How to remove medical tape adhesive from skin

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For kids of all ages, boo-boos often feel better when covered with a fun adhesive bandage. However, removing Band-Aids is another story. Even if you're quick, yanking off a stubbornly stuck bandage can be painful for kids. Luckily, there are some simple tricks to make removing bandages a breeze. And the best part is that all you need is a little patience and some common household items.

5 Easy Ways to Remove Band-Aids

In general, bandages should be changed daily and can be removed once a cut has scabbed over. How many days this takes (from one to several) will depend on the severity and location of the wound.

Small cuts and scrapes that are in areas less prone to getting dirty, wet, or touched can often be uncovered sooner than wounds that are larger and/or on more high-friction areas (such as on hands or spots where their clothes or shoes will rub on it).

Consult with your child's doctor if you're not sure when to change or remove their bandage and/or if you have any concerns about how their cut is healing.

Here are five easy, ouch-less ways to remove your child's bandage. Note that most of these methods, except of course soaking in water, work for waterproof bandages, too.

Create a Tab for Better Control

If you decide to just rip it off quickly, be sure to first peel back one edge of the Band-Aid. Next, pull parallel to your child's skin. This will encourage the adhesive to release rather than stick to the skin.

To ease your child's anxiety, have your little one take a deep breath and then let them know that you're going to pull off the bandage on the count of three.

Remove the Bandage After a Bath

Giving your child a bath with their Band-Aid still intact can both clean the surrounding area and make removal easier. Water weakens the adhesive of the bandage, causing it to either fall off in the tub or peel off more easily once out of the bath.

Note that you can also moisten the bandage with a wet cloth as needed, say if it is on the upper body and isn’t submerged in a bath or if you want to skip the bath and go straight to removing the bandage.

Weaken Adhesive With Oil

Soak a cotton ball or cotton swab in baby oil. If you don't have baby oil handy, olive oil, petroleum jelly, or baby shampoo will work, too.

Next, gently rub it over the bandage until it falls off. You can test to see if it's working by slowly peeling up a corner of the bandage. 

Fun tip: Add a little food coloring to the oil and ask your child to help you "paint" it on the Band-Aid.

Dissolve Adhesive With Alcohol

Dabbing rubbing alcohol on the bandage will slowly dissolve the adhesive. Rinse the area after removing the bandage so that the alcohol doesn’t dry out the skin

Freeze Adhesive With Ice

Wrap a few ice cubes in a paper or thin towel and gently rub over the Band-Aid. Ice works by making the adhesive brittle, which in turn makes it easier to pull off of your child's skin.

How to Remove Adhesive From Skin

Rubbing alcohol dabbed on with a cotton ball can be used to remove any adhesive remaining on your child's skin. Other solutions for removing residue left on their skin after a bandage is removed include adhesive removal products, mild soap and water, gentle moisturizers, and baby oil.

Be sure to use a gentle touch when removing any leftover adhesive to avoid causing any trauma to the skin.

Signs of an Adhesive Allergy

If after wearing an adhesive bandage for a day or two, your little one develops an itchy, red rash in the shape of the adhesive bandage, they may have an adhesive allergy. This reaction is caused by contact dermatitis as a reaction to the adhesive. You may want to discuss this with your pediatrician at your next appointment.

The diagnosis of adhesive allergy is made by the use of patch testing, which involves the placement of various chemicals onto the skin, usually held against the skin using paper tape. Patch testing can confirm what is already suspected based on a person's symptoms, but also can identify the particular chemical that is causing the contact dermatitis.

Verywell Family uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.

• Widman TJ, Oostman H, Storrs FJ. Allergic Contact Dermatitis to Medical Adhesive Bandages in Patients Who Report Having a Reaction to Medical Bandages. Dermatitis. 2008 Jan-Feb;19(1):32-7.. doi:10.2310/6620.2007.00002.

By Stephanie Brown
Stephanie Brown is a parenting writer with experience in the Head Start program and in NAEYC accredited child care centers.

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