Okay, okay, so the woodworking community has spent all week talking about how to be safe in the shop, but let’s be real: Accidents happen. So when they do, how do you treat it? From time to time I read in the forums or bulletin boards about treating cuts with Super Glue, and invariably someone questions how safe it is to do so. So for Woodworking Safety Week 2008, I spent a half hour Googling the topic and here’s what I have for you:
It’s fine. Go for it.
Okay, now for the longer answer. One of the first practical uses of Super Glue (also referred to as “CA” for its chemical name, cyanoacrylate) was to treat wounded soldiers during the Vietnam War – to control the bleeding until they could get back to the hospital. It wasn’t just used externally, either – it was apparently used for such things as patching up lacerated livers as well.
CA is a great workshop solution because it instantly and securely seals off the cut and quickly eliminates pain (because the pain, apparently, is from oxygen hitting the exposed nerve endings). It wears off naturally in a day or two, so you may need to reapply – but by then, the bleeding has stopped and the pain is much less anyway. CA apparently also reduces scarring.
Experts (who are these guys anyway?) say that CA can irritate the skin and should not be used on deep cuts. A more helpful “expert” advises that over-the-counter CA is less preferred because it has a cheaper type of methyl alcohol in it. No one seems to have a problem with using CA on smallish surface cuts, especially those that can easily be closed up while glued. For a medical variant of CA, try Dermabond, Band-Aid Liquid Bandage or 3M No-Sting Liquid Bandage Spray.
Personally, I’ve recently become brave enough to try it, and now I’m a big fan of Super Glue. Just last month I ran a marking knife into my thumb up to the nail. After a minute of holding it under the faucet, I dried it off, glued it up and was back to woodworking in minutes, with no worry about bleeding on the workpiece. And just yesterday I ripped a fingernail pretty bad at the pool (when is Swimming Pool Safety Week, anyway?), and put some Super Glue over the nail to help seal it up. Yeah!
EDIT: Okay, 3 years later this post has become a bit of a spam magnet. I’m turning off comments for this post, so email me if you have something you want to add to the discussion!
8 comments
May 9, 2008 at 4:58 am
Bob Easton » Blog Archive » Wood Workers Safety Week
[...] Super Glue: Safe for Treating Cuts? [...]
May 9, 2008 at 8:47 am
Luke Townsley
I am not a doctor or otherwise qualified to offer medical advice, but I have found that ground Cayenne pepper is really handy to have around when you have a deep cut that won’t stop bleeding.
My procedure is to rinse the dirt off the wound and then apply cayenne powder directly to the laceration. This has the effect of stopping the bleeding incredibly quickly. (I have no idea how well this would or wouldn’t work for arterial bleeding.) It is also said to offer some anti bacterial properties.
After that, I will treat it with a natural herbal cream, aloe, or whatever, and bandage it up.
Not too long ago, we had visitors and someone got cut on their leg in the kitchen and just couldn’t get the bleeding stopped. We were getting blood everywhere. Not pretty. I went to the closet, got out the cayenne, sprinkled it on, and presto, back to serving company and cleaning the blood off the kitchen floor.
You can buy larger amounts of cayenne cheaply at http://www.bulkherbstore.com . The “Eden salve” they sell is really great for putting on after the cayenne. Pretty impressive stuff.
May 9, 2008 at 9:52 pm
Friday’s Safety Links | The Wood Whisperer Woodworking Video Podcast and Blog
[...] Super Glue: Safe For Treating Cuts? Share: These icons link to social bookmarking sites where readers can share and discover new web pages. [...]
May 10, 2008 at 12:49 pm
Woodworkers Safety Week 2008 A Success! | Woodworker's Guide
[...] Super Glue: Safe For Treating Cuts? [...]
May 12, 2008 at 9:50 pm
Passionista
One of the most handy blog posts I’ve read in awhile
.
thanks!
October 30, 2009 at 8:50 am
Jude Stringfellow
No joking – - In 1984 I cut my left ring finger to the bone transferring a glass bowl from one side of the kitchen sink to the other – - it hit the middle. So, there I was bleeding all over the place. I had enough nerve to run cold water over my finger and then wrap it with a clean towel. Not having a car to take myself to the doctor I reached for the “Super Glue” and applied it very generously. (I will add that the cut was diaginal)
To my amazement the pain disappeared! It was hard to bend for a few days, but it was fine. Today I can’t see the scar unless I tilt my hand just right in the sun.
I had NO problems with my fingers, no problems with infection. It was a miracle then, and I use it today when I have to.
November 16, 2009 at 10:34 pm
Eric
Sorry it’s taken so long to reply to this! Your story is great – I’ve heard of lots of people using super glue for minor cuts, but nothing from people using it for “surgery”! Thanks for sharing your experience.
August 2, 2010 at 8:56 am
Steve
Using superglue to close a wound is possible, but not advisable. While using over the counter superglue to close a wound would work, it also may produce extreme skin irritation and skin death when purchased in over the counter form. However types of medical superglue are now often used in place of stitches to close certain types of wounds.
Superglue is made of a substance called cyanoacrylate. When it comes into contact with liquids like water, it forms a plastic mesh that will keep skin, or anything one wants glued, neatly bonded together. However, regular superglue has methyl alcohol, which creates heat in order to produce the bonding effect of superglue. Thus using superglue to close a wound in deep tissue could result in killing some of the surrounding skin cells.
It is true that the US military used superglue to close wounds during the Vietnam War. Most of the studies of problems resulting from use were recorded during this time. It can be said that doctors did save many lives through using superglue to close a wound because it gave them time to transport patients to M.A.S.H. units where they could have needed surgery.
Today medical facilities in countries other than the US use a medical form of superglue to close a wound, but only of certain types of wounds. This medical form includes cyanoacrylate, but also butyl, isobutyl, or octyl. These are thought to help prevent bacteria from forming. In the US, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has only approved superglue to close a wound for veterinarians. Again these contain agents that help prevent bacteria from infecting the wound.
Deciding to use medical superglue to close a wound is usually based on the type of wound. A long straight skin wound where the tissue naturally flaps back together is the ideal choice. Generally, it is not appropriate to use superglue to close a wound that is deep and reaches far into the body. Even with the medical form of superglue, some skin deterioration or irritation may occur and delay healing.
Thus, the best application of superglue to close a wound is on minor skin lesions. For the non-physician, this should be a last choice decision, rather than a first choice one. It is far better to allow physicians to decide how to treat a wound when it is severe and excessive bleeding may be occurring internally.
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