This invention relates to a method and composition for removing adhesive bandages from people to minimize pain during the process of removal.
Adhesive bandages are well known for their tenacity and excellent adhesion to the skin. They are widely used in the form of small packaged combinations of adhesive tape and sterile gauze, and are commonly applied by medical personnel in the form of sterile pads or gauze over the wound or sore, held in place by the adhesive tape which is wound or cut to cover both the sterile gauze and the nearby skin.
An unpleasant side effect of the excellent service of adhesive tape is the painful step of removing it. Breaking the bonds of adhesion to the skin is not the only source of pain; if there is hair on the skin under the adhesive tape, which is quite common, the hair also adheres to the tape and is pulledxe2x80x94sometimes pulled out by the rootxe2x80x94when the tape is removed.
In spite of the widespread use of adhesive bandages and adhesive tape for medical purposes, very little attention has been paid to the problem of alleviating the infliction of pain when the bandages and tape are removed. This is so also in spite of the fact that adhesive solvents and removers are known in other contexts.
For example, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,604,193, an adhesive and enamel remover is described containing d-limonene, certain dibasic esters, and N-methyl pyrrolidone. The composition is suggested for removing adhesive residues and enamels from various building surfaces and the like.
D-limonene is combined with tetrahydrofurfuryl alcohol in U.S. Pat. No. 5,514,294, an all-purpose cleaner containing d-limonene is  greater than described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,620,937, and a skin cleaner containing d-limonene is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,063,062. A small amount of lanolin is included with a limonene in a hydrocarbon base in U.S. Pat. No. 3,933,674 (Re 29,649.)
While d-limonene has been known for use in general cleaning compositions and has been shown to be relatively safe for humans (see, for example, the above-mentioned U.S. Pat. No. 3,933,674 which suggests use of its particular composition for removing the residues of dental impression materialsxe2x80x94col 2, line 22), the art has not seen the advantages of using d-limonene in a composition for removing adhesive tape from human skin.
My invention is the use of d-limonene, alone or together with an appropriate solvent or carrier, or more than one solvent or carrier, to aid in the removal of adhesive tape from human skin. The tape may be in the form of prepackaged bandages or patches, or simply from a roll as applied by a physician, nurse or other medical attendant or even a lay person.
D-limonene has the Chemical Abstracts Number 5989-27-5. It is also known as p-mentha-1, 8-diene, 4-isopropenyl-1-methylcyclohexene, and 1-methyl-4-(1-methyleneyl)cyclohexene, and more commonly orange oil, cinene, menthadiene, or citrus oil. It occurs in the skins of citrus fruits, particularly oranges. Its structural formula is 
Although xe2x80x9corange oilxe2x80x9d may not be pure d-limonene, it is considered totally interchangeable with and the same as d-limonene herein.
My preferred composition contains at least about 20% by weight of d-limonene, with the balance being non-toxic solvents and/or carriers, and/or oils or other materials known to be soothing to the skin.
The composition is applied to the portion of the adhesive tape which is adhering to the skin, and permitted to soak into it for a short period of time, typically about a minute. The d-limonene will soften and swell the adhesive on the tape and at the interface with the skin, neutralizing its tackiness and adherent characteristics. The tape can then be easily removed by gently or abruptly pulling on it.