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SKIN CARE via Soap and water do not hurt the stoma, so you can bathe and shower just as you always have. However, it’s a good idea to choose a soap that is residue free. Soaps containing moisturizers and oils such as cream soaps, liquid wipes and baby wipes, leave a residue that can interfere with how well the akin barrier adheres to your skin. Remember: It’s important to avoid adhesive build up. Adhesive removers can help you wash away adhesive residue easily, without traumatizing sensitive skin. Skin irritations including changes, rashes or breakdown of the skin around the stoma, may be caused by leakage from around the skin barrier or pouch, or by irritation from improperly fitting pouching systems. Skin infections can also be caused by a combination of events, such as moisture accumulation and build-up of normal fungi on the skin, leading to a yeast infection called Candida albicans. Cutting the wafer to the correct size, correctly applying your pouch, and carefully cleaning and drying the skin around the stoma with every pouch change are the best ways of preventing skin irritations. Nearly all ostomy suppliers (like Hollister and Convatec) offer a skin prep which acts as a protective barrier for sensitive skin. Suppliers will often send you samples, if you call their 1-800 number. _____________________ ALLERGIC? HOW TO TELL FOR SURE - Kathryn Hoyman, RN,ET,
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& Many times I hear that people are allergic to adhesive tape or skin prep or any number of different products that are used in ostomy care. Allergies can occur with any product. They occur with the first use of a product or after years of using a product without problems. Most people never have an allergic reaction, but a few are plagued with multiple sensitivities. However, many things assumed to be an “allergic” reaction may be another problem. It is important to know whether or not you are truly allergic to a product, because eliminating products reduces your options. Believing you are allergic may cause you not to try a pouch that might be perfect for you. Allergic reactions are usually severe and cause blistering and/or weeping skin, wherever that pouch touches. Two situations are frequently labeled as allergic by mistake. First: if a skin sealant wipe is used, it needs to dry completely to allow the solvents to evaporate. If the pouch is applied while the solvents are still on the skin, sore skin can easily occur. Since the solvents can’t evaporate through the skin barrier as they can through the paper tape collar, this will look like an allergy to the skin barrier. Second: each time you remove a pouch the adhesive takes with it the top layer of dead skin cells, However, if you are removing a pouch frequently, cells can be removed faster than they can be replaced. This is called “tape stripping”. Everyone’s skin reacts differently to having tape removed. But it’s important to be gentle and not remove a pouch more frequently than necessary. Skin that is stripped will be sore in some spots and not in others. Sometimes skin around the stoma becomes fragile and strips easily, and a pouch and tape with very gentle adhesive must be found. To check whether your are really allergic: take a small piece of skin barrier or tape and place it on the other side of you abdomen, or, with the help of someone else, on your back. After 48 hours, take it off and see whether your are reacting. (If pain, itching, or blistering occurs, take if off immediately.!) if it’s an allergy, you will react. If you have a history of allergies, test this way before trying a new pouch. It’s better to have a half-inch of sore skin on your back than around your stoma, where you need a good seal. If you develop an allergy to a product that you have used for a long time, you can call to find out if changes have been made in the manufacturing process. You may also alert the manufacturer to problems with a product. 76 |