Superglue wound closure tutorial

I have used the stuff since someone turned me on to New Skin for bowling blisters. I even used it when I split my entire finger pad to the bone. Possibly could have had stitches?

Luckily it healed up nicely, I attribute it directly to the glue holding the wound together and it has worked a number of other times, invisible scars compared to my similar wounds treated with bandages and pressure because they constantly reopened.


Not recommending this because if there is a bone chip, tendon damage, or foreign matter inside the wound you want to take care of that promptly with a professional.

One more thing I find is that the alcohol thins the blood and makes it runny, I hold the hand over my head and apply pressure before applying the glue to avoid a much larger blob of glued up blood.

I would love some sources of info from those who say regular dime store super glue is toxic for a finger cut and to what level it is dangerous. Short and long term.
 
There was a guy at work, he was bringing coffee back from the donut shop and was BSing and walked into the handicap sign and lacerated his face ( it was pretty bad ). They took him to the ER and they super glued it shut. There is NO Scar !!!

On another note, when my dad was a kid, they were at the hunting cabin and he fell out of the top bunk and on the way down caught his forearm on a nail on the way down. My grandfather rinsed the gash and pulled the cut together and used black electrical tape to hold it shut. The closest DR is like 40+ miles from the cabin, so he made due. He has a nice scar there, but the tape worked in a pinch.
 
I had a gash on my nose a couple weeks ago, ER doc used SuperGlue to put it back together again. If they had used stitches, the end of the thread would have been right in my left eye. I was fine with Doc using the glue. There was only a slight sting when the glue was applied, after that it didn't bother me at all.
 
Not to add more confusion to the mix. But, I was always under the understanding that alcohol was a bad thing for wounds because it would kill cells that then become bacteria food, pretty much begging for infection.

Again (my understanding) was that betadine or providone iodine (not regular iodine) was a preferred method for cleaning.

Anyone that knows more than me have an insight?

B
 
I heard the same thing at a lecture Brian. Peroxide is also too abrasive IMO.

It seems like debate is not encouraged in this thread...However, hospitals use medical grade glue, not "super glue" there is a differance. Now, you very well might not have a problem with a reaction, and have been using this method for years, thats fine. If it works for you, then use it. I have heard from ER docs about beople getting bad lacs and filling thenm with glue to try and "shade tree doctor" it together, causing one helluva time debriding the wound at the ER after infection set in, and the glue hardened.. Straight from the horses mouth. Now these guys probably didn't have any knowledge about infection control, or how to correctly analyze the depth and seriousness of the lac in question. As well as what vessels were damaged...Im not wanting to call the OP out in any way shape or form. I love the medical threads, and I applaud him for starting this one. Truth be told, Ive never researched much on the subject, and its nice to hear from guys with real world experience on the subject. Makes for an interesting topic. Waay better then the usual misch metal ferro rod, or fatwood threads.

All I am saying is from my training, it is not recommended. If this were standard protocol, they would teach it to us. In all my years of experience, I have never had a minor lac that couldn't be dressed and controlled using the methods I have been taught. If I cant dress it and control the bleeding using direct pressure, and appropriate bandage and dressing materials, then it is too bad to use glue on anyways. Then you get into the area of wound vacs, drainage tubes, packing wounds, etc.... Its not an issue with scarring. Cmon....Who really cares about that. I don't anyways...Its an issue with infection and if you have the knowlage to properly examine the wound. The OP does, as hes stated in posts. However SOME PEOPLE DO NOT. You ever hear the expression that you have to make the rules for the dumbest guy in the room? Good advice there.

In the end, if it works for you, then good. Great!! However, I dont recommend it. I have a medical license and cant get behind something like this. It is glue. Why not just use dermabond? Or another product developed with the medical use in mind? This is not a method to get you by to the ER. A trained medical professional cant properly examine a wound that is glued together can they? Of course a doc can use dermabond to seal up the wound AFTER they have examined it, but the next time you get a lac, call the ED and ask em if you can just glue it up. I guarantee that they wont tell ya nothing without first seeing the wound. 100%. Thats what im doing. This is a case by case basis, and not a blanket tx.

Again, thanks go to the OP, a few egos aside, this is a great thread.
 
For small cuts I use a liquid bandage product. Does the trick nicely, and is designed for this purpose. For larger cuts, like my recent pinkie gash, applying a liquid bandage or glue would have been like farting in the wind. And I can imagine the issues the ER doc would have had peeling that stuff out of my wound so they could treat it properly. Bet it would have felt great too. Direct pressure controlled the bleeding nicely.
 
J-WILLIAMS, the difference is your treating OTHER people, I'm treating myself. NO legal liabilities for me, <<<<<thats why they tell you to NOT use it. 99% of first aid/medical treatment procedures are based on how LOW the liabilities are.
 
I am not a chemist, but the only real difference I can see between medical grade glue and the consumer non medical stuff is
  1. Medical grad is sterile
  2. more flexible
  3. and I assume less toxic by a long shot
All of the cuts I have had glued closed, be it by a doctor or by my self have near invisible scars, every cut I have has stitched together the scars are very visible.
Being Canadian I don't have to worry about a large ER bill if I go to get a wound fixed by a doctor so I keep my gluing to smooth clean cuts from sharp knifes that there is no sign of other injury, or if I am miles from medical services. If I can't get a wound to stop bleeding or I feel there is more damage then just a simple cut I seek medical attention. My first aid training is on par with a field medic in the military so I am confident in diagnosing and treating myself. I wont glue if the bleeding wont stop in a given time period, I see more then just the normal flesh in the cut while cleaning it or sever pain or lose of movement and feeling near the cut.

Before gluing was common place in the hospitals and I had gone through all my first aid training I had received a nasty cut at work. The ER was extremely busy that day and I ended up waiting 6 hours to see the doctor because even though it was a bad cut it wasn't life threatening. By the time I got to see the doctor the skin flap had degraded to the point that it wouldn't hold a stitch. I was sent home with a band aide and the had a resulting scar/bump that was my worst to date. Last year I managed to both cut myself and remove the bump all in one shot, glued everything back up and now the bump is gone and almost no scar left.

Use common sense when treating your wounds and you will be okay, but that is just my 2 cents.
 
I keep reading the "well, it hasn't killed me comment." Fine with me. My football coach used to tell us to rub some dirt on it to stop bleeding. That didn't kill us either.

Just because you are ignorant of microbiology doesn't mean it won't kill you.
Fine by me. Darwinism at work.
 
I've used superglue to close wounds on myself. I cant say that it is a great idea, but it has always worked. For small cuts and scapes I've been using Benzion Tincture. It has worked outstandingly well. I also use it on blisters when I'm doing a lot of road marching, but it hurts like a SOB, as its 77% alcohol.
 
nemoaz said:
I keep reading the "well, it hasn't killed me comment." Fine with me. My football coach used to tell us to rub some dirt on it to stop bleeding. That didn't kill us either.

Just because you are ignorant of microbiology doesn't mean it won't kill you.
Fine by me. Darwinism at work.
Click to expand...

If you have knowledge of the possible fatal dangers of super glueing finger cuts, please share. I don't know if anyone here recommended using super glue on serious lacerations involving connective tissue or major blood vessels.
 
I've worked in the flooring and homebuilding industry for most my life and major cuts are an everyday thing there. I and MANY others I know have patched up some seriously major cuts using superglue and/or duct tape. What you want to do is clean it real good then squeeze the wound together then apply the glue. Keep squeezing the wound together until the glue is dry and your all set to go. I've had several sets of stiches and many I've closed with superglue. The superglue wounds all healed quicker and show very little to no scar unlike the stiches.
 
nemoaz said:
I keep reading the "well, it hasn't killed me comment." Fine with me. My football coach used to tell us to rub some dirt on it to stop bleeding. That didn't kill us either.

Just because you are ignorant of microbiology doesn't mean it won't kill you.
Fine by me. Darwinism at work.
Click to expand...

Darwin is being awfully slow in getting to me.........20 years slow...... ;)
 
I got my thumb cut about a year ago while opening a folder with thumbstud. The doctor at my local clinic used medical superglue on my cut. It came in a small bottle like those used in one-use eye drops and it was blue coloured. Now I only use folders with thumbhole, ;) Spyderco ;).
 
I used super glue to stop the stuborn bleeding on my cracked lip after being out in cold winter conditions. Worked like a charm. The glue formed a nice scab, and after it came off after a couple of days, the skin beneath was healed.
 
nemoaz said:
There's a heck of a lot more involved in closing a wound than just irrigating it with saline. Proper antiseptics are the minimum. Knowledge of which wounds to close and which ones to not do so. When to use drains. When antibiotics are needed.
Click to expand...

This is why use for this purpose is not advertised by the manufacturers. It has nothing to do with the glue being unsuited to closing many wounds effectively.

Also, stop putting the glue inside the wound, guys. Barring some ballsout, life or limb situation, the glue is just a more durable and convenient substitute for butterfly strips.

Barring the possibility of a little skin irritation, the glue you can buy in a store works fine.
 
Brian Andrews said:
Not to add more confusion to the mix. But, I was always under the understanding that alcohol was a bad thing for wounds because it would kill cells that then become bacteria food, pretty much begging for infection.

Again (my understanding) was that betadine or providone iodine (not regular iodine) was a preferred method for cleaning.

Anyone that knows more than me have an insight?

B
Click to expand...

Its not that alcohol creates a bacteria friendly environment. It doesn't. Its just that povidone is a better antiseptic cleanser. However, sometimes people are allergic to iodine. In those cases we typically use a chloraprep/ chlorhexidine cleanser rather than alcohol, again for the same reason. We have started using chlorhexidine for most venipuncture now, but for cleansing sites for intramuscular, subcutaneous, or subdermal injections we still use a regular alcohol pad. We also use alcohol based hand cleansers all the time.
 
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