|
WebWord Weblog Posting Posting Date: February 07, 2003 Bleeding Edge Usability (v-2.org) -- "Adding to the usability woes afflicting Liquid Bandage, you have to be able to put eyes on the wound to apply it properly, in a way that is not true of traditional bandages."
Reader Comments...
I could not read this whole article, but I can say that the liquid bandage is not designed to be used when you have freshly cut your finger. The instructions specifically warn away from such a use (at least, they did on the package I used). What liquid bandage is terrific for is helping you heal really fast with minimal or no scarring. I fell against a concrete wall last month (there was a groove that my foot got trapped and twisted in), and as I reached for purchase, the back of my hand scraped along the wall as I fell. It tore the first couple of layers off of an area about 3 inches in diameter. Very, very nasty. It started bleeding right away in a disturbing droplet pattern. The first thing I thought when I looked at it (besides "AAAAAAAAAAAUGGGHRRGHGH!" was "oh, that'll scar something awful") After dressing it to stop bleeding and messing around for a few days with traditional bandages (I am very squemish about what happens when you heal scrapes), I tried the liquid bandage and it was awesome - it formed a seal and started healing immediately. In about five days, everything was healed over. I've only got a faint scar that is fading every day. In a few months, it won't even be there. Five days. Posted by: Lydia on February 7, 2003 10:18 PM
Lydia, Band-Aid Liquid Bandage explicitly includes the wording "First Aid Product" on the packaging, and there were no such disclaimers on this packaging. (I'm wondering whose product you used.) This is the package copy, stet: There is the usual boilerplate warning FOR MEDICAL EMERGENCIES, SEEK PROFESSIONAL HELP on the side of the package, mostly as CYA in case someone tries to sue after they are unable to plug a GSW with Liquid Bandage. But there's nothing else that suggests or implies in any way that the product is unsuitable for first aid use - just the opposite, as I've pointed out. I do agree that, under the right circumstances, it does everything you'd want it to, and more. It's just not very easy to use properly under the actual conditions in which use would be attempted. Posted by: Adam on February 8, 2003 02:14 AM
Steps 1 through 4 attributed to the "full minute or more to get Liquid Bandage on" only apply to your first use, unless you're the type of person who stores a medical bottle in its full original packaging. Me? I put the bottle in my medicine cabinet and recycle the packaging. The bottle's label contains instructions in case I need them in the future. Lest this be lost in the discussion, liquid bandages are not bad. I just started using a product called New-Skin. Who makes it? I didn't know. When I saw the box in the store it looked like a generic alternative to the name brand offerings, and it was less expensive, so I bought it. Here are my steps to apply New-Skin: 1. Uncap bottle Here are the instructions on the box: Well, dang, the product is so simple the manufacturer doesn't need to explain in detail how to apply the product. If you've ever seen a paint brush used, you'll be OK. It apparently also comes in spray form for large areas. Posted by: Marcus Welby on February 8, 2003 10:19 PM
er, upon further reading, perhaps you couldn't skip all four first steps. I guess you need the packaging or tray or ? to store your applicator and/or other supplies. Sounds convoluted. I'll stick with the paint brush method. Posted by: Marcus Welby on February 8, 2003 10:29 PM
How about you actually read the article before commenting? Posted by: Doctor Kelly Brackett on February 8, 2003 11:27 PM
Calm down, kids. "Doctor Kelly," thank you, I too would like it if everyone read every word before posting (especially when the piece in question is one of mine!), but that's simply not the way of the world. "Marcus" is entitled to his POV. "Marcus," is New-Skin acetone-based, by any chance? Posted by: Adam on February 9, 2003 12:29 AM
Active ingredient: 8-hydroxyquinoline 1% Inactive ingredients: alcohol 6.7%, oil of cloves, pyroxylin solution. If I correctly infer where you're going with your question, I have not experienced a sting applying it, and the smell of the liquid doesn't bother me. I regularly toss alcohol or hydrogenperoxide on cuts when cleaning them anyway -- and those liquids do sting, but I accept that as normal. The smell of cough syrup is 10 times worse. I personally would describe the odor as "extreme bubble gum." Posted by: Marcus Welby on February 9, 2003 12:49 AM
"Marcus," you have indeed inferred correctly. W/R/T sting & stink, or perceived sting & stink, all I can say is: to each their own. Posted by: Adam on February 9, 2003 01:36 AM
Oooh! Oooh! Could this be the situation? Company A listens to its focus group that says the liquid stinks and stings. White Coats devise a workaround that eliminates user complaints, but severely complicates use of the product. Company B listens to its focus group, but figures people will accept a brief occasional sting during application and will look past the odor as the liquid dries. Users find using the product easy. Could this be a case of Company A's White Coats bending over backwards to please the customer and ending up producing a product the customers don't like? Posted by: Da Plane! Da Plane! on February 9, 2003 11:08 AM
I, too, used the band-aid brand. I remember chuckling over the "also great for" line. I don't have the package any more but I clearly remember reading something about how it is not recommended for use until the wound has stopped bleeding, and it included some minimal instructions for how to stop the bleeding in a cut and how to clean the wound prior to application. I wonder if they have removed that wording because it was turning people off? I mean, most of us try to stop bleeding with pressure before we put on a regular band-aid, anyway, but if you specifically read that on a first aid product, you might think, "well, then what is the use of it?!" I have to admit that when I first read it, I was thinking, "well, maybe this isn't right for me" but decided to try it anyway, since I was in kind of a fix with regular bandages. Posted by: Lydia on February 10, 2003 01:01 PM
"most of us try to stop bleeding with pressure before we put on a regular band-aid" Really? Unless I have a gushing wound, I compress the cut and scream for a minute or two, then clean the cut, dry it, and put on a bandage. If blood is still coming out, oh well. The bandage has gauze to absorb the excess blood, so no harm, no foul. Posted by: Bloody Mary on February 10, 2003 01:40 PM
Yeah, but the operative phrase there is that you compress the cut as long as blood oozes out too rapidly (and would therefore soak the tiny piece of gauze within seconds of putting it on). Posted by: Lydia on February 11, 2003 01:12 PM
Surgeons do not perform "operations," they perform "procedures." When you say "operative phrase" you mean "procedural phrase." I don't wait until the blood stops oozing too quickly. If the tiny piece of gauze on the bandage would get soaked within seconds, then my cut is far too serious to slap on an itty bitty Band-Aid. Yes, I am trying to be argumentative. Posted by: Bloody Mary on February 13, 2003 01:17 PM
Home | Moving WebWord | Cool Books | Hot Web Sites
URL: http://webword.com/weblog/ ©1998-2005 by WebWord.com. All rights reserved. |