Ann B. Salamone, MS

Take a stroll through the first-aid aisle in a drugstore. Among the dizzying selection of gauze and medical tape and the myriad colors, shapes, and materials of adhesive bandages, you will likely find a few products labeled as “liquid bandages.” Many first-aid kits are now also stocked with a small bottle of this wound-covering alternative. And don’t be surprised if you go to the emergency room for stitches and the doctor pulls out glue instead.

Although traditional bandages, stitches, and staples are far from obsolete, many medical professionals, consumers, and even the military are turning to liquid bandages to patch up injuries ranging from hangnails to head wounds.

A liquid bandage is a colorless adherent material that can be sprayed or painted directly on a wound. It reduces pain by covering nerve endings and helps wounds heal by maintaining a proper moisture balance and keeping bacteria and debris out, says Ann Salamone, president of Rochal Industries, a private research company in Boca Raton, Fla., that develops polymer systems for wound care… Continue reading.