The ideal appliance will fit in a way that protects your skin while also providing a durable, and secure fit. Unfortunately, not every ostomate can achieve this balance so easily, so many will experience a breakdown of skin around the stoma.
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This happened to me a short while after getting my ostomy, as my new stoma was still shrinking down from its swollen state.
I was quite inexperienced, so rather than change my appliance more often, I’d try to get 5+ day wear time, which meant that as my stoma became smaller, it left room for my output to eat away at my skin.
As you can see from the photos below, I had fairly deep erosion of the skin, and it hurt a lot. At the time, I had used the “crusting technique”, which involves putting stoma powder on the exposed, raw part of my skin, dust it off and apply a barrier using either barrier wipes or cavilon spray.
You do this a few times to build up protection on the skin, and to allow the wafer to stick to something other than the powder. This technique does work for many people, but it worked very slowly for me.
More recently, as I’ve been in between wafer samples, I began to get more breakdown of the skin.
I attempted to remedy this using the crusting technique, but I wasn’t getting the results I wanted; so instead, I opted to simply use a barrier ring without any powder or barrier wipes.
The results impressed me, and my skin has probably never looked that good around the stoma.
And here’s another example of how quickly this method can heal damaged skin:
Now, I continue to use a barrier ring when I notice more breakdown of the skin. I may continue to use them more regularly, but they are quite expensive and I’m not done trying new appliances that might offer a better fit.
Here’s a video showing how I change my appliance, including how I use barrier rings.
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Caution: Before you change your routine, you should check with your stoma nurse first, unless you’re willing to experiment on your own.
INFO: If you’re interested in the “crusting technique” for healing peristomal skin, check out THIS article.
QUESTION: What techniques have you tried to heal up your skin?
Hello,
I’m reaching out to hopefully widen my advice/resource circle. I’ve worked closely with the ostomy nurses and care team through the hospital as well as contacting UOAA for support and advice. They have each tried to help, but I am still having a really difficult time.
I’ve had 9 resection surgeries and 3 previous ileostomies along with several other surgeries related to my very active Crohn’s disease.
With my last surgery they did a 4th ileostomy. The plan was to reverse after 6 months. Unfortunately per the surgeon and my GI, a reversal will not be possible.
I now have short gut syndrome and am totally reliant on TPN. I have to run Both TPN and IV fluids 24/7.
My ileostomy was placed as close to the duodenum as possible. The result is I have an extremely high output that is completely liquid.
To keep things interesting, I also happen to have an allergy to adhesives. If I put on a bandaid, it looks like my skin has a sunburn in about 3 minutes.
The result of these things combined is breakdown of the skin not just around the stoma, but any area the wafer is touching. The skin bleeds and weeps fluid so getting anything to stick is a real challenge.
I have a lot of leakage and often have to swap out wafers several times a day.
I’m using multiple types of barrier films each time I do a change. I’ve also tried using medical glue as a barrier but had limited success.
When I can’t stand the pain of trying to get a new wafer on, I end up sitting in my shower on my chair for hours and rinsing off as needed rather than try and get something to stick.
Do you have any suggestions for products or routine changes that could help?
I’m not going to let this beat me and I appreciate your time in giving it any thought.
@Jenny … Welcome to VO! I’m so sorry for all your going thru. I have short gut syndrome (SGS) as well & had 7 bowel surgeries before my ileostomy in less then 6 months & then later an ileostomy due to bowel blockages. Now its all about scar tissue. Our diagnoses are different but I do understand how difficult controling foods verses output & struggling through *some* challenges verses what your dealing with!
Have you read the entry above by Chelly, May 07, 2023 in reply to Jayda? She has suggested a product, Domboro, I wish I’d known about when I first stumbled on VO!!! I just can’t imagine your skin challenges but maybe that product may help. When I had my raw bleeding skin I resorted to using my eczema cream, not a greasey ointment, under my wafer & then stoma powder but I did find it feeling granular on my raw skin which hurt like hadies! My adhesive allergy is simply to plastic tape but I can use that paper’ish tape no issues & thank Heaven no allergies with wafers & pouch tapes.
My heart goes out to you 1000%!! Stay as strong as you can.
Thank you for this tip! I’m headed straight to the pharmacy to try this…. I pray it works! My momos skin is raw at this point and the barrier is not staying on.
Good luck, Carlene!
Hi Jayda, Welcome to the forum. That sounds incredibly painful 😖. Getting the skin to heal the first thing is stopping the output getting on it. Do you have access to a stoma nurse. Are you measuring the stoma to get a good appliance fit. Could it be a reaction to the product you are using. Leaving the bag of for a bit can really help the skin to breathe and heal. There a barrier sheets to put on the skin to form a base for the wafer. Keep heart, skin around the stoma is easy to damage but given a chance quick to heal 👍
Hi All, I have tried “crusting”. I have tried barrier rings. I have tried everything I can think of but I cannot get my skin to heal. I have about 3 inch of incredibly raw skin all around my stoma. Nothing will stick to the raw skin and the output is burning it bigger and bigger every day. I have been bed ridden with the pain for 3 days now and I’m slowly losing it lol. Help!
Hi Jayda,
welcome
there is something called domboro. We get it in our pharmacy. It’s a box that contains several packets of domboro. You take a packet and put into a bowl/ cup and add the water required as it states on the instructions. Stir it up real good. Then you saturate a soft gauze pad or even a paper towels and wrap it around the stoma in the area that is affected. You can let it sit there for 10-15 minutes and it you can keep applying new ones until your mixture has run out. My stoma nurse gave me this remedy a few years ago. It works wonders and is so soothing to the affected area. I keep some in hand at all times so that it’s there should something occur.
I am seven years with a miserable stoma .it has a hole underneath that blows out my seal.that. Let’s the fluid go up around the seal and soon breaks down I’ve tried many things . C oloplast Says they do nothing as it is a surgeon problem. Somedays I use as many as three setups . The little hole builds up pressure. The joint around my stoma is always very soar and bleeding .