...The solution to my 2 finger delema was to use a scalpel to divide the fingers. Even with great care I still managed to wander by a millimetre or so. Not a pretty site!
Regarding your suture solution. Is there a substance to dissolve the glue or does it just fade away as the wounds heal?
Yep; on wounds, the glue just sort of fades away over time. I think the skin oils cause it to lift from below and then it cracks off. It is a nice way to hold raw edges together for things like cuts, not good for scrapes. It also works to keep Steri-Strips in place to bridge the edges without getting glue in the actual cut. A much better use of the glue.
Real Cautions Ahead...
The real problem is
you don't want to seal bacteria inside or you'll have Real Problems® develop shortly. I consider it a remedy of last resort when a person
really needs a stitch or three and none are available and (in the case of a hand) only one hand is available and you don't have one hand free to hold the edges together while you stitch with the other. Of course, my hands and forearms already look like I've worked in a glass factory due to the evidence (scars) of an active mechanic's/DIYer's lifestyle and lots of past suture "train tracks".
I don't want to be too cavalier about this and have it mistakenly appear I am encouraging people to grab a bottle of SuperGlue and play Field Surgeon. If one has sliced oneself sufficiently to require stitches, then it is a Really Good Idea to go to a doctor or A&E and get some. Punctures require a tetanus shot as well. It is Dirty out in the field, and hard to irrigate and cleanse a wound properly, especially when by oneself and the only water available is what remains in your bottle and the bottom third or so is half spit. What I've gotten away with after midnight in my garage/shop while deep in the middle of a project and reluctant to take the time to drive to the A&E and can always get checked by a doctor the next morning...is a Not-Good Idea in the field. However, sometimes when touring I'm a long, long way from anyone, and buying another day or so by gluing a slice shut sure beats leaving a trail as I pedal out.
As to removing SuperGlue, there are special removers marketed just for that, but non-acetone nail polish/nail varnish remover will do the job with patience and gentle rocking side-to-side of the skin edges, as if rolling one glued finger against the other. Soaking in warm water till your fingers wrinkle and get pruney and then gently rocking from side-to-side will do the job eventually as well and even olive oil will start the process in a pinch. The thing you
don't want to do is try to pull your fingers directly apart. The skin surface will stay bonded and come loose form the deeper layers, leaving a gap beneath much like when a blister cover rolls off -- ouch!
If you try gluing your tire, be sure you use the beta-cyanoacrylate, Matt. This is the stuff that promises to glue leather and wood and rubber and such and says so right on the tube label. The regular stuff won't work well with rubbery items and will give poor results.
Hope this helps.
All the best,
Dan. (...who is out of well-meant cautions for the moment)
