<unk> s (British English:<unk>  buds) are used in first aid,  cosmetics application, and a variety of other uses.  They consist of a small wad of<unk>  wrapped around the end of a small rod, made of wood, rolled paper, or plastic.  The most common type of usage is to dip the<unk>  end in a substance, then use the<unk>  as an applicator for the substance.  Sometimes<unk> s are also used for removal of substances such as wax from ear canals, though the instructions accompanying the<unk> s generally contain a warning that the<unk> s should not be inserted directly into the ear, as doing so is actually dangerous. Using a<unk>  to remove wax can puncture the ear drum. It will remove only a fraction of the wax, which is visible on the removed<unk> , while pushing and packing the majority of the wax further into the ear canal.
The inventor of the<unk>  is supposed to have been one Leo Gerstenzang, in 1923 .  His product, which he named "Baby Gays", went on to become the most widely-sold brand name, "Q-tip".
The traditional<unk>  has a single tip on a wooden handle, and these are still often used, especially in medical settings.  They are usually relatively long, about six inches (15 cm or so).  These often are packaged sterile, one or two to a paper or plastic sleeve.  The advantage of the paper sleeve and the wooden handle is that the package can be autoclaved to be sterilized (plastic sleeves or handles would melt in the autoclave).
These medical-type<unk> s are often used to take microbiological cultures.  They are<unk> bed onto or into the infected area, then wiped across the culture medium, such as an agar plate, where any bacteria from the<unk>  will grow.  They are also used to take DNA samples from, most commonly, the inner cheek. As well, they can be used to apply medicines to a targeted area, to selectively remove substances from a targeted area, or to apply cleaning substances like Betadine.<unk> s produced for home use are usually shorter, about three inches (7.6 cm) long, and usually double-tipped.  The handles were first made of wood, then made of rolled paper, which is still most common (although tubular plastic is becoming popular).  They are often sold in large quantities, possibly 300 or more to a container.
One recent innovation is to use a special type of double-tipped<unk>  for over-the-counter drug application.  These<unk> s have hollow tubular plastic handles, which are full of the medicine.  Breaking one marked end of the<unk>  breaks an air seal, allowing the medicine to saturate the<unk>  at the other end so that it can be directly applied with the<unk> .<unk> s exist in a wide variety of colors: purple, fuchsia, pink, green etc. However the<unk>  itself is white.
Cotton swab
Steri strip
Chloromycetin Ointment
Microbiology
Virology
Throat culture
CURE
Sunscreen