Typical adhesive bandage

Reverse of an adhesive bandage

Opened adhesive bandage, showing the non-adhesive absorbent pad and adhesive

An adhesive bandage (called a sticking plaster, just plaster, or Elastoplast (a trademark) in the United Kingdom, New Zealand, Malaysia, Singapore, and South Africa; often called Band-Aid (a trademark) generically in the United States, Canada, and Australia) is a small dressing used for injuries not serious enough to require a full-size bandage. Image File history File links Question_book-3. ... Download high resolution version (2196x1500, 614 KB) Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... Download high resolution version (2196x1500, 614 KB) Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (2007x1503, 652 KB) sticking plaster Photogaph by Rama File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Adhesive bandage Metadata This file contains additional information, probably added from the digital... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (2007x1503, 652 KB) sticking plaster Photogaph by Rama File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Adhesive bandage Metadata This file contains additional information, probably added from the digital... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (2470x975, 511 KB) sticking plaster Photogaph by Rama File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Adhesive bandage Metadata This file contains additional information, probably added from the digital... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (2470x975, 511 KB) sticking plaster Photogaph by Rama File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Adhesive bandage Metadata This file contains additional information, probably added from the digital... Elastoplast is a trademark name of a brand of sticking plaster (bandage) or medical dressing made by Beiersdorf AG. (They were made by Smith and Nephew until 2000. ... Band Aid can refer to: BAND-AID, a brand of adhesive bandage Band Aid, a musical ensemble raising money for famine relief. ... A dressing is a piece of material, usually cloth, used to cover a wound and stop bleeding. ... Bandages are also used in martial arts to prevent dislocated joints. ...

Function

The adhesive bandage protects the wound, e.g. from friction damage and dirt. Thus, the healing process of the body is less disturbed. Often they have antiseptic abilities. Some can even speed healing and minimize scarring. An antiseptic solution of Povidone-iodine applied to an abrasion Antiseptics (Greek αντί, against, and σηπτικός, putrefactive) are antimicrobial substances that are applied to living tissue/skin to reduce the possibility of infection, sepsis, or putrefaction. ...

Material

An adhesive bandage is usually covered by woven fabric, plastic, or latex rubber which has an adhesive. Adhesive tapes used for wound care often have an absorbent pad (often medicated with antiseptic). The plaster is applied such that the pad covers the wound (but does not stick to the wound), and the fabric or plastic sticks to the surrounding skin to hold the dressing in place and prevent dirt from entering the wound. Some newer plasters also contain woven strands of silver fiber, used to speed healing and minimize scarring.

Variations

Although there are many variations for adhesive bandages with the usual protecting function, there are also types specially made for certain occasions, e.g. sports medicine, food handlers and rehabilitation.

Examples

• Band-Aid
• Curad
• Nexcare
• Elastoplast
• Kinesio Tape — used by sports medicine and rehabilitation therapy
• McConnell Tape — used by sports medicine and rehabilitation therapy
• Micropore
• Vetrap — used in sports medicine and by veterinarians

Band Aid can refer to: BAND-AID, a brand of adhesive bandage Band Aid, a musical ensemble raising money for famine relief. ... Nexcare is 3Ms personal health care brand. ... Elastoplast is a trademark name of a brand of sticking plaster (bandage) or medical dressing made by Beiersdorf AG. (They were made by Smith and Nephew until 2000. ... This article or section is in need of attention from an expert on the subject. ... A microporous material is a material containing pores with diameters less than 2 nm. ... Look up veterinarian in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...

Food handlers

Special plasters are also used by Food handlers. These are waterproof, have strong adhesive so they are less likely to fall off, and are usually bright blue in colour (so that it is obvious to the wearer if it has fallen off into some food). They are also detectable by special machines that are used in food manufacturing plants to ensure food is free from foreign objects before it is shipped to the public.

Rehabilitation

Other types of adhesive bandages include Kinesio and McConnell tape. These are not mediciated. Instead, these tapes are used for rehabilitation of muscles and joints. Kinesio taping can also be used to aid lymphatic flow and the treatment of Lymphedema. Azskeptic 17:34, 10 July 2007 (UTC) Lymphedema, also spelled lymphoedema, also known as lymphatic obstruction, is a condition of localized fluid retention caused by a compromised lymphatic system. ...

Transdermal patch

Main article: Transdermal patch

Adhesive bandages with the function to distribute medication through the skin, rather than protecting a wound, are called transdermal patches. A 21mg dose Nicoderm CQ patch applied to the right arm A transdermal patch or skin patch is a medicated adhesive patch that is placed on the skin to deliver a time released dose of medication through the skin and into the bloodstream. ...