Medical tapes come in handy during all sorts of situations, and different types of medical tapes are best for different applications.
When building a portable first aid kit, using a one-size-fits-all approach will help conserve valuable space and weight, but for a larger kit or home use other tapes will be useful to address a wider range of needs.
The medical tape that meets your needs is ultimately your decision, so I will lay out my top picks and the advantages/disadvantages to all of them.
- Sticks to anything: While it’s specifically designed for medical purposes, it will stick to anything. It needs to be applied dry, but it sticks through sweat, hair, and blood no problem.
- Waterproof: You can go swimming or take a shower and this medical tape will stay on.
- Made with pores: It is covered in a grid-like pattern of tiny holes that give it some unique properties. Sweat and body fluid will pass right through it without causing it to come off. Air can reach the skin underneath it. Its pores allow you to tear in a straight line both across and lengthwise in order to customize the width.
- Easy to tear: Unlike many cloth tapes, 3M Transpore rips easily using your fingers both horizontally and vertically.
- Strongest adhesive tape for skin: If you need to take it off, you don't necessarily want the strongest tape, but sometimes the strongest is the best.
Although Transpore tape is useful and versatile, it is not perfect for every application.
- Leaves residue: 3M Transpore leaves behind a sticky residue around the edges when it is taken off your skin. According to product reviews, Goo Gone or similar products will remove the residue of this medical tape. Left to itself the residue will come off after several days of showering and daily activity.
- Removal can hurt sensitive skin: Transpore tape can pull out hair or leave residue that will aggravate sensitive skin.
Helpful Facts:
- Comes in .5", 1”, 2", or 3" by 10 yard (1.3, 2.5, 5, or 7.6cm x 9.1m) rolls
- Not stretchy
- Can be written on with marker
- Cannot be written on with pencil, pen
Uses:
- Securing gauze in place for cuts or burns
- Preventing chafing on your feet, nipples, or the inside of your thighs
- Securing a SAM splint. Upon removal it rips foam off splint
- Butterfly stitch for closing cuts to prevent scarring
- Numerous other non-medical uses
Not Great For:
- Daily bandage changes
- Sensitive skin
3M Micropore Paper Tape
Some of the uses for Micropore paper tape overlap with Nexcare Absolute Waterproof, but it still fills an individual niche in the tape world.
- Gentle on skin: It doesn’t adhere so strongly that it will rip out hair or leave sticky residue. It’s designed to be easily replaced on a daily basis with little to no irritation.
- Affordable: this medical tape costs several times less than Nexcare Absolute Waterproof.
- Sticks to skin: It sticks to skin well, and can stay on over the course of several days.
- Breathable: It is permeable to air and will aerate the skin underneath.
Micropore paper tape is not for every application.
- Not waterproof: It can handle some moisture, but it is not waterproof.
- Stiff: It does not conform well to irregular parts of the body like in between fingers or toes.
Helpful Facts:
- Comes in .5”, 1”, 2”, or 3” (1.3, 2.5, 5, or 7.6 cm) x 10 yd (9.1 m) rolls
- Not stretchy
- Can be written on in pencil, pen, marker
Uses:
- Daily bandage changes
- Taping sensitive skin
- Labeling (dates, times, product information, etc)
Not Great For:
- Heavy exercise
- Underwater
- Irregular areas of the body
- Covering blisters/chafing
