Styptic pencil – Learn more with My Education Compass! We have just come across a very valuable commodity to have in your first aid kit.
It’s called a styptic pencil. They have a niche use in wet shaving, but why aren’t they more prevalent? It’s an incredible $3 purchase.
Kids who get paper cuts at schools, why do they have to continuously change bandages for a week? Wouldn’t it be easier to use a styptic pencil, seal the cut in seconds.
They serve one purpose, and they do it well. It makes logical sense that you would stick it in a school’s first aid kid to seal minor cuts.
You can reuse them. Run a little water over the top and put it on the cut. After that, wash off the blood from the pencil and put it back in its reusable plastic tube.
Table of Contents
Different Types of Styptic Products
There are various classes of antihemorrhagic drugs used in medicine. These contain Antifibrotics, blood coagulation factors, fibrinogen, and vitamin K.
Styptic Balm
Styptic Balm entered the market in 2017. It is the easiest and most effective way to control the bleeding from shaving cuts (not to mention the most suitable).
It uses a patent-pending formula that includes Tea Tree oil, Aloe Vera, Vitamin E, Argan Oil, and Jojoba Oil, nourishing your skin and promoting healing.
It uses an ideal blend of these oils with aluminum sulfate to stop the bleeding from shaving cuts.Styptic Balm offers customers a more natural solution to help every shaver.
Their goal was to create a well-designed product that would help deal with shaving nicks & cuts quicker, cleaner, and with more quality ingredients.
They wanted to stop the bleeding but also nourish the skin at the same time. Pencil styptic solution has been around for over 100 years and hasn’t changed.
The product comes in a hard white rock form, all-aluminum Sulfate, and is tough to use on your skin:
- Styptic Matches – The styptic matches are made with aluminum sulfate and designed for singles used to stop bleeding from shaving nicks. They usually use a shallow grade of aluminum sulfate and can be very harsh on your skin.
- Styptic Powder – It is often used on animals because their veins are in the center of the nails. Cutting your pet’s nails too short can start bleeding, and this solution works well for your pets.
Medical Uses of Styptic Pencil
Hemostatic agents are utilized during surgical procedures to obtain hemostasis.
These agents are categorized as hemostats, sealants, and adhesives based on their mechanism of:
- Action
- Composition
- Easy application
- Adherence to tissue
- Immunogenicity
- Price
They allow for faster hemostasis, better visualization of the surgical area, shorter operative times, reduced need for transfusions, faster wound healing, and overall improvement in patient recovery time.
An antihemorrhagic agent is a substance that helps stop bleeding and support hemostasis.
A styptic pen is a product that stops bleeding in minor wounds and cuts on the face and body.
It contains an antihemorrhagic agent, which helps constrict blood vessels and restrict blood flow, allowing the wound to close quickly. The primary ingredient in a styptic pen is anhydrous aluminum sulfate.
A styptic pen is a product that stops bleeding from minor injuries and cuts on the face and body.
It contains an antihemorrhagic agent, which helps constrict blood vessels and restrict blood flow, allowing the wound to close quickly.
Forms That are Available
Topical hemostatic agents have been gaining popularity in emergency bleeding control, particularly military medicines.
Three forms are available:
- Granular powder for wounds
- Styptic pencil
- Dressing embedding
Microfibrillar collagen hemostat (MCH) is a resorbable topical agent composed of collagen microfibers that attract platelets and facilitate blood clot formation upon contact with blood.
Unlike the hemostatic clamp, the MCH does not use any mechanical action.
The surgeon places the MCH on a bleeding site, and the collagen aids in the clotting process, eventually stopping the bleeding.
Chitosan Hemostats
Chitosan hemostats are topical agents made up of chitosan and its salts. They are used to stop traumatic, life-threatening bleeding and are commonly used in military and trauma units.
Chitosan bonds with red blood cells and platelets to create a gel-like clot that seals a bleeding vessel.
This action does not require the normal hemostatic pathway, and it can still function even in the presence of anticoagulants like heparin.
How it Works
Contact activation like Kaolin (and the zeolite in it) activates the coagulation cascade and has been used as the active element of hemostatic dressings.
A styptic pencil contains astringents that contract tissue and seal injured blood vessels as an antihemorrhagic agent.
A styptic pencil contains astringents that contract tissue and seal damaged blood vessels as an antihemorrhagic agent.
A typical delivery system for this is a styptic or hemostatic pencil. This is a short stick of medication.
Anhydrous aluminum sulfate is the main ingredient and acts as a vasoconstrictor to stop blood flow.
How is it Used?
The stick is used directly to the bleeding site. High ionic strength helps to facilitate the clumping together of blood cells, which can cause bleeding to stop.
Additionally, astringent chemicals can cause local constriction of blood vessels. Before razors were invented, styptic pencils were a standard part of a shaving kit and were used to seal any cuts that occurred during shaving.
Even today, some people continue to use styptic pencils for minor skin wounds caused by safety or electric razors.
Using a Styptic Pencil can save you money in the long run, but it does require some additional maintenance.
What Else is Styptic Powder Used For?
Styptic powder is commonly used in the veterinary industry to stop bleeding from nails that are clipped too closely.
This powder is typically used on animals such as dogs, cats, and rabbits, whose veins are located in the center of their nails.
Using a Styptic Pencil can save you money in the long run, but it does require some additional maintenance.
You’ll need to dry it for 2-4 minutes after each use, but it can last a long time due to its pure aluminum sulfate content.
The majority of shaving cuts can be treated with a Styptic pencil. Seek medical attention for major blood vessel injuries.
Reasons Schools Should Consider Keeping a Styptic Pen on Hand…
You can purchase styptic pencils both online and from physical stores. However, it is important to avoid products that lack proper packaging to store the pencil.
Poorly packaged styptic pencils can easily crumble and become unusable. Look for modern versions that come in a container, which ensures that you use only the required amount of the product without exposing the entire pencil.
