Lauren C. Nigro, M.D.; Nadia Blanchet, M.D.
Medical adhesives and glues are commonly used over or around surgical incisions for a variety of reasons, including to reduce infection, improve scar appearance, increase incision strength, decrease operative time, negate the need for suture removal, and prolong the adherence of surgical dressings such as occlusive films and Steri-Strips (3M, St. Paul, Minn.). As ubiquitous as they are, they are not without risk. Recently, we reported a 14 percent incidence of allergic reaction to the cyanoacrylate-based surgical glue Dermabond (Ethicon, Inc., Somerville, N.J.). These findings were practice-changing for the senior author (N.B.), who has not used Dermabond since.