The Amazing Bandage: Band-Aid Activ Flex

Every now and then a product comes along that, although it fills just a small niche in the grand scheme of things, works so much better than anything else that it has a greatness of its own.

Band-Aid Activ Flex bandages fit into that category.

Simply put, while they're a little bit pricey, they're well worth it because they don't just work better than regular bandages, they do things those bandages can't. They're waterproof and germ-proof, they speed and enhance healing, and they stay on for days.


Like A Second Skin
I keep a few Activ Flex bandages in my sports bag, and while playing outdoor volleyball over Memorial Day weekend, one of the other players, Ian, cut open the sole of his foot on top of a blister he'd gotten the day before.

We used a little water to wash it clean and then some antiseptic wash, and then he applied the Activ Flex bandage. Shortly afterwards he had re-entered the game.

These bandages are both waterproof and seal to your body like a second skin. While they can't take unlimited abuse, they stay on for days under ordinary circumstances and so are particularly good for areas like your hands which are constantly being washed.


Ian's bandage came off partly because of the blister and partly because of the wear and tear from running and jumping on it, but I gave him a couple more and he was sold on them, planning to go out and buy some himself.

Advanced Healing and Less Pain
These bandages were actually first developed for hospitals by Compeed, and Johnson & Johnson brought them out about 10 years ago under the trademark "Advanced Healing." (Competitors have since come out with similar products, but I think these work better.) I suspect their hefty price (about $5 for a pack of 10) discouraged people from trying them.

So a couple of years ago J&J rebranded them as "Activ Flex" with the implication that they would work better for active people. That's true, but they also make wounds heal much faster and with less scarring. Also, the Activ Flex bandages dramatically reduce the pain from the wound.

To me the price is justified because they both work better and stay on for days, so you don't need to replace them anywhere near as often.

Other Products: Blisters and Liquid Bandages
The same flexible, stretching colloidal material has been adapted for other purposes, too. For a while they had a similar scar treatment which I used to fade the scar where a mole had been removed, and they still sell a blister healing product. (I've also used these bandages to prevent blisters from forming, such as when I'm breaking in new boots.)


A different product, but one that also has its roots in the hospital products division, is J&J's Band-Aid Liquid Bandage.

They've revamped this product to make it a simple one-step process with a Q-tip style applicator, as opposed to the former method which required you to squeeze a liquid onto an activator. I'm not sure it works as well for larger cuts, but it seals small cuts very well, and again that's most useful on your hands which flex and get washed constantly.

The other advantage of the Band-Aid Liquid Bandage is that it doesn't sting when you apply it, unlike competing liquid and spray bandages.
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Pick-up Volleyball

I played volleyball twice this week, Sunday at the church and Monday at the county rec center. Monday was my first time to play at Howard County's new Glenwood Center:


I had fun both days but I never got comfortable at Glenwood and played poorly all around; on Sunday at least my defense came around toward the end and I made some decent digs of some very hard hits.

I'll probably try to go out to Glenwood again sometime. They had a few decent players so it was mostly just that I was out of sync and then I twisted my back after a couple of hours of play. I'd say the overall level of play was B league.

The facility has an interesting layout where big dividers that can be mechanically rolled up separate the courts (with basketball on the other side of the partition), a system that actually isolates the courts pretty well.

I also picked up a medical clearance form so I can use the weight room. They have treadmills, stationary bikes, free weights, and exercise machines at the center. Glenwood is furthermore a green technologies showcase for the county, with waterless urinals and geothermal heating.

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