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Wound Closure Strips

Wound Closure Strips

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Wound Closure Strips & Skin Adhesives

Skin closure strips, reinforced closure strips and topical skin adhesive glues for clinics, hospitals and first aid providers across Australia.

Strips, glue or sutures?

Closure strips suit shallow, linear, low-tension wounds where the skin edges come together easily on their own. They are quick, need no anaesthetic, and the patient can usually leave them to fall off. They do not hold under tension and they do not stay on damp or hairy skin.

Topical skin adhesive suits the same kind of wound but gives a waterproof seal and nothing to remove afterwards. That makes it the usual choice for children and for facial lacerations where a clean cosmetic result matters. It costs more per wound than strips.

Sutures or staples are for wounds under tension, deeper wounds needing layered closure, wounds over joints, and anywhere the closure has to hold against movement.

None of these are appropriate for contaminated wounds, bite wounds, wounds with devitalised tissue, or wounds that have been open long enough to be considered infected. Those need assessment, cleaning and often deliberate healing by secondary intention rather than closure.

Getting strips to stay on

Adhesion fails for one reason more than any other: the skin was not dry. Clean, dry and de-grease the skin either side of the wound before applying. A skin tackifier such as tincture of benzoin on the intact skin either side, kept out of the wound itself, markedly improves hold on oily or mobile areas.

Apply the centre strip first to bring the edges together, then work outward alternating sides. Leave small gaps between strips so any fluid can drain rather than collecting underneath.

Using skin adhesive correctly

The glue goes across the approximated skin edges, never into the wound. Adhesive in the wound bed acts as a foreign body and blocks healing. Hold the edges together, apply in thin layers over the top, and let each layer set before the next. Do not use it near the eye without the appropriate precautions, and follow the manufacturer's directions for the specific product.

Aftercare

Keep strips dry, and expect them to be left in place for several days to a couple of weeks depending on site and clinical direction. Glue sloughs off by itself as the skin turns over. Tell the patient what infection looks like and when to come back.

Product Types

Skin closure strips: sterile adhesive strips supplied in boxes, in a range of widths.
Reinforced strips: incorporate a reinforcing filament for a little more hold.
Topical skin adhesives: single-use applicators of tissue adhesive.

Stocked brands include Multigate Multistrip, 3M Steri-Strip, Leukosan and Histoacryl.

These products are used in the closure of wounds and are intended for use by trained personnel. Whether a wound is suitable for closure with strips or adhesive, rather than sutures or another method, is a clinical decision.