Alpha-gal friendly Band-Aids

 Alpha-Gal Reaction to Band-Aids is one of the most common questions I’ve seen in alpha-gal groups is about band-aids. As much research as I’ve done on alpha-gal and as long as I’ve lived with it I honestly never gave band-aids a second thought. That changed fast.


Recently, I had a heart monitor implant. When I came home, I changed the dressing for the first time. The nurses had covered everything with gauze and tape, but I decided to switch it to a large band-aid for convenience.

That’s when the trouble started.

I soon learned that almost all band-aids contain mammal byproducts, which is a problem for those of us with alpha-gal. The more I changed the bandage, the worse my skin looked. It became extremely red, irritated, and painful. By the last time I removed a band-aid, a piece of my skin actually came off with it.

I called my heart doctor, and they told me to go straight to the ER.

At the ER, they gave me a large supply of gauze and tape and told me not to use band-aids anymore. After that, I went on a mission. I tried almost every band-aid on the shelf at Walmart no luck. All of them caused a reaction.

Thankfully, the site Pill Clarity did some digging and found two band-aids that do NOT contain mammal byproducts and are safe for those of us with alpha-gal. I’ll post the link for anyone who needs it, because this information would have saved me a lot of pain.

Sometimes it’s the things we never think about that catch us by surprise. If you have alpha-gal, be cautious with adhesives and always check the ingredients your skin might thank you.
                                                                                   
 
                                                                  Patch on amazon
Band-Aid SKIN Flex
                                                              


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