AYYYOO! Calling ALL Nurses Who Do Hair!

Cyanoacrylate Skin Protectant Barrier

... Or ANYONE who works with their hands and has to wash them constantly (parents, medical professionals, cooks, you know who you are!)

A little backstory: I braid hair, mine and my daughter's in particular. It was the week of the arduous task of washing, conditioning, and braiding our hairs, but I had a cut on one finger, and a painful ingrown nail on the opposite finger. I had no out, I've put off doing our hair for too long and this was the last week it could be put off.

I recently went to a wound care supplies inservice at my job, and was learning so much about different supplies for existing wounds, impending wounds, and to prevent wounds in sensitive areas. We learned about cyanoacrylate skin protectant barrier (CSPB), which is a pure cyanoacrylate liquid solution that is applied to skin, intact or disrupted (Lee, J. & Gibson, D.J., 2020). When allowed to dry, it creates a protective barrier from friction, blisters, tears, shears, moisture, and incontinence! ( Gefen, A., 2020; Lee, J. & Gibson, D.J., 2020; Hill R.H. & Smith, S.L, 2023; Wang et al., 2024)

Now fast forward to my hair-braiding dilemma, I remembered I had a small sample of the purple liquid in my pocket. The lightbulb went off in my head and I decided to apply it to both the cut and the ingrown nail...

Y'ALL!!! It was HEAVEN SENT! I was able to wash our hair, braided it, had my hands submerged in water (whether it was from washing dishes, bath-time for my babies), in addition the constant hand-hygiene before, during and after EACH PATIENT! I completely forgot I even had any ailment. Upon application, it did not burn or create any discomfort. I cleaned my hands and applied the liquid, waited 10-15 minutes to allow it to dry fully and it conformed to the area that I applied it in. The barrier stayed in place for about 10-14 days, through soap and water, alcohol-based gel sanitizer, 99% isopropyl alcohol, oil and cream based hair and skin products (it was hard to track because I legit forgot that I had cuts on my hands). The dried-CSPB remained intact despite all of the different environments and conditions my hands go through on the daily basis. It does leave a thin translucent purple hue on the area applied, but not enough to stand out.

This experience gave me insight to the mechanism of action on the skin of my patient's, and the benefits of relief that they may experience from the application of it.

Have you had any experience with this product for personal use?

Check out some of these articles with more in-depth science on cyanoacrylate skin protectant barrier:

• Gefen A. (2020).The bioengineering theory of the key modes of action of a cyanoacrylate liquid skin protectant. Int Wound J. 2020; 17: 1396–1404. https://doi.org/10.1111/iwj.13401

• Hill, Rosemary H.; Smith, Stephen L. (2023). Peristomal Moisture-Associated Skin Damage Treatment: Use of Cyanoacrylate Liquid Skin Protectant: A Case Series. J Wound Ostomy Continence Nurs. 50(6):p 521-524, November/December 2023. | DOI: 10.1097/WON.0000000000001027

• Lee, Jiye; Gibson, Daniel J. (2020). A Comparison of the Biomechanical Protection Provided by 2 Cyanoacrylate-Based Skin Protectants: A Comparison Cohort Study. Journal of Wound, Ostomy and Continence Nursing 47(2):p 118-123, March/April 2020. | DOI: 10.1097/WON.0000000000000618

• Wang, T., Zhang, W., Wang, J., Tan, J., Wang, W., Zhang, Q., Xu, L. (2024). Evaluation of the Cyanoacrylate/Polymethylmethacrylate Complex as a Protectant to Prevent Skin Friction and Blisters. Science of Advanced Materials16(5) p. 658-663,  May 2024.|https://doi.org/10.1166/sam.2024.4697

(*** please note, this is anecdotal and personal experience shared. The information shared is intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment.)