Monday, January 28, 2008
No Superglue
If you’ve bouldered with some of the hardcore, you’ve seen Superglue used to reattach one of those flaps of skin that frequently get torn free with all the high stresses and abrasion of intense bouldering.
The committed boulderers thinking goes something like this: “If you tear a finger pad open, you’ll be out of commission for a week or more, and you might lose out on all the time and effort you put into going on a much anticipated climbing trip. It really sucks to be in great shape, ready to go in every other regard, but a bit of torn skin shuts you down completely. A liberal dose of Superglue in and all around the flapper to reattach it (yes, it sounds awful—but you wouldn’t rather not climb, would you?) will get you back in action at almost 100%.”
The urban myth is that medics in Vietnam used the stuff for serious battlefield injuries to help get the wounded back to substantial hospital attention.
Even a recent New York Times article acknowledged the practice,
“Nowadays, professional athletes often close small cuts with Super Glue or similar products to get back in the game in a hurry. The glues are also used by veterinarians, and many people keep a tube around the house to help them out of a medical pinch. It is believed that the glues — made from the chemical cyanoacrylate — not only stop bleeding quickly, but also lead to less scarring.”
The problem is that regular Superglue like you get in the drug store isn’t good for you. It has some side effects, especially if you get it into a deep wound. It can irritate and kill cells. And it probably doesn’t reduce scarring.
But the FDA has approved a very similar substance for these sorts of applications. It’s anti-bacterial and it’s safer. It’s called Dermabond, and you’ll be able to get it at the drug store. Put some in the pocket of your bouldering chalk bag and you’ll be able to salvage an otherwise ruined climbing trip. ¶ Monday, January 28, 2008
If you’ve bouldered with some of the hardcore, you’ve seen Superglue used to reattach one of those flaps of skin that frequently get torn free with all the high stresses and abrasion of intense bouldering.
The committed boulderers thinking goes something like this: “If you tear a finger pad open, you’ll be out of commission for a week or more, and you might lose out on all the time and effort you put into going on a much anticipated climbing trip. It really sucks to be in great shape, ready to go in every other regard, but a bit of torn skin shuts you down completely. A liberal dose of Superglue in and all around the flapper to reattach it (yes, it sounds awful—but you wouldn’t rather not climb, would you?) will get you back in action at almost 100%.”
The urban myth is that medics in Vietnam used the stuff for serious battlefield injuries to help get the wounded back to substantial hospital attention.
Even a recent New York Times article acknowledged the practice,
“Nowadays, professional athletes often close small cuts with Super Glue or similar products to get back in the game in a hurry. The glues are also used by veterinarians, and many people keep a tube around the house to help them out of a medical pinch. It is believed that the glues — made from the chemical cyanoacrylate — not only stop bleeding quickly, but also lead to less scarring.”
The problem is that regular Superglue like you get in the drug store isn’t good for you. It has some side effects, especially if you get it into a deep wound. It can irritate and kill cells. And it probably doesn’t reduce scarring.
But the FDA has approved a very similar substance for these sorts of applications. It’s anti-bacterial and it’s safer. It’s called Dermabond, and you’ll be able to get it at the drug store. Put some in the pocket of your bouldering chalk bag and you’ll be able to salvage an otherwise ruined climbing trip. ¶ Monday, January 28, 2008
