A Cut Above The Band-Aid

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It could end that age-old bandage conundrum: Do you peel it slowly from your skin or rip it off all at once? Wound-care companies now offer a new generation of pain-free personal first-aid gear, replacing hair-pulling plastic strips with liquid bandages; breathable, waterproof gel sheaths; and gauze pads that stem blood loss quickly.

Band-Aid Liquid Bandages Based on the same technology as Dermabond, the glue used in hospitals in place of sutures, liquid Band-Aids ($8 for a 10-use bottle) are swabbed onto minor wounds, allowed to dry, then left to wear away on their own.

Curad Hydro Heal Bandages These self-stick, waterproof gel strips protect wounds from dirt and germs but retain moisture to promote healing. They sell for $3.60 per 10-pack and can be worn for several days.

First Aid Quick Stop Gauze Pads Johnson & Johnson's sterile gauze pads ($4.50 for six), treated with the clotting agent calcium alginate, are designed to stop bleeding twice as fast as ordinary gauze.

Curad Scar Therapy Pads According to Beiersdorf Inc., these "second-aid" polyurethane pads reduce the visibility of scars, even old ones. At $17 for three weeks' worth of pads, at least they're cheaper than plastic surgery.

Americool Liquid Ice This reusable wrap bandage uses mentholated fluid as a coolant to reduce the temperature at an injury site by as much as 15[degrees]F. The bandage stays cold for two hours. Forty uses for $40.

Sunbeam Mobile Heat Therapy Pads Cordless, disposable heat comes in air-activated, iron-powder-filled pouches ($7.50 for four) that heat up to a max of 110[degrees] for up to eight hours.

--By Sora Song