Skin Tac Wipes
Some extra adhesive for any bandage.
I am convinced that bandages don’t stick well to my skin. It doesn’t matter which brand I use, I’m lucky if a bandage stays on for half a work day. Never mind my dream of making it through a shower with a bandage intact.
In fact, I think the best bandage I ever used was one I made myself. A thin layer of sterile cotton gauze wrapped in about 24" of blue tape (someone locked the room that had the first aid kit inside).
But I’ll try anything. So when a reader suggested Skin Tac Wipes, I bought some and have been using them for weeks. Skin Tac isn’t a bandage. It’s a wipe that adds some more adhesive to the equation.
So you clean the wound then apply pressure to stop the bleeding. Wipe the area with a Skin Tac Wipe (yes, it burns a little). Let the liquid dry on your skin. It takes less than 30 seconds. Then apply the bandage.
The stuff works, even for me. When I applied Skin Tac before adding a bandage, it doubled the time the bandage stayed on. Some people report that Skin Tac is so effective that it can be difficult to get the bandage off. I haven’t had that problem.
After you remove the bandage, you need to clean away the Skin Tac adhesive with a little rubbing alcohol (isopropyl). Or just let it wear off – no big deal.
The only thing that’s weird about the product is who makes it. It’s a British product made by Pump Fashion Ltd. DBA Funky Pumpers.
What the what?
Anyway, our search for the best bandages continues. I approve of Skin Tac, for when you need to pump up the funky in your bandage. Or some such.
Ophthalmologist here! You may alternatively try Mastisol, which we use to stick dressings down (not on the eye per se but the face or skin around it sometimes). Usually we use the single use vials but you can buy it online as a bottle also. On the plus side it also smells very nice!!
My sister-in-law nurse recommends https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tincture_of_benzoin. Athletes use it to keep tape wraps in place while playing. Looks like it’s been around for a minute or three so more modern materials may be available as well. I personally like tegaderm over top of a gauze dressing for some injuries. I keep rolls of paper towels in my shop now for short term staunching to minimize discoloration of the piece I am working on until i can get to the bandaid box. ;-).