Using Super Glue on Cuts
While glue for medical use exists, Super Glue and Krazy Glue are meant for gluing objects and not skin. Medical glue is less toxic.
There are two types of super glue. One is meant for gluing objects and should be kept in your tool box. One is formulated for medical use and should be kept in your first aid kit.
Super glue uses cyanoacrylate adhesives. Cyanoacrylate adhesives are often referred to as instant adhesives because they don’t have to be mixed with another agent and they cure quickly without heat or curing equipment.
Although cyanoacrylate formulations were tested in World War II for creating plastic gun sights, military medics started using the sticky substance for closing battlefield wounds. It was relatively effective as a quick and waterproof emergency measure, however, there were side effects such as damaging the tissue around the wound and irritating the nose, throat, lungs, and eyes.
Different formulations were tested during the Vietnam War, and in 1998 the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved a less toxic medical formulation (2-octyl cyanoacrylate) called Dermabond.
