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COPYRIGHT 2002 Consumers Union of the United States, Inc.
The perfect bandage could be opened without use of a magnifying glass; would stick stubbornly, even to active kids; and could be removed without the little ripping noise that is often followed by a muttered oath. These days, the search for that perfect bandage takes you to aisles that may seem as crowded with options as the cereal aisle. Band-Aid, the granddaddy of bandages, competes with Curad, Nexcare, and store brands, and they all sell products in many materials and configurations.
Garden-variety bandages are still made with plastic or fabric and absorbent pads. Others are designed to help a wound heal faster or better--at several times what regular bandages cost.
MEDICINE OR MARKETING?
First, we should address a misconception. Although many people think it's best to expose wounds to air so they form a scab, a covered wound heals faster than an uncovered one.
"Scabs are bad despite what your mother or grandmother said," says Robin Ashinoff, M.D., chief of dermatologic surgery at New York University School of Medicine. "Don't let air get at the wound." A bandage can help keep a wound from becoming infected and can help preserve moisture that accumulates at the site, further speeding cell growth. Moisture helps cells move from the bloodstream to the wound site, where they construct a framework that will be covered by new skin.
Instead of a pad, which can wick wetness away, some new bandages have a polymer called hydrocolloid, first used by hospitals for hard-to-heal sores. It forms a moist gel cushion when it meets a wound's moisture. Among the bandages we tested, Band-Aid Advanced Healing and Curad Hydro Heal use hydrocolloid. You're supposed to leave them on for several days. Regular bandages can be left on as...
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