(Part 3) Best first aid tape according to redditors

It should be fine as long as you keep it covered. I’m sure your doc told you how to take care of it, but if you need extra protection, wrist wraps like these are great for covering and protecting the bandaged area.

And it just makes it look like a sprain, so no dumbasses have to assume anything.

Coach tape by johnson and johnson is my favorite. Strong, pretty sticky and relatively easy to rip with your fingers, decent price. Can be bought in bulk on amazon.

https://smile.amazon.com/Sport-Tape-Size-Johnson-Sports/dp/B00IG0SPBC/ref=sr_1_6?keywords=coach+sports+tape&qid=1572733162&refinements=p_85%3A2470955011&rnid=2470954011&rps=1&s=hpc&sr=1-6

Tried many other brands and they are either over priced due to being marketed towards grapplers, or ridiculously difficult to rip. Or doesn't stick well enough when you start sweating.

I use Nexcare hypoallergenic tape. Kinda pricey but so far no problems whatsoever. Would only use it for my fingers and not crack/ offwidth climbing though.

A lot of this depends on your surgeon's instructions, but here's my experience:

Shower: after drains come out. For me this was 8 days post-op. If you're feeling icky during the time you have your drains in you can have someone wipe you down with a washcloth and/or wash your hair in the sink for you. You can also sit in a really shallow bath- def have a pair of swim trunks around if you want help bathing from someone you don't want to be naked in front of.

Sleeping shirtless: I was shirtless from day one, it was a heat wave and 95+ every day my first week post-op. I had to wear a compression top, but I slept in just that. My surgeon had me wear the compression top 24/7 for the first two weeks (including the week when I had drains) and then only at night for another two weeks. Then I slept completely shirtless, although I can't remember how long I covered my nips with nonstick pads. Def not more than 6 weeks though.

Being shirtless in the sun: It's generally recommended that you wait a full year before exposing your scars to direct sunlight. This is especially important in the first 3-4 months when your scars are forming/healing. If you're not worried too much about your scars you can go ahead and be shirtless, but if you're cautious I would wait. I'm coming up on 11 months post op and my scars have yet to see direct sunlight. There's mixed opinions out there on whether or not scar tape can adequately protect your scars from the sun, it could be a good option if you want to go shirtless. I also came across this tape that has a zinc-oxide base, which could be promising since zinc oxide is the active ingredient in physical sunscreens. You could also use a zinc oxide based sunscreen if you don't wanna use tape.

Swimming: My surgeon said to wait 6 weeks to swim. You could probably go waist deep in a pool as soon as your incisions and grafts are healed.

perhaps a strip of medical tape could hold it:

https://www.amazon.com/3M-Micropore-Surgical-Paper-Dispensers/dp/B00H2G4QM8

(on the face)

Honesty I agree with your doctors it's not the biggest deal.

Emma Watson at age 23

She has terrible forehead wrinkles at age 23 (and at 26 now they're just as bad/worse) but no big deal. Emma's wrinkles are due to non-stop constant eyebrow/forehead lifting though (very obvious in her acting and interviews)

At 17 your skin is way too elastic with too much collagen to develop wrinkles by itself, so I'm guessing you move your forehead a lot. Stop doing that.

The most basic way to prevent/delay wrinkles is to hydrate your skin with a good moisturizer morning and night and to use sunscreen to prevent sun damage.

One thing I've done that 100% works (it sounds crazy but it really works and it's not a your mileage may vary, but it will work for everyone as long as your wrinkles aren't like super deep, but they shouldn't be at your age)...it's to stretch your forehead skin wide (with your fingers/hands) to smooth out the wrinkles and then to place tape firmly over it (while the skin is stretched wide) and do this before you go to sleep and leave it that way overnight. This will temporarily smoothen out the wrinkles and as long as you do not use your forehead muscle, it will stay wrinkle free. However, even just a day of moving your forehead muscles a bit will undo the effects immediately.

This is how frownies products work....but for long horizontal forehead wrinkles, what works imo better and easier is to use nexcare 3m tape

For your expression lines under your eyes and on the corners...you have two options that I've also used to excellent effect. But again, these are temporary, as in they really work well, but once you stop doing it or start doing a lot of expressive work, the lines come back.

Well hydrated skin stretches well...think of Paper. If you fold a piece of paper, you get a line down the center that doesn't go away even if you smooth out the paper right? But lets say you wet the paper and fold it...no wrinkles.

I know weird example lol because wet, soggy paper tears or breaks apart, but your skin obviously does not tear or break apart when wet and making expressions.

Anyway, in the morning you smooth a generous amount of Vaseline or aquaphor or cerave healing ointment over your expression lines (you have to use enough that it doesn't rub in and disappear). This will leave you looking greasy though and relatively noticeable to other people when they're at talking distance to you....but it keeps your skin extremely hydrated during the day that prevents the lines from making expressions like smiling and laughing and heals the current lines.

The alternative to this to avoid looking super greasy is to use a 100% silicone gel like scaraway but that's really expensive.

The tape method and Vaseline method heal existing wrinkles AND prevent new ones/worsening, but again they only work as long as you do it constantly and also limit your expression movement. Well, for the Vaseline, you can still smile a lot and it works, but you'll have to look greasy forever, whereas for the tape one, since it's at night, you don't need it during the day but if you use your forehead muscle during the day, the wrinkles come back gradually.

Retin a is excellent for wrinkles and the younger you start, the better the effects, but you have to be diligent about sunscreen use. Retin-A needs a prescription though and it doesn't sound like your doctors will prescribe you it, so you can get it through curology (relatively expensive at $240 a year) or cheaper through foreign pharmacies.

Glycolic acid is the same and it available OTC.

I fence foil, occasionally get hit on my pinky. Try to use
https://www.amazon.com/Elastic-Adhesive-Tape-Each-Rolls/dp/B00CBY7YJI/ref=sr_1_1_a_it?ie=UTF8&qid=1506444054&sr=8-1&keywords=zee+elastic+adhesive+tape

Or a bigger guard (11.5 cm)
https://www.absolutefencinggear.com/shopping/product_info.php/products_id/656/cPath/24_32

The waterproof athletic tape you can find at any Walgreen's and such is awesome for both stripes as well as general taping. Stuff doesn't come off unless you peel it off and great for taping toes.


https://smile.amazon.com/Bandaid-First-Aid-Waterproof-Tape/dp/B00MYH4NB4

https://www.amazon.com/3M-Micropore-Medical-Friendly-NonSterile/dp/B00KEEYFL2/ref=sr_1_2_a_it?ie=UTF8&qid=1543535460&sr=8-2-spons&keywords=3m+micropore+tape+2+inch&psc=1

​

I buy something like this. I have used other nexcare products and they are good but I have no idea how that one in particular will hold up.

I bought two rolls of this Trail Tape: 2" Non-woven Retention Tape (2"x10.9 yards) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00IVVQ0MW/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_wpPRCbR7XBHG7
At a marathon expo five years ago. I'm not even though half of the first roll and I run 4-6x/week.
Finally able to get rid of BodyGlide (stained my shirts) and ChafeX (takes too long to dry after application imo)

Here is the tape that I use, I just tape around the outside edges of the patch in a square. I usually put the tape on the edges of the patch first (with the film still on the patch, so it's not sticking to stuff), then peel off the film, and then transfer the patch to my back after that, because I'm not that coordinated with taping behind myself lol ;) i have found that tape can really hurt when you take it off, and even rip off skin! So this tape is gentler, but also sticky enough to actually stay on for 12 hours. Also, you're supposed to take at least 12 hours off between patches, so your skin can breathe, just FYI.

Habit Cough guy here also. I have sleep apnea and had clogged sinuses until a dentist friend told me it was because I was a mouth breather.

We were at a party and he turned to his brother in law and said, "... do you still tape your mouth shut." I thought he was messing with me.

He said that if you have dry mouth, you are probably a mouth breather. I tried the chin strap for my BiPap machine and woke with dry mouth - and clogged sinus. He said because your body makes sinus drain to keep the back of your throat lubricated.

That night I taped my mouth shut with 3M MicroPore 2" tape. (need to shave at night) and Literally have never had a clogged sinus/nose since.

​

Here is the email I sent back to my dentist buddy:



============ Email to my dentist buddy =================

Brian,

  Sir! Who would have thought that a 5 minute minor conversation at a party would be so life changing.

  I have been taping my mouth since that night - with awesome results.

  Night before last, I slept 9.1 hours with ZERO AHI ! Boom!

  I was telling a young guy about "taping it shut" and typed in "mouth breathing cortisol" on Google.

 This was LITERALLY the first thing that came up. I had never ever seen a reference to taping shut until this.

https://www.consciousbreathing.com/articles/nasal-breathing-boosts-your-sex-life/


Tape  https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00ICF3TG2/

 Thanks again. 

Let's keep in touch.

Dennis

Hey would you be able to provide a link to the tape you use? And is micropore important vs another sensitive skin medical tape such as this

I use this: http://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B005NHB4BY/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I also have: http://smile.amazon.com/Curad-Ouchless-Self-Adhering-Stretched-First-Aid/dp/B00AILFVAU/ref=sr_1_2?s=hpc&ie=UTF8&qid=1414108329&sr=1-2&keywords=curad+tape

I would say the latter is a bit more "sticky", but both work fine for me.

it's curad waterproof injury tape. the 1/2in ones.

https://www.amazon.com/Curad-Waterproof-Adhesive-Tape-yards/dp/B00AILFS8U/ref=sr_1_2_a_it?ie=UTF8&qid=1525731268&sr=8-2&keywords=curad+waterproof+adhesive+tape

That's a lifetime supply of it.

No such thing as a dumb question!

Yes, steri-strips are sticky all the way, but they specificly designed to be safe to dissolve inside cuts, however, most of not all steri-strips and butterfly bandages are hypoallerginic, so make sure the ones you have are allergy-safe.

But you can use butterfly bandages if you don’t want any adhesives to stick to your cuts, make sure to find the hypoallergenic latex-free kind.


When applying steri-strips, don’t apply them in one direction; like right-to-left, right-to-left; this can pull the skin to one way and not secure the wound shut.

instead pinch the wound shut, apply one strip right-to-left, appl the second strip from left-to-right, you know what i mean? this way it’s secured shut and not gaps can be formed.

If you wanna be extra, you can apply them like in this video demonstration (although they forgot to apply them in different directions)

↑Same thing can applied to butter-fly bandages

Depending on the depth and length, You can take them off after 5-7 days.

note: one taking them off, make sure some of the dissolved steri-strip parts are also taken off, usually at the place of the cut. Like a small little plastic strip that broke off the strip.

You can also use scissors to cut excessively ong steri-strips in half, so you can have more strips to close a long cut if required. (Make sure your scissors are clean)


Ps. I salute you on the absolute man-willpower for not taking them off, you go gon’ get it, bucko!

Post #2:

Preparation:

getting the supplies

Agar agar powder. [US](https://www.amazon.com/Telephone-Product-Thailand-Powder-Ounce/dp/B01KMHY2OU/) [Europe](https://www.amazon.co.uk/Special-Ingredients-Premium-Gelatine-European/dp/B00EZMPMNE)

Always start with agar! And don't throw old fully colonized plates out. Some contaminants (e.g. mycogone, AKA wet bubble disease will only show up after full colonization (white blobs oozing yellow/orange fluid). and that one (mycogone) will fck up your grow hard, been there done that...

Light malt extract. [US](https://www.amazon.com/Organic-Light-Dried-Malt-Extract/dp/B007XYGBXQ/) [Europe](https://www.amazon.co.uk/Balliihoo-Light-Spraymalt-1Kg-Bag/dp/B0153BASSY/)

Containers for no pour agar (Pasty Plates). [US](https://www.amazon.com/Glad-Food-Storage-Containers-Round/dp/B000WGBMMM/) [Europe](https://www.flaschenbauer.de/einmachglaeser/sturzglaeser/sturzglas-225-ml-to-82) (maybe use Google translate on that site). Also if you are in North America there are Glad mini rounds, they are used in the original Pasty Plate tek. They also have [430ml jars](https://www.flaschenbauer.de/einmachglaeser/sturzglaeser/sturzglas-430-ml-to-82) suitable as substrate containers

A pressure cooker. Good ones are a b**ch to find in Europe. I wouldn't buy [that one](https://www.ebay.de/itm/Pressure-cooker-17L-Stainless-steel-Made-In-Turkey-Largest-Size/133128864948) or similar constructed ones, they are complete s**t, build up next to no pressure and need ungodly amounts of water. I have two of them, but had to do some haphazard MacGyveresqe hacking to get them to sterilize properly, I'll bring that up later.

I also have a Fagor Alu 22 (22 liters, fits eleven quart bottles), but I think that model went out of production in 2017 without a replacement. IMHO the only sane option in Europe right now, would be to order a Presto from the US, they're ~80€ + 40€ shipping, so not that bad. [Presto 23 quart PC](https://www.amazon.com/Presto-Aluminum-23-Quart-Pressure-Canner/dp/B073NCFL2L/)

Also on US websites like shroomery, you'll always read something like "sterilize 90min @ 15 psi". Pressure cookers in Europe usually have no gauges and only go to 50-70 kPa (~7-10 psi). It isn't as bad as it sounds, since sterilization time isn't linear with pressure/temperature. I've found I can get away with 120 min sterilization time for grains, 75 min for PF sub and 30 min for agar.

Scalpel handle and blades. [US](https://www.amazon.com/100-Scalpel-Blades-One-Handle/dp/B01MPX3JTI/) [Europe](https://www.amazon.co.uk/Swann-Morton-Handle-5-10-Blades/dp/B004OIAVJY/)

(optional) inoculation loop. [US](https://www.amazon.com/OESS-Reusable-Inoculating-Inoculation-Bacterial/dp/B071DCS7TW) [Europe1](https://www.amazon.co.uk/Akozon-Inoculation-Inoculating-Microbiology-Laboratory/dp/B07KM7F8VH) [Europe2](https://www.amazon.co.uk/sourcingmap%C2%AE-Inoculating-Microbiology-Tissue-Culture/dp/B071X44DS4/)

Tyvek (for filtered lids). [US](https://www.amazon.com/Dupont-Tyvek-105gm-A5-Sheets/dp/B07418F31G/) [Europe](https://www.amazon.co.uk/Tyvek-75gm-Bumper-pack-sheets/dp/B004EXTKSW/)

(optional) oster blender attachments used for PF slurry or LI. [China](https://www.ebay.com/itm/4-Head-Ice-Crushing-Crusher-Blade-Replacement-Part-For-Oster-Osterizer-Blender/182451440105)

3M Micropore tape (for filtered lids and monotub holes). [US](https://www.amazon.com/3M-1530-1-Micropore-Tape-Pack/dp/B0082A9FEM/) [Europe](https://www.amazon.co.uk/3M-Micropore-Surgical-First-Medical/dp/B01KYK2666/)

A spray bottle for soapy water. [US](https://www.amazon.com/Tolco-Bottle-Frosted-Assorted-Colors/dp/B000H88PCU/) [Europe](https://www.amazon.co.uk/Leifheit-72416-Laundry-Sprayer/dp/B0049PB11Y/)

Isopropyl alcohol (rubbing alcohol), 70%. [US](https://www.amazon.com/Amazon-Brand-Isopropyl-Antiseptic-Technical/dp/B07NFSFBXQ/) (dilute down to 70%, that percentage is best for sanitization [EU](https://www.amazon.co.uk/We-Can-Source-Ltd-Fingerprints/dp/B07PGB5X6Y/)

A rack to elevate your agar dishes while you do transfers, like these that come with microwave ovens (contaminants tend to collect on the SABs bottom).

A slightly wet towel to put the SAB on. Some people disagree on this, I use the towel to absorb the sprayed soap/water mix and not having that run off the table.

A clear box that's modified as a SAB. I use this one as a SAB, maybe they ship outside Germany. Anyway the manufacturer is kis.it (builds the monotub too), so I think they might be available elsewhere in Europe: https://www.obi.de/aufbewahrungsboxen/obi-allzweckbox-santos-transparent-oversize-140-l/p/3333341?template=PDP&box=box4

More clear boxes used to fruit bottles (basically a monotub, just with individual substrate containers). I use these as unmodded monos (no holes, no flipped lid, lids not latched): https://www.obi.de/aufbewahrungsboxen/obi-allzweckbox-cadiz-l-mit-4-rollen-transparent/p/1930387.

Butane torch [US](https://www.amazon.com/Multipurpose-MDee-Culinary-Refillable-Adjustable/dp/B07MNN2B43) [Europe](https://www.amazon.co.uk/Kollea-Adjustable-Refillable-Blowtorch-Soldering/dp/B07QC1T6H5)

Bottles (can be wide mouth pint mason jars (US), quart Ziplock PP5 containers (US) or [these (which I use)](https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Round-Food-Containers-Plastic-Clear-Storage-Tubs-with-Lids-Deli-Pots-2oz-to-32oz/232308091965)

OK while not technically a KT brand the Elastikon brand by J&J has worked VERY well for me. I learned about it from Mark Charrette in his extremity series and it is cheap and is VERY sticky. I usually get 4+ days if not a whole week for a single application on my patients.

Vertically both times. The edges came up a little bit on both of them on my arms, but the first lasted at least 6 days. I took it off because I wanted to hide it for an event. Then the back one, which sucked. The back one also did some false compression lows while I was sleeping on it, so be wary of that. It said I was 4.7, which is my alarm, and I was 7.0 based on my finger prick.

The nurse who trained me uses Hypafix tape on hers, and cuts it. Super cheap and apparently lasts a long time. I just ordered some, as well as Cavilon Liquid Spray to maybe stop the rash-like bump I got, plus Skintac wipes to help it stick. If those three things together don't work, I don't know what will! I should get it all next week in the mail.

I use a strip of paper medical tape under the strap and haven’t had a problem since!

https://www.amazon.com/Nexcare-First-Gentle-Paper-Tape/dp/B002SV0M3O/ref=sr_1_8_a_it?ie=UTF8&qid=1511143136&sr=8-8&keywords=paper+medical+tape