Krazy Glue- Aids healing of small wounds.

Discussion in 'Conversations Forum' started by Durgan, Apr 25, 2008.

  1. Durgan

    Durgan Contributor 10 Years

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    Applying Krazy Glue to small wounds speeds up healing, and protects from further damage. The dollar store sells four small vials in a container, which is ideal for personal use. The fine film stays in place for several days without further application.

    I usually use flexible collodion mixed with ether, but recently I heard about Krazy Glue, and gave it a try. The results were spectacular. The small area of skin removed healed in three days.

    I often get small cuts and abrasions and find a band-aid often bleaches the wound, is sometimes difficult to stick, gets wet when washing, and leaves the wound open for possible further infection.

    'Doctor' Durgan.
     
  2. lorax

    lorax Rising Contributor 10 Years

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    Durgan - did you know that fast, effective wound dressing was the main use of the Cyanoacrylate adhesives (Krazy Glues) in the Vietnam War?
     
  3. Michael F

    Michael F Paragon of Plants Forums Moderator 10 Years

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    This is for human wounds, not plant wounds?

    If yes, I'd not want to try it without medical advice.
     
  4. lorax

    lorax Rising Contributor 10 Years

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    It's for human wounds. I swear by it - there's a little vial of it in my purse so that if I'm in the bush and get cut by a nasty vicious plant, I can just seal it over and be on my way without attracting, say, jaguars.

    By all means ask your doctor. Cyanoacrylate is the main ingredient in some "Liquid BandAids."
     
  5. dirt reaper

    dirt reaper Member

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    Medical grade super glue and the stuff you buy off the store shelf are two vastly different items.

    It is wonderful stuff, the medical grade stuff that is. The vet put my dog back together with it after a ugly encounter with another dog. The vet bill would have been much higher if all wounds had to be stitched. The deeper wounds still required stitches. It does have limitations.
     
  6. lorax

    lorax Rising Contributor 10 Years

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    I should have been clearer - I carry medical-grade stuff.
     
  7. Michael F

    Michael F Paragon of Plants Forums Moderator 10 Years

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    Looked up cyanoacrylate, normal grades (which turns out to be ordinary Superglue; never heard of "Krazy Glue") can cause serious skin irritation and allergy, whereas the medical grades are a different formulation which doesn't cause irritation.
     
  8. nic

    nic Active Member 10 Years

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    I'd never heard of Krazy Glue either, though I had heard of medical superglue. It's another of the "two countries divided by a common language" things, like "an herbarium". (an horse only eats a herbarium when staying in an hotel).
    There are some common usages in Canada and the United States that I find, being British, quite difficult, pot sizes springs to mind. If I were to write a list, where would be the best place to post it? Most of them I can work out eventually, from context, or, indeed, look up, but sometimes it's just so much easier to ask somebody.
    Lorax, between jaguars and piranha, you do have an exciting life!
     
  9. lorax

    lorax Rising Contributor 10 Years

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    Only when i venture into the jungle.... All that aside, I can buy medical-grade superglue at the corner chemist's. I'm not sure about Canada, Britain, or Scotland, though.

    If you want to do a list, I'll put it on my blog! I get so confused sometimes, because English-speaking Ecuador uses all of British, European, and North American terms for the same things.
     
  10. Durgan

    Durgan Contributor 10 Years

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    As most have determined Krazy Glue is simply Super Glue . Super Glue products contain methyl alcohol, because it is inexpensive to produce. Methyl alcohol has a pronounced heating action when it contacts tissue and may even produce burns if the glue contacts a large enough area of tissue.

    Medical grade products currently available contain either butyl, isobutyl or octyl esters. They inhibit bacterial growth, and produce minimal thermal reaction when applied to dry skin and break down harmlessly in tissue. They are essentially inert once dry. Butyl products are rigid when dry, but provide a strong bond. Available octyl products are more flexible when dry, but produce a weaker bond. This product is probably not readily available to the populace at large.

    My original post referred primarily to immediate first aid utilizing a readlily available product. As mentioned, I use and prefer flexible collodion due to experience over many years, but sometimes don't have it present when required, whereas a small vial of super glue could be carried in a pocket.

    I have found many people are and have been using the common Super Glue (methyl alcohol) product for use on small wounds, some have been doing so for many years. It is for topical application, and not for filling a cavity in a deep wound, basically for small cuts and abrasions.
     
  11. lorax

    lorax Rising Contributor 10 Years

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    Which is exactly why I carry the medical grade stuff. Generally, if I get cut it's a doozy and needs to be filled in....

    Incidentally, for gap-filling non-surgical applications, regular Super Glue dripped over baking soda makes a lovely, sand-able, paint-able finish.
     
  12. Ralph Walton

    Ralph Walton Active Member 10 Years

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    So has anybody tried it for grafting and/or tree repair?

    Ralph
     
  13. lorax

    lorax Rising Contributor 10 Years

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    For tree repair, yes, and with great success. I suspect that using it as a sealant around new grafts would also be successful - however I'd be looking for the low-heat medical version rather than the high-heat commercial one.
     
  14. Laughing Dog

    Laughing Dog Active Member

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    When I lived on Quadra Island I was bitten deeply on the nose by a large dog (hyperactive play, not aggression - it was a doggie football game). Since it is a royal pain to get medical attention on a remote (ferry access only) island - I used common Super Glue as a 'steri-stripe' to seal the wound. It worked like a charm :-)

    I now keep a medical grade version on hand - very useful when removing those damn blackberry bushes, as one of those insidious vines always manages to gouge me somewhere ... too long a cut for a band-aid!
     
  15. dirt reaper

    dirt reaper Member

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    I wish I could get the medical grade glue here in USA. I understand it is available in many other countries.

    I love reading posts here. Chemist, pharmacy! Gotta love it!

    J
     
  16. markinwestmich

    markinwestmich Active Member

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    http://www.aafp.org/afp/20000301/1383.html

    In order to stop any misinformation from spreading around. See this link.

    Dermabond and products like it are used in hospitals and physician offices around the world.
     
  17. Laughing Dog

    Laughing Dog Active Member

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    Excellent article, markinwestmich, much appreciated.
     
  18. dirt reaper

    dirt reaper Member

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    Thanks for the link! I had no idea it was available here in the US over the counter. Too bad the price is totally outrageous! I found an online retailer but the shelf life of this item is far to short to even consider it for my home-made trauma kit.
     
  19. Flaxe

    Flaxe Active Member

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    I thought this thread would actually be useful in plant wounds! Human wounds are insignificant. To keep any deep cuts from gaping or getting blood everywhere I just carry a couple of bandaids to keep it together.
     

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