PT - JOURNAL ARTICLE AU - Hajir Adl AU - Erika Henkelman AU - Ran D. Goldman TI - Topical skin adhesives for laceration repair in children AID - 10.46747/cfp.6704260 DP - 2021 Apr 01 TA - Canadian Family Physician PG - 260--262 VI - 67 IP - 4 4099 - http://www.cfp.ca/content/67/4/260.short 4100 - http://www.cfp.ca/content/67/4/260.full SO - Can Fam Physician2021 Apr 01; 67 AB - Question A 4-year-old child presented to my office recently with a 2-cm forehead laceration. The child had needle phobia and was very upset, so suturing in the office might have been very challenging. The parents were also concerned about the use of suture. Can topical skin adhesives (TSAs) be used instead of sutures, and what factors should be considered?Answer Lacerations in children are common and TSAs are useful alternatives to sutures. They achieve comparable outcomes to suturing in appropriately selected wounds. Appropriate lacerations are small, superficial, appropriately cleaned, and have well approximated edges that are not under tension. Complications such as wound dehiscence and infection are rare and cosmetic outcomes are comparable to sutures. Using TSAs can also save time, minimize patient anxiety, and eliminate the need for suture removal.