COMPOSITION FOR APPLICATION TO SKIN COMPRISING A BIOCIDE OR COMBINATION OF BIOCIDES (SUCH AS CHLORHEXIDINE, HALOGENATED PHENOLS, QUATERNARY AMMONIUM COMPOUNDS； POVIDONE-IODINE； ZINC PYRIDINETHIONE； ALCOHOLS ETC)AND AT LEAST ONE TRANSCUTANEOUS VEHICLE (FOR EXAMPLE ALKYL METHYL SULFOXIDES, ALKYL PYRROLIDONES, GLYCOLS, GLYCOL ETHERS AND GLYCOL ESTERS) EFFECTIVE TO CONVEY THE BIOCIDE TO A SUB EPIDERMAL "RESIDENT" MICRO-ORGANISM. ALSO A METHOD FOR PREPARING A PATIENT FOR SURGERY COMPRISING THE STEP OF TREATING AN AREA OF THE PATIENT'S SKIN AT, AND IN THE SURROUNDING THE VICINITY OF, THE SITE OF AN INTENDED SURGICAL INCISION WITH A COMPOSITION EFFECTIVE TO KILL MORE THAN 93% OF BOTH "TRANSIENT" AND "RESIDENT" MICRO-ORGANISMS.
