Prudent Prepping: Liquid Skin Pro

The dust has settled and the First 72 Hours have passed. Follow along as I build a long term plan via Prudent Prepping. 

I'm always looking for things to add to my first aid kits, as long as the items are small and useful in many different ways. I found one such item at work today, and I needed it after I stabbed myself with a heavy-duty staple, directly into the tip of my right index finger. I do wear gloves for my job, and they are very good at preventing accidental cuts; what they are less useful in stopping is punctures, since they are 'Cut Resistant', not cut proof or anywhere close to puncture proof. I have a review of these gloves in this blog post, if anyone is interested to know what brand they are.

A cut like that isn't a reportable 'incident' for work, and outside that time I'd put a fingertip band-aid  on and be fine. The problem is with the gloves: I can't get a band-aid to stay on while working. Taking the gloves on-and-off pulls the bandage off and half the time it is stuck inside the glove finger. My right hand is always wearing a glove since it is my holding hand when cutting, so it is important to be protected at all times.

As I was going down a Hardware aisle, I passed the personal safety section and I saw Liquid Skin Pro. Evidently this has been in most Home Depot and Lowe's stores since early 2017, but I've never seen it on either of their shelves before today.

From the Company's website:

What makes Liquid Skin® special? Liquid adhesive bandages have been on the market for some time with little variety: sticky, stingy, glue that tends to harden in the bottle and not nearly as transportable as a stretchy “bandaid”. Liquid Skin is the first liquid bandage to provide a single and multi-use applicators ideal for construction, mechanics, and other professional trades. The applicator tip provides immediate topical adhesion that cures in seconds with no sting and provides a tight, waterproof seal that lasts for days. The proprietary Liquid Skin formula is based on the Chemence Medical Derma+Flex QS® product that is FDA-approved and widely sold into hospitals and surgical offices.

Using this to seal up cuts is much, much simpler that the Bad Old Days(tm) when Super Glue was the go-to fast wound sealer. I used to do some rock climbing years ago, and with small (and some not-so small) cuts, the only way to keep going was to use Super Glue. No one wanted to leave a smeared, bloody mess on the rock for someone else to deal with! The solvents and ingredients used to manufacture Super Glue meant this was definitely an 'Off Label' use, and it would burn more than the actual injury.

Using Liquid Skin Pro is very simple:

• Clean and dry the area to be treated
• Apply Liquid Skin to the cut
• Press the cut closed until Liquid Skin dries

I was able to get right to work and didn't have to reapply it until I got home. There was no problem with washing my hands (I did try to minimize getting my finger wet), and one application was all I needed.

I bought the two-pack; one tube is now in my mini first aid kit that sits in my lunch box, and the other is going into my sling bag. I will be buying more to go into my GHB and the bigger first aid box in my trunk.

The Takeaway

• Sometimes a traditional bandage just doesn't cut (!) it.
• Look for the usual items in unusual places; you may be surprised by what you will find.

The Recap

• Liquid Skin Pro: bought from Home Depot for $4.97, but available through Amazon for the same price. This is eligible for Prime with a $35 order.

Just a reminder: if you plan on buying anything through Amazon, please consider using our referral link. When you do, a portion of the sale comes back here to help keep this site running!

If you have comments, suggestions or corrections, please post them so we all can learn. And remember, Some Is Always Better Than None!