It's a weekend fact of life: Sometimes there will be blood.

From the knee when that friendly parking lot football toss turns into a full-fledged game of crush-the-idiot-with-the-ball... from the neck when you rush that pre-date shave after going caveman all week... from the nose when that blond you've been buying drinks for all night turns out to be the bouncer's girlfriend. Or from just about anywhere when your buddy hands you his beer and yells "Hey everyone, watch this!"

So when the hemoglobin starts to flow, reach for a patch of ABC Gauze. A must-have for your first aid kit, "ABC" stands for Advanced Bleeding Control. This isn't your mama's bandage. It's not made of cotton, it's made from an all-natural collagen-like substance that turns into a blood clotting gel once it hits the red stuff. It's science fiction turned medical fact.

All you do is place the Gauze on the open, bleeding wound, apply a little pressure, and it converts to a clear gel, expands, putting direct pressure on the wound, and stopping the bleeding. Later you can wash it off with water - there's nothing sticky or gooey that gets stuck to the cut, and it won't reopen it.

ABC Gauze comes in a variety of sizes for the variety of injuries we tend to inflict on ourselves: from minor cuts and scrapes; to nosebleeds, bites and burns; to lacerations, gashes and puncture wounds. What it can't do it stop your clumsy ass from getting injured in the first place.

Variety packs start at $14.99
www.abcgauze.com