Super Glue Your Wounds

seataltea

I think it may just be me that does this based on the reaction at work today.

Following all the rain it seems as though every leaf has now fallen onto my route and on the way to work I lost the front end. I had a split second to decide which way to fall and since on my right was a canal I went left.

I hit a wall very hard indeed, shoulder first followed by left hand which immediately split down the knuckles, very badly and deep in one place sending blood everywhere.

I dripped blood for the last five miles, showered, washed and cleaned the wound before Super Glueing it closed. This single, sensible act caused chaos, I thought this was what men did but it seems a number of people were freaked, I always have some glue to close and seal cuts, even those that would normally need stitches.

Is it just me ?

msmancunia

I've done it on occasion, but not since I discovered lucostrips :idea: You know, those fake stitches type things that you can get? I have a pack at work and a pack at home - just cut to fit and away you go!

Wrath Rob

I heard they used it during 'Nam baby. And then stopped as they were concerned it was carcinogenic. Don't mean to freak you out but might warrant a bit of further investigation

ooermissus

Just MTFU and stitch yourself up.

gasman_dave

The medical equivalent is histo-acryl cement - Super-glue to you and me. The only difference is that it is in small tubes and is sterile.

First time I used it I stuck my thumb to a patient's scalp. That was 19 years ago.

ride_whenever

Link 1
Link 2

Can't find any indication of significant toxicity, use it fairly often on cuts. Might get some of the veterinary stuff though.

kylemalco

gasman_dave wrote:

The medical equivalent is histo-acryl cement - Super-glue to you and me. The only difference is that it is in small tubes and is sterile.

First time I used it I stuck my thumb to a patient's scalp. That was 19 years ago.

Did you get married?

I try to let wounds knit themselves doesnt always work

whyamihere

I'll occasionally glue really deep ones. Normally I'll just wrap some tissue around it and ignore it though.

daviesee

[quote="seataltea"I always have some glue to close and seal cuts, even those that would normally need stitches.

Is it just me ?[/quote]

Just how often do you crash? :?

I have been in the position where it may have been handy twice in 20 years! :shock:

gasman_dave

kylemalco wrote:

gasman_dave wrote:

The medical equivalent is histo-acryl cement - Super-glue to you and me. The only difference is that it is in small tubes and is sterile.

First time I used it I stuck my thumb to a patient's scalp. That was 19 years ago.

Did you get married?

I try to let wounds knit themselves doesnt always work

I don't think it is designed for deep cuts - pull the cut tight and glue the surface. It drops off after a few days.

Never marry a patient. Against the rules, as far as I know.

Dave

merkin

"never marry a patient" Especially if you work in the funny farm.

notsoblue

I cut my eyebrow open once in an accident, and in A&E they used superglue to patch it together again. From what I gather its pretty routine?

prawny

Wasn't superglue invented for sticking skin back together? That's what I thought anyway.
The hospital stuck my chin back together after one crash, seemed to work well, never thought about doing it myself tho. Not really had the need yet if I'm honest.

DrLex

notsoblue wrote:

I cut my eyebrow open once in an accident, and in A&E they used superglue to patch it together again. From what I gather its pretty routine?

Yup, and is probably better than suturing.

mudcow007

yap I have, it can sting though if you get too much inside the cut, an i only really use it if the cut is a slice or a clean gut (if that makes sense)

My Mrs dads thumbs always crack during winter so he puts super glue all over them...works a treat he says

t4tomo

I've had the "medical glue" in A&E. Never used standard issue superglue though. I'd be surprised if they were exactly the same substance

Initialised

Yes it works well.

I fell off a lot last winter too.

London_Falcon

A few years back my son (then aged 6) launched himself onto a drawer that he had left out and put a pretty impressive split in his ear.

The wonderful local A&E Senior Nurse took great delight in explaining that they were going to glue him back together, rather than stitch it and it worked a treat.

Taking a DIY approach on this I guess you'd need to be very sure that the wound was clean first

estampida

the bass player flea, has a massive hole in this thumb from slapping his bass

before he goes on stage it is filled with Cyanoacrylate (superglue) and then tapes up the gap with some sort of athletic tape........

has been doing this for at least 24 yrs.........

no sign of thumb cancer yet, but with all the drugs he has taken over the years his thumb is the least of his worries

rick_chasey

It's considered toxic, a skin irritant, and it'll burn you when it meets cotton.

seataltea

Rick Chasey wrote:

It's considered toxic, a skin irritant, and it'll burn you when it meets cotton.

Alcohol is toxic but I'm going to guess you ingest it now and again, have you looked at the ingredients on the side of your deodorant bottle recently, it's like Chernobyl in there.

Your insight is welcome.

Jay dubbleU

Done it a couple of times on climbing injuries - healed up OK - seemed like a good idea at the time 8)

senoj

I used to do this often when I was a bricklayer.
I never liked using a glove.
If the bricks were damp it would take the skin off the ends of your fingers,I used to fill the small holes in with superglue,although it would sting at first it would do the job for a while.

rick_chasey

seataltea wrote:

Rick Chasey wrote:

It's considered toxic, a skin irritant, and it'll burn you when it meets cotton.

Alcohol is toxic but I'm going to guess you ingest it now and again, have you looked at the ingredients on the side of your deodorant bottle recently, it's like Chernobyl in there.

Your insight is welcome.

I don't ingest pure alcohol.

Deodorant is designed to be used on the skin.

Pretty sure superglue isn't.

StorckSpeed

Your not alone.
I caught my knuckles on the chainset after a spanner slipped. It was a Sunday night and after I cleaned the wound I used super glue to secure the flap of skin back down. Went to the doctor next day and they had a quick look and changed the dressing. Never had another problem and there's hardly a scar.

Also used it on my dog when I was on holiday and the dog ripped itself open on a barbed wire fence. Just had the dog clipped a couple of weeks ago and was looking for the scar, couldn't see it at all.
OK - The whole family flipped at me using Superglue on the dog and I was on outcast for a couple of days, strangely no-one cared when I used Superglue on myself.
Not sure what to make of that. :?

essjaydee

Got to admit that I have done this in the past

My father superglued his tooth when it broke. Went to the dentist and he wouldn't touch it till it fell apart again :?

If you want to know if it's nasty stuff, do a search for the Manufactures Data Safety Sheet (MSDS) and look at the Risk and Safety phrases. This will list all the hazards to health etc.

Having looked at my companies MSDS on the 'superglues' we use in the business, all of them state 'avoid contact with skin' :shock: and have risk phrases R36/37/38 'irritating to eyes, skin and respiratory system' :shock:

http://www.hse.gov.uk/chip/phrases.htm

cje

I remember watching a documentary in which Blink 182's drummer regularly used superglue on his hands for this purpose. Then a doctor told him he shouldn't. I can't remember why.

t4tomo

StorckSpeed wrote:

OK - The whole family flipped at me using Superglue on the dog and I was on outcast for a couple of days, strangely no-one cared when I used Superglue on myself.
Not sure what to make of that. :?

I'd had a similar situation, I'm encouraged to cut off the knotted clumps of hair that form on / around our spaniels ears. When a used the scissors to sort out a similar clump that had formed on my daughters fringe where she'd been twiddling with it I was severly repremanded and then ridiculed for doing so by wive's friends hairdressers etc. You can't win - i'd have like to see anyone try and comb that mess out.

snooks

Rick Chasey wrote:

It's considered toxic, a skin irritant, and it'll burn you when it meets cotton.

Never made any airfix models as a kid then?

I did and I'm still here.:D

Anything is toxic, it just a matter of quantity

BigJimmyB

estampida wrote:

the bass player flea, has a massive hole in this thumb from slapping his bass

before he goes on stage it is filled with Cyanoacrylate (superglue) and then tapes up the gap with some sort of athletic tape........

has been doing this for at least 24 yrs.........

no sign of thumb cancer yet, but with all the drugs he has taken over the years his thumb is the least of his worries

Baet me to it - that was my fact for the day!

redjeepǃ

I've heard that adding a layer of superglue to the fingertips is fairly common practice for bass players to avoid blisters etc. Never heard that about Flea, but can believe it.

I've glued cracks in my feet together before now after long (half marathon) runs in the sun in France. I got the same incredulous looks but both my teenage kids reckoned it was pretty cool