They stick. They stretch. They soothe your tots. They're tough, clear, rubbery, gooey, round, winged, squiggly and hour-glassed. They're Disney-fied, tattoo-like and glow-in-the-dark.

And they're waiting for you in the bandage aisle.

The adhesive bandage market now explodes with a dizzying array of new products, advanced technology and enough fast-paced wow factor for kids to distract even the most accident-prone when the blood is flowing and the tears are rolling.

With the average American household host to seven boxes of bandages at a time and store brands competing against the big boys, the industry corralled nearly $740 million in U.S. adhesive bandage revenue in 2006, the most recent figure available from Frost & Sullivan medical device analyst Sheila Ewing.

That's a far cry from the $3,000 worth of Band-Aid brand strips leader Johnson & Johnson sold back in 1920, the first year the convenient invention hit the shelves after one of the company's cotton buyers came up with the idea for his newlywed wife to treat her chronic kitchen cuts and burns.

"There are so many products out there on the shelves," Ewing said. "They're doing every small change they can think of to differentiate themselves. It's a market that just keeps chugging along."

Medically speaking, much of the industry's thinking on bandages has shifted to all-around seal, defying the "let-the-air-get-to-it" approach your mom might have embraced. The makers of bandages advocate a clean, treat and protect strategy that involves keeping minor wounds covered for longer.

"For the most common injuries, just your regular Band-Aid is going to work," said Dr. Jack Weida, a Hershey, Pa., family physician, medical school professor and member of the board of directors of the American Association of Family Physicians. "Various shapes and sizes are helpful, because there are certain areas of the body that a traditional bandage doesn't hang on to real well."

Alongside just your regular bandages, which are still popular -- primarily because of their lower cost -- are roll-ons, liquids and drops, gel centers to prevent and pad blisters, flexible sport strips with extra cushion and hold against sweat, bandages made of tough fabric with powerful stick and extended lengths for hard-working hands.

There are strips for better "breathability" and fat H shapes for knuckles and tabbed shapes to mold around fingers.

For mindful and fragile souls, there are latex-free strips, strips for sensitive skin and eco-friendly bandages made of recycled PVC plastic, complete with natural food-grade colorings and animal-free water-based adhesives.

And don't forgot those little dots often left in the bottom of the box. They're precious to runners trying to protect upper chest areas from chafing and to mountain bikers who can attach them to their palms to protect blisters under their riding gloves.

Ewing said store brands are strong on basic bandages, prompting the larger manufacturers to turn to products that may cost a little more.

"That's where this market is really trying to find its way," she said. "Does the consumer want to spend just a few cents or more? The consumer is very price-conscious in this market."

Sara Raisner, a 23-year-old law student in New York City, falls in the "no" category on price.

"There's an overwhelmingly needless variety," she said recently while shopping in the wound care section of a CVS drug store. "It really is ridiculous. If I have a small cut, I need a small one. If I have a big cut, I need a big one. That's about it. I'm not willing to pay extra."

Ridiculous or not, the market is crowded, intensely so when perusing the moveable feast of bandages adorned with licensed themes and characters from popular movies, sports, TV shows and toys for kids -- a demographic that accounts for more than half the industry's consumer sales, Ewing said.

Both Johnson & Johnson and competitor Nexcare -- an aggressive player with a slew of Disney licenses and unusual clear plastic domed packaging for adult lines -- have mesmerized children with tattoo-style bandages.

Smaller than traditional strips, the tattoo styles feature clear ultra-thin and waterproof backings emblazoned with themes and characters ranging from High School Musical to SpongeBob SquarePants. Quickly riding the buzz from the big and small screens to the bandage aisle counts for a lot these days to moms and bandage makers alike.

"It really keeps things fresh. Children get fickle, and they're using them for decoration as well," said Michael Sweeney, brand manager for Nexcare, put out by 3M.

Waterproof bandages are big sellers for Nexcare, which has shifted the look of its strips to a diamond-shaped all-around seal that eliminates the gap at the gauze pad. For competitor Curad, owned by Medline Industries Inc., the sports line with more cushion and flex is hot. Johnson & Johnson's waterproof products are popular as well, along with strips that have pads pre-treated with antibiotic ointment. The gooey strips come in traditional colors and bold neons to attract young people.

As for Johnson & Johnson's ointment-treated strips, some parents are grateful for the chance to get some germ-fighting goop onto the cuts and scrapes of their goop-adverse kids, while others are more than happy to save the extra money.

Some tattoo bandages have counterintuitive, narrow adhesive running around the edge of the strip that can frustrate big people dealing with bleeding and screaming little people.

Kids have an easier time putting on the tattoo style, Sweeney said. "Within seconds they have figured it out, but for grown-ups, it's a very unique, different concept for them to grasp."

You could fill your medicine chest with 'em



By LEANNE ITALIE

Associated Press Writer



What you'll find on the bandage shelf, and how it worked for me:

* THE SHAPES

Shaped bandages are often geared toward knuckles or fingers. Some require visual directions to figure out how to apply.

Curad's extra-long "Extreme Length" strip has a pad close to one end to wrap around a finger twice. It's about twice as long as a traditional strip and comes in a tough fabric. I field-tested it on my husband, and it took the hair right off the back of his hand at peel-off time.

* THE STRIPS

Strip bandages aren't as simple as they sound.

Many latex-free bandages are on the market. Curad has a hypoallergenic Sensitive Skin line that is lightweight with adhesives to stay on long without irritation.

Band-Aid brand's Tough Strip line offers super-stick adhesive for extended wear and a heavy duty fabric variety for gardeners, carpenters and others who work hard with their hands under less-than-sanitary conditions.

There are a variety of other strips marketed as waterproof and others touting extra flexibility and cushion for active lifestyles.

In the Nexcare lines, the unique diamond-shaped strips are wider at the center pad to provide extra seal to keep dirt and germs at bay.

* GOOP & GIVE

Band-Aid pioneered specialized strips with ointment already in the pad. The "plus Antibiotic" strips include a good amount of the goop, but they cost a little more. They come in neon blue, green and purple for kids and an extra-large size for knees and elbows.

Another Band-Aid line, Activ-Flex, was "inspired by your skin" and has a space age look without a traditional center gauze pad, a technology aimed at minimizing the appearance of scars while offering 360-degree flexibility. I was prepared to scoff at this bandage, but it really stretches and moves and is very lightweight.

The absence of a traditional gauze pad puts it in my "not for every wound" category. Johnson & Johnson, the maker of the Band-Aid brand, said the Activ-Flex line is intended more for "fluid management" of blisters and blister prevention than gaping wounds or scrapes.

* LIQUIDS, SPRAYS, ROLL-ON

I had a hard time figuring out whether I had put on enough of several of these products, including Band-Aid's liquid bandage that comes in single-use sealed packets and is applied with a pre-treated disposal swab stick with a foam tip. The drops style of liquid bandages, from several makers, allows you to apply extra if desired.

Nexcare has a no-sting pump spray to cover larger areas, but it requires two applications and had a strong odor going on until it dried.

* FOR KIDS

Huge sellers, bandages for children offer colorful and familiar characters in basic strips and fun patterns, including glow-in-the-dark and animal prints for older kids who have outgrown many of the cartoon and TV favorites. Larger sizes for big boo-boos are ple.jpgul.

The tattoo-style by Nexcare includes designs printed on clear and very flexible backings, but the thin adhesive strip scenario can be difficult for grown-ups. This style is smaller than a basic bandage, which is part of the appeal to my 8-year-old daughter.

Band-Aid has a similar style of tattoo-like strips touted as waterproof with easier peels.

Bandages that could make the cut

Despite lots of new advances in the bandage field, there's still more to come.

Researchers at the University of Rochester's Center for Future Health have been looking at "smart bandage" technology with built-in sensors to ide.jpgy different kinds of bacteria. The pad would change color for an instant read on whether the wound requires urgent attention with specific antibiotics.

A U.S. patent was approved in 2004 for fragrance-infused bandages aimed at young children. Imagine the familiar and potentially comforting scents of fruit, chocolate, buttered popcorn or apple pie.

On the more immediate front for kids: Camouflage strips in green, pink and blue are coming from Curad as the company tries to extend its reach up the age ladder. Johnson & Johnson plans Batman strips soon.

And -- get in line now -- Nexcare will launch Hannah Montana bandages in March.

You must be logged in to comment.