Ostomy Skin Care – How to Help Prevent Irritation

The Ultimate Guide to Ostomy Skin Care for Preventing Irritation

Anyone who has uses an ostomy system knows just how frustrating skin irritation can be. Using a pouching system tends to cause burning and itching. Fortunately, you can practice Ostomy skin care to take care of your skin. It is crucial that you are gentle with the pouching system as you have to take your time to properly attach it and remove it. In addition to this, you must learn how to clean your skin. The following tips will prevent skin irritation and damage.

How to Use Ostomy Equipment?

The first thing that you need to do to protect your skin is use the right Ostomy equipment. It all starts with a comfortable and well-fitted pouching system. With a proper fit and attachment, you get to prevent all types of skin issues. An Ostomy nurse or healthcare provider can help point out the right model. Then, you can follow the tips below to use it properly.

• Make sure that the skin barrier does not have any wrinkles as they would cause leakage and irritation. You can keep your skin smooth to avoid this.
• Next, you should not wait for your pouch to be completely full since the weight could disrupt the seal by pulling on the skin. Always empty your pouch before it is 50% full.
• You must check for skin breakdown and irritation each time the pouching system is changed. If you identify anything, you should let your healthcare professional know.
• If there is leakage, you would need to immediately change the pouching system.

How to Remove the Ostomy Equipment?

When you remove pouch along with the skin barrier, there is a possibility for skin irritation to occur. In order to avoid this, you will need to be careful. Since the skin barrier relies on a strong adhesive for attachment, you must not rush removal. Here’s how you should go about it.

• Loosen the pouching system gentle using one hand and push the skin next to the skin barrier.
• After the edge has been loosened, you should be able to remove the skin barrier.
• Move the pouch slowly. You could even opt for an adhesive remover. However, you must not forget to wash the adhesive remover once you are done using soap and water.

How to Take Care of Your Skin If You Wear Ostomy Equipment?

Proper skin cleaning is necessary around the stoma. Generally, you can make do with just warm water. You can either rely on a paper towel or washcloth to clean the region. If you want to use a soap or any other material, you will have to ensure that you use mild soap that does not contain too much oil or any other type of moisturizer. You will also have to thoroughly remove the soap using water and dry your skin before you reattach your pouching system.

Conclusion

Ostomy skin care is essential for a stress-free experience. Make sure to check with your healthcare provider for useful tips.