Superglue as a waterproof suture is no longer just an off-label use: The sticky stuff is replacing old-fashioned stitches and bandages in the operating room and the medicine cabinet. Self-helpers should choose their goo wisely: Everyday glues have a methyl alcohol base that can burn tissue as it dries. But cyanoacrylate adhesives - like those used on model planes - set by absorbing moisture (blood and other bodily fluids) and produce a pleasing warmth as they polymerize. Coming soon: glue-based dressings for bedsores and diabetic ulcers.
Professional Use
Ethicon Dermabond
Adhesive: octyl-2-cyanoacrylate
Commonly used in plastic surgery procedures. High tensile strength and longer carbon chains make for a strong, pliable seal. Wears off in five to ten days.
3M Vetbond
Adhesive: n-butyl-cyanoacrylate
Applied after cat declawing and spay or neuter surgery (midwives use it off-label to mend perineal tears). Gets rigid when dry. Flakes off in seven days.
Home Use
Band-Aid Liquid Bandage
Adhesive: octyl-2-cyanoacrylate
A consumer version of Dermabond. Forms a waterproof seal on skin. Comes off by itself after five days, or when rubbed with baby oil.
Colgate Orabase Soothe-N-Seal
Adhesive: octyl-2-cyanoacrylate
A gel-style resin that incorporates a painkiller and an anti-inflammatory. Intended to treat canker sores. Available over the counter.
START
Something Completely Different
Hype List
It's Just a Flesh Wound
Jargon Watch
Why the World's Clocks Are Wrong
Stitch Yourself Up With Glue
Taming the Electricity Beast
A Whole New Ball Game
The Curiously Strong Pump
Called to Action
The 411 on the Phone's Fall Season
The Selling Power of Orange
A Fair User's Manual
The Only Thing I've Copied Is My Lawyer!
Legos, Camera, Action!
Striking Gold at 1,640 Feet Below
A Ray of Hope for Solar Sails
Petitions for Every Cause
Technothrone
The Puzzle Master
Wired l Tired l Expired
