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Regular cyanoacrylate aka “superglue” is perfectly safe for wound closure (after cleaning and disinfecting of course).

vonmoltke 8y ago
The issue is not the compound itself, it's the impurities in the packaged substance. You don't know what possibly-toxic impurities or allergens might be present in a tube of hardware store adhesive, since they probably don't affect the glue's ability to do its intended job.
- jschwartzi 8y ago
  Also cyanoacrylate glue has a tendancy to react exothermically with cotton, which is a common bandage material. For the layman this means that it can get burning hot if you get some on a cotton bandage. The medical-grade superglue does not have this problem.
- darkpuma 8y ago
  If you have the opportunity to use something better, then obviously use something better. But in practice these objections are not a huge deal for the vast majority of people closing their wounds with CA glue. Pro-tip: you don't need to put the CA glue inside your wound. Squeeze your wound together, put the CA glue on either side of it on your intact skin, then place a piece of thread across the wound, fasted to the skin on both sides with the CA glue. The effect is a do-it-yourself suture without needing a needle. And YES, it's exothermic with the thread. So obviously don't use a lot of it. Use the absolute bare minimum and don't attempt it with wounds severe enough that a lot would be required. If you slather on the glue than slap a patch of denim over the wound, you're going to get burned badly. Don't do that.
  - dTal 8y ago
    How do you hold the wound shut, hold the thread in place, and apply glue all at the same time without getting the glue everywhere, especially over the hand holding the thread? I always just use a single-ply piece of paper tissue, and soak that in the glue. It's too thin to hold much glue, so it doesn't get that hot - if you need more strength, you can add more layers. And it can be applied one handed - place tissue over wound and apply glue. Done.
- aaaaaaaaaaab 8y ago
  Cyanoacrylate rapidly hardens when it contacts moisture, so impurities are of little concern in my opinion, as they will be trapped in the polymerized glue (mixed with some clotted blood). According to medical literature, people regularly ingest superglue without any issues (mostly children). They even put it in their eyes accidentally (it turns out that it's a bad idea to store your nail glue in the same drawer as your eyedrops, especially with impaired vision) without any damage aside from a few days of discomfort.

The issue is not the compound itself, it's the impurities in the packaged substance. You don't know what possibly-toxic impurities or allergens might be present in a tube of hardware store adhesive, since they probably don't affect the glue's ability to do its intended job.

jschwartzi 8y ago
Also cyanoacrylate glue has a tendancy to react exothermically with cotton, which is a common bandage material. For the layman this means that it can get burning hot if you get some on a cotton bandage. The medical-grade superglue does not have this problem.
darkpuma 8y ago
If you have the opportunity to use something better, then obviously use something better. But in practice these objections are not a huge deal for the vast majority of people closing their wounds with CA glue. Pro-tip: you don't need to put the CA glue inside your wound. Squeeze your wound together, put the CA glue on either side of it on your intact skin, then place a piece of thread across the wound, fasted to the skin on both sides with the CA glue. The effect is a do-it-yourself suture without needing a needle. And YES, it's exothermic with the thread. So obviously don't use a lot of it. Use the absolute bare minimum and don't attempt it with wounds severe enough that a lot would be required. If you slather on the glue than slap a patch of denim over the wound, you're going to get burned badly. Don't do that.
- dTal 8y ago
  How do you hold the wound shut, hold the thread in place, and apply glue all at the same time without getting the glue everywhere, especially over the hand holding the thread? I always just use a single-ply piece of paper tissue, and soak that in the glue. It's too thin to hold much glue, so it doesn't get that hot - if you need more strength, you can add more layers. And it can be applied one handed - place tissue over wound and apply glue. Done.
aaaaaaaaaaab 8y ago
Cyanoacrylate rapidly hardens when it contacts moisture, so impurities are of little concern in my opinion, as they will be trapped in the polymerized glue (mixed with some clotted blood). According to medical literature, people regularly ingest superglue without any issues (mostly children). They even put it in their eyes accidentally (it turns out that it's a bad idea to store your nail glue in the same drawer as your eyedrops, especially with impaired vision) without any damage aside from a few days of discomfort.