read, is that it was first developed by Kodak(as is the way, whilst looking for material for something else) in the late
50's as a glue, taken up by the military in Vietnam in the '60'sIt's not a good idea to use normal Superglue for skin under normal circumstances. So my surgeon wife tells me.
Normally superglues are Methyl Cyanoacrylate, this gives the strongest bonds, but irritates the skin, dries rigid, heat is produced on curing (though probably not a problem on this scale). This leads to more scarring with the healed wound.
Medical glues are typically Octyl Cyanoacrylate - this has a weaker bond, but is more flexible and less irritant so you get better healing, with less scarring
Gosh that takes me back. Nu Skin was one of the products I was responsible for at Beechams. It was a collodion type product and very flammable. I didn't manage to find a non-flammable equivalent.
Cyanoacrylate glues are used in surgery today but I suspect that they don't use quite the same type as is used as Superglue. Superglue will form a protective coating over a wound. Initially it is soft and pliable and flexes with the skin. But it very rapidly polymerises further and becomes brittle.
You could try this:
But note that it is not approved for human use. You might well be able to find something more suitable. Google for surgical glue or surgical adhesive.
But expect to double the dollar price and add a zero to get the sterling price for the human appoved version ...
Interesting. I know that some veterinary products are actually identical to human - but it is different when you have to decide for yourself!
The "real thing" is available here:
But what a price!
when slitting myself open witha scalpel carving model planes a bit of superglue and tissue serves extremely well and lasta hours.
Stings mind you.
In article , chris French writes
My first thought would be the risk of contaminating the wet (healing) surfaces of the wound during application meaning that they would never heal. That could mean that expert application on a pinched closed wound would be ok but having it in a battlefield medipack for an unqualified grunt to squirt all over an unsuitable wound before closing could end in disaster.
I seem to recall back in 2004 a plastic surgeon used cough syrup as a skin glue on me, certainly helped the dressing to stay on
Martin
Jim Hawkins laid this down on his screen :
Superglue, that is the job it was developed for.
I thought that too but it wasn't(ish). It is(was?) however used like that [1]. Medical CA is formulated slightly differently to household CA so Superglue? etc should not be used for wound closing.
Wikipedia has:- The original cyanoacrylates (the chemical name for the glue) were discovered in 1942 in a search for materials to make clear plastic gun sights during World War II, when a team of scientists headed by Harry Wesley Coover Jr. stumbled upon a formulation that stuck to everything that it came in contact with. Whilst the straight dope says this is a mix of fact and fiction.
[1] I remember myself and mum's boyfriend, both drunk as skunks. John[2] had sliced his finger, I told him about CA initially being used in place of stitches. So he told me to go ahead (although a stone mason and as 'hard as nails' he didn't like going to the doctor's) so there we were, both reeling, and me getting CA everywhere trapping lots of crap in his wound. Two days later he had to go to hospital as the finger had blown up to twice its normal size with infection, hospital had a V hard time; opening the wound to let the crap out, draining the wound, then stitching him back up. So a job which should have been ten minutes and a stitch cost hours and half a dozen stitches because I had heard a half truth and believed, in my drunken state, that I knew what I was doing. [2] Mum's bf ( I was too old to call him uncle John.). Mum and Dad were divorced when I was 10 was, at the time of this tale, mid twenties.
If you need a fingernail repair, going to a nail bar for an acrylic job is a good option. A couple of years ago I had a nail falling apart as a result of a hammer blow and the place I went to didn't even charge me. The nail held together fine as the damaged part grew out, and they even did an interim patch for me, again at no charge.
Germolene New Skin - I think we have this one. It hurts like mad when you put it on.
When I was attacked by a loft ladder and sliced my nose open (Ob d-i-y - I was trying to work out why the house was freezing at 6am and the boiler is in the loft) A&E glued the flappy bit up.
They claimed it was superglue, and it definately smelt like it.
The nurses (this was early sunday AM, they had had a tough saturday night with the drunks etc) found it all very amusing. I still remember the "try not to breath the superglue fumes" comment while they poked two tubes of the stuff up my nose.
Bloody stings as well! Jeeez, makes my eyes water just remembering it!
As for being more flexible and less scarring I'm not convinced! My entire nose was a solid lump of glue for a couple of days. Did give amazingly satifying scabs to pick though ;-)
Darren
In article , D.M.Chapman writes
Oooooow, I'll take your word there was a flappy bit, just looks like mush from the pic. Scanned left and right but couldn't see the after pic, ok now?
Sorry but yes, I did laugh.
"Germolene New Skin Liquid Plaster" it says on this 'ere bottle.
A fiver for 20ml.
Not as expensive as printer ink, but it ain't cheap.
I use it on cuts & grazes on my hands, since all that hand-washing stops them from healing up as quickly as I would like.
Yes it does sting.
Jim Hawkins wrote on Nov 12, 2013:
You need different products for skin and nails, surely? For skin damage Savlon do a 'Spray Plaster' which flexes with the skin and lasts several days. It's quite effective (and waterproof), I find.
For nail glue I go to the girlie 'Nail Care' aisle in Boots. I have something called 'Diamond Strength Nail Hardener' at the moment. It's easy to use (comes with a little brush) and doesn't seem to dry up in the container like some of the others.
Jim Hawkins wrote on Nov 12, 2013:
You need different products for skin and nails, surely? For skin damage Savlon do a 'Spray Plaster' which flexes with the skin and lasts several days. It's quite effective (and waterproof), I find.
For nail glue I go to the girlie 'Nail Care' aisle in Boots. I have something called 'Diamond Strength Nail Hardener' at the moment. It's easy to use (comes with a little brush) and doesn't seem to dry up in the container like some of the others.
Jim Hawkins wrote on Nov 12, 2013:
You need different products for skin and nails, surely? For skin damage Savlon do a 'Spray Plaster' which flexes with the skin and lasts several days. It's quite effective (and waterproof), I find.
For nail glue I go to the girlie 'Nail Care' aisle in Boots. I have something called 'Diamond Strength Nail Hardener' at the moment. It's easy to use (comes with a little brush) and doesn't seem to dry up in the container like some of the others.
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