Technological Information on Medical Adhesive Tape

Abstract

　Origin of adhesive tape can be traced back to the usage of plasters in around 2000 B.C. In the eighteenth century, rubber adhesive was developed for medical purposes. Rubber adhesive consists mainly of natural rubber and resins, and also additives that may cause irritation on the skin. To solve this problem of irritation, synthetic rubber and purer components were introduced. On the other hand, acrylic adhesive, which is produced synthetically and gives substantial adhesion without any additives, causes little irritation. For that reason, acrylic adhesive has become the main adhesive for medical tape. Furthermore, acrylic adhesive has far more vapor permeable characteristic than rubber adhesive, which also contributes to less irritation. And acrylic adhesive is widely used as medical tape.
　A wide variety of vinyl tape products are manufactured from many kinds of materials mostly for industrial use. Vinyl tape generally gives low moisture permeation, and that causes maceration of skin and may increase the introduction of irritation-causing ingredients into the skin.
　Damage of stratum corneum, which is one of the major causes of irritation by removal of tape from the skin, occurs when adhesion of tape is stronger than strength of interaction between stratum corneum cells. The stimulation by this damage causes not only irritation but also pain on the patients, and development of new technology had been expected for reduction of this adverse effect from the QOL point of view. Recently, a new kind of oil based gel adhesive was developed which gives moderate adhesion achieved by increase in contact area. This adhesive (Yuki-ban^®, gentle-on-skin adhesive) reduces damage of stratum corneum and induces less irritation on the skin than the conventional adhesive.