# Glueing something to skin
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/glueing-something-to-skin/350829
**Category:** Factual Questions
**Created:** [April 1, 2006, 10:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/glueing-something-to-skin/350829 "2006-04-01T10:19:31Z")
**Posts on this page:** 19
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@naita](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/naita)
#### Post date: [April 1, 2006, 10:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/glueing-something-to-skin/350829/1 "2006-04-01T10:19:31Z")
What type of adhesive can I use to glue plastic or metal to skin in a way that will take a strain?
There are of course plenty of glues that “bond instantly to skin”, but they’re invariably labled as irritants. Is surgical glue available to the common man, and will it glue things to skin as well as skin to skin?
Any other possible options, and how long would they last, what kind of strain would they take?
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### Author:  [@matt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/matt)
#### Post date: [April 1, 2006, 10:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/glueing-something-to-skin/350829/2 "2006-04-01T10:45:34Z")
Spirit gum is the glue used to stick on false beards and that sort of thing. No idea about its strength though.
[http://www.mehron.com/retail/category.cfm/25](http://www.mehron.com/retail/category.cfm/25)
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### Author:  [@Omniscient](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omniscient)
#### Post date: [April 1, 2006, 10:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/glueing-something-to-skin/350829/3 "2006-04-01T10:51:25Z")
More information is requested.
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### Author:  [@LawMonkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LawMonkey)
#### Post date: [April 1, 2006, 2:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/glueing-something-to-skin/350829/4 "2006-04-01T14:12:39Z")
Dare we even ask why you want to do such a thing?
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### Author:  [@Canadjun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Canadjun)
#### Post date: [April 1, 2006, 2:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/glueing-something-to-skin/350829/5 "2006-04-01T14:19:42Z")
> [@naita](#):
>
> What type of adhesive can I use to glue plastic or metal to skin in a way that will take a strain?
>
> There are of course plenty of glues that “bond instantly to skin”, but they’re invariably labled as irritants. Is surgical glue available to the common man, and will it glue things to skin as well as skin to skin?
>
> Any other possible options, and how long would they last, what kind of strain would they take?
Isn’t surgical glue just a special formulation of cyanoacrylate, i.e. similar to Crazy Glue? I could be wrong but I didn’t think Crazy Glue was that irritating. It certainly hasn’t irritated my skin when I’ve accidentally got some on me.
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### Author:  [@vetbridge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vetbridge)
#### Post date: [April 1, 2006, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/glueing-something-to-skin/350829/6 "2006-04-01T14:50:06Z")
“Surgical glue” is just a cyanoacrylate adhesive labeled for a specific use. It may bear a claim of sterility.
What about prosthetic adhesive? It is readily available, and is made for use on the skin.
[http://wolfstone.halloweenhost.com/Costumes/adhpro\_ProstheticAdhesive.html](http://wolfstone.halloweenhost.com/Costumes/adhpro_ProstheticAdhesive.html)
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### Author:  [@bizzwire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bizzwire)
#### Post date: [April 1, 2006, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/glueing-something-to-skin/350829/7 "2006-04-01T15:05:29Z")
I believe that crazy glue was originally intended for use as a surgical glue, but was not promoted as such because of the irritation it caused.
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### Author:  [@DocCathode](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DocCathode)
#### Post date: [April 1, 2006, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/glueing-something-to-skin/350829/8 "2006-04-01T15:27:39Z")
It depends on what exactly you want to glue to your skin, where exactly you want to glue it, how long it needs to stay on, and what you expect to be doing.
Some glues won’t work with certain materials. Some handle weight better than others. Some can’t handle bending.
Depending on the specifics, a wad of gum might work or you may need an industrial strength adhesive.
Re Irritation
While this varies from person to person, I’ve never had a problem with glue on my skin.
Sadly [This To That](http://www.thistothat.com/) does not cover attaching things to your skin.
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### Author:  [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)
#### Post date: [April 1, 2006, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/glueing-something-to-skin/350829/9 "2006-04-01T15:52:03Z")
Just remember that when it comes time to remove the glued object, it has to be _terror_ sweat.
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### Author:  [@AskNott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AskNott)
#### Post date: [April 1, 2006, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/glueing-something-to-skin/350829/10 "2006-04-01T16:04:58Z")
I’d try Band-Aid® Liquid Bandage. [http://www.bandaid.com/liquid\_bandage.shtml](http://www.bandaid.com/liquid_bandage.shtml) I’ll warn you, though, it’s not cheap.
When my dentist was about to glue a crown onto my tooth, he said he was using a high-strength glue. Epoxy, I asked? He shook his head and said that epoxy is not bio-compatible
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### Author:  [@gotpasswords](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gotpasswords)
#### Post date: [April 2, 2006, 1:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/glueing-something-to-skin/350829/11 "2006-04-02T01:14:36Z")
Liquid Bandage is a cyanoacrylate product, but not as strong as you might expect - they say you can readily pull apart fingers that have been glued together with it. Their pro-grade stuff is called Dermabond, and you won’t be able to separate fingers glued together with it, but it’s not available to consumers.
From personal experience, the old-stype Liquid Nails construction adhesive will stick to skin for a few days.
In case anyone’s wondering, it’s not possible to glue something to skin in a truly permanent way due to the constant cycle of the outer layer of skin renewing itself as cells flake off.
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### Author:  [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)
#### Post date: [April 2, 2006, 1:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/glueing-something-to-skin/350829/12 "2006-04-02T01:25:48Z")
What about nail glue, for acrylic nails? Would that work?
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### Author:  [@CookingWithGas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CookingWithGas)
#### Post date: [April 2, 2006, 4:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/glueing-something-to-skin/350829/13 "2006-04-02T04:19:20Z")
A glue as potent as what’s being discussed will be stronger than the upper layer of your skin. One really good tug on whatever you’ve got glued on could really ruin your day.
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### Author:  [@Miss\_Purl\_McKnittington](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miss_Purl_McKnittington)
#### Post date: [April 2, 2006, 4:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/glueing-something-to-skin/350829/14 "2006-04-02T04:46:42Z")
> [@matt](#):
>
> Spirit gum is the glue used to stick on false beards and that sort of thing. No idea about its strength though.
>
> [http://www.mehron.com/retail/category.cfm/25](http://www.mehron.com/retail/category.cfm/25)
It’s not that hard to rip off spirit-gummed moustaches/beards. It usually takes a bit of skin off with it and that smarts a lot. When my high school did _South Pacific_, most of the sailors were actually girls, so almost everybody was wearing some sort of fake facial hair. The one guy who was wearing a fake moustache decided that he was too impatient to wait for the remover, so every night he just ripped his moustache off. I don’t know if he just had really tough skin or if it was just that he actually shaved his upper lip and we girls didn’t, but four year later, I still can’t believe that he did that eight times in five days. I tried, and I ended up taking off a chunk of skin off my lip.
If you were going to try to glue something with any weight to it, then I’d wager that spirit gum isn’t strong enough. Anything stronger and I think you’d be looking at a pretty bad scab or worse afterwards.
In the movies and in theater, when it looks like an actor has metal glued to their skin, it’s usually actually a lightweight rubber or plastic prosthetic or mould, and they’re using spirit gum or a similar substance to attach it. It might be a _very_ lightweight metal, but probably not.
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### Author:  [@R.P.McMurphy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/R.P.McMurphy)
#### Post date: [April 2, 2006, 5:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/glueing-something-to-skin/350829/15 "2006-04-02T05:04:59Z")
FWIW, and I can’t cite this, when Crazy Glue came on the market the surgeons recognized it’s possibilities. However, the same stuff in “surgical quality” wasn’t available in sufficient quantities so they just went ahead and use the off-the-shelf stuff in their procedures. It worked and they thought it was pure enough for their purposes.
Again, take it FWIT.
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### Author:  [@naita](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/naita)
#### Post date: [April 2, 2006, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/glueing-something-to-skin/350829/16 "2006-04-02T16:21:39Z")
> [@Omniscient](#):
>
> More information is requested.
More information on its way.
> [@Lemur Catta](#):
>
> Dare we even ask why you want to do such a thing?
Sure. I was wondering whether it was possible to use glue to make a fake piercing, for example by glueing a split ring to… somewhere.
> [@Canadjun](#):
>
> Isn’t surgical glue just a special formulation of cyanoacrylate, i.e. similar to Crazy Glue? I could be wrong but I didn’t think Crazy Glue was that irritating. It certainly hasn’t irritated my skin when I’ve accidentally got some on me.
Well all the ones I’ve seen are labled as irritating, and the staff report on using ordinary [Super Glue](http://www.straightdope.com/mailbag/msuperglue.html) as cheap liquid bandage says:
> [@](#):
>
> Is it safe to use ordinary household cyanoacrylate glue as a medical glue? According to Reference 7, most cyanoacrylate glues not designed specifically for medical use are formulated from methyl-2-cyanoacrylate, since it produces the strongest bond. Not only can such glues irritate the skin, during polymerization they can generate significant heat, to the point of causing skin burns. I gather this is a problem only if a large area of skin is affected. But to err on the side of safety, you should tell your brother-in-law he should only use medically-approved glue, not the ordinary kind.
And I suppose that’s enough quoting. It appears I’ll have to shelve this idea, or start hanging out with doctors and try to score some dermabond. 😃
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### Author:  [@DocCathode](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DocCathode)
#### Post date: [April 2, 2006, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/glueing-something-to-skin/350829/17 "2006-04-02T21:19:06Z")
> [@naita](#):
>
> More information on its way.
> Sure. I was wondering whether it was possible to use glue to make a fake piercing, for example by glueing a split ring to… somewhere.
Your genitals are no place for Krazy Glue, Goop, or spirit gum. I’ve never had any of them irritate my hands, but rubbing alcohol or chili peppers don’t cause an indescribable burning agony when applied to my hands either.
I have no idea what effect these adhesives have on nipples. I am not eager to find out.
You can get fake rings for the face. These pinch somewhat, but require no glue. I have no idea how well they would hold on genitals, or how comfortable they would be.
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### Author:  [@Cervaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cervaise)
#### Post date: [April 2, 2006, 9:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/glueing-something-to-skin/350829/18 "2006-04-02T21:47:30Z")
> [@DocCathode](#):
>
> I have no idea what effect these adhesives have on nipples. I am not eager to find out.
Hey **mangeorge**!
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### Author:  [@naita](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/naita)
#### Post date: [April 5, 2006, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/glueing-something-to-skin/350829/19 "2006-04-05T17:34:04Z")
> [@DocCathode](#):
>
> You can get fake rings for the face. These pinch somewhat, but require no glue. I have no idea how well they would hold on genitals, or how comfortable they would be.
Pinching is no problem, their main drawback would be them not staying on under any kind of strain.