How to Remove Medical Tape

Medical technology has changed significantly in the past decade, including medical tape used primarily for sports injuries. New kinds of medical tape have self-adhesive properties. This means it sticks securely to itself to bind your injury but never to skin. However, there's still a lot of the older style of medical tape out there. There are ways to avoid pain and do the procedure easily.

Things You'll Need

• Shower, tub or basin
• Wash cloth

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Instructions

• 1

  Find the end of the medical tape and peel if off until you reach the point where it's stuck to skin.

• 2

  Pull gently on the edges of the attached medical tape, stopping when it begins it pulls on skin. The more surface area you expose, the quicker soaking will work on the rest.

• 3

  Soak the taped area in warm water for at least an hour. This is best done in a hot, relaxing bath, but you can do it in the shower or with a basin or by holding a wet, warm compress on the tape.

• 4

  Pull again at the edges of the tape periodically while soaking. Each time, a little more should come loose.

• 5

  Scrub the area with a wash cloth to remove any remaining glue once all the tape has been removed.