Super Glue and You

Super glue, or cyanoacrylate (C₅H₅NO₂) is an acrylic resin that cures almost instantly. The only catalyst it needs is are the hydroxyl ions in water, which is quite convenient since most everything has at least trace amounts of water on its surface.

While it is just an urban legend that super glue developed as an accidental solution to wounds in WWII, I have found that it is in fact most useful to me in a variety of bodily-mending ways. Consider the following:

A dab of super glue will reinforce a torn finger or toenail so that you stop catching it on everything and yelping for no obvious reason to passersby. One dab is usually all it takes until the nail grows out far enough to trim properly. And yes, by "trim" I mean hone down to appropriate shortness in a very manly fashion.

A thin line of super glue will close a cut and amazingly stop the pain as well (yes guys, I know you can handle the pain from a wimpy cut, but it's equally manly to say, "yeah, I just threw some hydrogen peroxide in there and watched it bubble for a minute then slapped some super glue on - good as new).

If you are living with cracked heels due to poor maintenance, dry climate, or genetic reasons, super glue will mend together even the jagged Grand Canyon style crevices of the foot world.

As a disclaimer, please note that over-the-counter (OTC) superglue should not be used for anything larger than a small cut. The reason for this is that methyl alcohol is used in OTC products because it is less expensive than its relatives (butyl, isobutyl or octyl esters) which are used in medical grade products. Without getting too technical, suffice it to say that methyl alcohol is not used in medical grade for a valid reason. Further, the medical grade products have not yet been approved by the FDA for use on humans (they are however in use by vets).

If this has scared you off of skin contact (I haven't had any problems to date), remember super glue is still a great product for repairing many things, including torn finger/toenails. I'm sure there are countless other ways to employ this wonderful compound, which is as universally handy as duct tape. Like the ancient Chinese proverb states, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it; and if duct tape or super glue can't fix it, it ain't broke."