New adhesive comes off quickly, sparing infants’ delicate
skin from damage.
Ripping off a Band-Aid may sting for a few seconds, but the
pain is usually quickly forgotten. However, for newborns’ sensitive skin,
tearing off any kind of adhesive can pose a serious risk.
Newborns lack an epidermis — the tough outermost layer of
skin — so medical tape used to secure respirators or monitoring devices
critical for the survival of premature babies can wreak havoc: Every year, more
than 1.5 million people suffer scarring and skin irritation from medical tape,
and the majority of those are infants or elderly people, who also have fragile
skin.
journal reference (abstract free): pnas >>