Whipping up good 'ol Google to investigate DERMABOND a little further, I spent some time at their website. It would appear that tissue adhesives have extended beyond the realm of general surgery and also find applications in cardiovascular surgery, neurosurgery, cosmetic surgery...
Despite its limitations, the fact that DERMABOND can promote faster recovery times, avoid the hassle of having to remove stitches, do not require further dressings/bandages, etc. all point to tissue adhesives as being a promising alternative and an area for further inquiry.
For further interest, be sure to check out,
http://www.dermabond.com
http://emj.bmjjournals.com/cgi/content/full/19/5/382 - an article examining the "Use of tissue adhesives in the management of paediatric lacerations"
In regards to the post about tape, I figured it would be worth mentioning that 'skin closure tapes' such as "Steristrips" are gaining popularity. It is less invasive then the use of stitches but its limitations include less precision in brining the wound edges together as well as not being able to use them on hairy skin, or skin areas with secretions.
From personal experience, I can say that using Steristrips in conjunction with stitches provide some remarkable results. Following an accident (I'll just skip the gory details), I was sure that I'd have a massive scar and a heck of a story to tell. But after I got patched up and the tenderness subsided, the scar is barely visible.
Nonetheless, duct tape is very useful, especially in the case of this fellow:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/989992/posts
I guess Red Green (fictional handyman in a Canadian sitcom) did have it right when he proclaimed that duct tape fixes everything
