Removal of perforated adhesive tape: dry versus solvent-assisted

This study compared the speed of dry removal of perforated adhesive tape from skin with some of the more commonly used solvents, namely acetone, arachis (peanut) oil, paraffin oil and saline. Twenty healthy volunteers had each of the solvents used on separate adhesive tapes applied circumferentially to their arms. Time to removal was recorded and analysed using the non-parametric sign test. The findings indicate that removing the tape dry was faster than using solvents, with the exception of acetone. Additionally, the researchers had difficulty cleaning the skin following the removal of tape when solvents were used. The solvents tended to cause some disintegration of the tape adhesive, which remained attached to the volunteers' skin and was difficult to remove. The researchers' preference is for dry removal of perforated adhesive tapes.