Hollister Premier 1pc with CeraPlus: Review (w/ video)

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I’m no stranger to Hollister or their product offering, but the Premier one-piece with CeraPlus piqued my interest due to some interesting benefits.

Disclosure: While Hollister has been helpful in providing information about this appliance, I purchased all the ones used in this review and during my testing (because I didn’t want to wait for free samples to come!).


Video Review

I do suggest watching the video in addition to reading the article as I show more of the appliance and it’s more entertaining than reading anyway ;)

Hollister Premier 1pc w/ CeraPlus: Ostomy Product Review!
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About the Hollister Premier 1-Piece with CeraPlus

The specific appliance I’m reviewing here:

Product name: Premier 1pc with CeraPlus
Manufacturer: Hollister
Product #: 8901
Dimensions: Approx. 20cm long (outlet rolled up) x 14cm wide; no capacity stated, although I estimate approx. 700ml.
Quantity per package: 10

Hollister is one of the largest manufacturers of ostomy products, and for good reason. They’ve built a solid line of products spanning over a half-century, and I’ve personally been a user of their appliances for many years.

The Hollister Premier 1pc with CeraPlus is one of the latest editions to Hollister’s already huge offering of ostomy supplies that is best suited to both Colostomates and Ileostomates (Hollister has more appropriate pouches for urostomates).

While Hollister does offer convex versions of this appliance, this review will focus on the flat version, which is the one I’ve worn.

I have confirmed that this appliance does not contain animal ingredients, which makes it suitable for vegans. This is similar to other Hollister products, which I’m really glad to see.

Included in the box are disposal bags (which are small, but still useful), a paper cutting guide, and instructions.

Compared to the Regular Premier 1pc

While the regular Premier and Premier with CeraPlus are similar, they do have a few unique differences that may be worth considering.

Hollister 1pc ceraplus vs regular premier 1pc
Left: Hollister regular Premier 1pc #8531 Right: Hollister Premier 1pc with CeraPlus #8901

The most obvious difference is the fact that the Premier with CeraPlus has an inspection window on the front of their opaque pouches, where their previous iteration of the regular Premier did not; the inspection window has since been added to regular Premier products, and they still offer a transparent version as well.

The look of the wafer, or more specifically the release liner, is also different and you’ll notice this in the appearance of the cutting guide. Personally, I prefer the newer cutting guide as it’s easier to read.

Hollister premier 1pc ceraplus vs regular premier wafers
I find the cutting guide easier to read on the newer CeraPlus wafer on the right.

The outlet is also different and the Premier with CeraPlus pouch has a transparent outlet while the regular Premier has an opaque one. This difference is a double-edged sword: it’s easier to clean your outlet when it’s transparent, but that also means that stool can be seen more easily when it’s not being covered up.

Hollister premier 1pc ceraplus vs regular 1pc outlets
The newer Premier CeraPlus 1pc pouch outlet on the right is transparent.

While some of these changes are certainly welcome, I’m disappointed to see that the cloth material hasn’t been improved (I’ll expand on this below).


Pouch

Like the pouch found on the regular Premier 1-pc, the pouch on this appliance comes in a large, 12″ size. Hollister does not offer anything smaller for their 1-pc appliances at this time, so the size may be too large for some people.

Inspection Window

When I was in Cape Town during the WCET Conference in 2015, Hollister was showing off new pouches with inspection windows on them. At the time, they weren’t available, but I’ve been looking forward to them coming out ever since!

The inspection windows on these pouches are unique because they actually need to be opened by tearing along the perforations along the window’s opening, rather than simply being open out of the box.

Hollister 1pc ceraplus open inspection window
The inspection window is new for Hollister.

Once it’s open, however, you can’t seal it back together.

If you prefer to simply use this appliance as an opaque pouch, then you don’t have to tear the perforated edge at all and leave it as is.

This inspection window works as intended and it really helps to make fitting this 1-piece appliance a lot easier than it otherwise would be had there only been an opaque cover on it.

Hollister 1pc ceraplus using inspection window
Putting on a one-piece appliance is a lot easier with the inspection window.

A benefit of using the inspection window is that it allows you to not only fit your appliance better, but it also gives you the opportunity to check your stoma and keep an eye on the contents inside of your pouch (if you’re inclined to do so!).

My only real issue with the implementation of the inspection window on this appliance is that you can sometimes see output where the two folds meet. This could be corrected if Hollister overlapped the flap of the cover, but it would be difficult to implement while keeping the design of the flap consistent (i.e. the perforation across the pouch).

Hollister 1pc ceraplus inspection window poop
You can see poop in the space between where the inspection window meets the rest of the pouch.

Cloth Material

Unfortunately, the cloth material on this appliance is the same as the cloth material on other Hollister bags: beige, thin, cheap feeling, and one that easily becomes destroyed with minimal effort.

While I don’t usually wear opaque pouches, I do expect them to hide the contents of my pouch when I do. Because the cloth material used on Hollister pouches is so thin, it doesn’t do a very good job concealing output – it’s not the worst I’ve used (that Hall of Shame winner goes to the Cymed 1pc and 2pc opaque pouches), but it could be better.

Apart from concealment, the cloth cover on this appliance is supposed to keep the tail of the pouch folded up. While it does it for the first day, it quickly begins to tear and the outlet no longer remains folded up, so it just dangles.

This is problematic because a transparent, dangling outlet visually exposes the contents of your pouch to you and the outside world.

Hollister 1pc ceraplus dangling outlet poop
It is so frustrating to see this happening.

Hopefully, Hollister will follow in the footsteps of Coloplast or B. Braun in creating pouch cloth that’s thicker, more durable, and more appealing to look at.

AF300 Filter

As with other Hollister pouches I’ve reviewed, this one includes the AF300 filter on it, which in my opinion is one of the best around.

I say “one of the best” because of how it works for me, but it’s far from perfect and it will still clog just like every other filter out there.

One thing I love about the filter on this pouch is that you don’t have to use filter stickers on it when showering. This is convenient, and we have the special membrane that covers the filter to thank for this.

Hollister 1pc ceraplus af300 filter
The filter on these pouches do not need to be covered by a sticker.

This membrane is on both the outside and inside of the filter, so while it can still clog (eventually), it’s less likely that you’ll get leaks through this filter compared to brands that don’t use this membrane.

Outlet and Closure

The Lock ‘n Roll system that Hollister uses as a closure on their drainable pouches is functional and reliable.

It uses a “Velcro-like” fastener that has no fuzzy fabric on it, so it’s not going to get soiled easily and can be washed without trouble.

Hollister 1pc ceraplus open outlet
Close up of the outlet.

You do roll it up several times before securing the outlet which makes sure that no output (including liquid output) will leak from the bottom.

Once it’s rolled up, you can tuck it under the cloth fabric to keep a lower profile, but I find it doesn’t always stay up after a day or two. This is completely because of the cheap fabric used, and one solution would be THIS HACK.

My gripe with the outlet is the fact that most people (including myself) find it difficult to open at first. I nearly always have to crease the outlet when I change to a new pouch just to make this easier.

Hollister 1pc ceraplus outlet open
While it is easy to clean, it is not always easy to open.

Wafer

The magic of this product lies partly in the wafer.

This appliance uses an extended wear wafer, which is great for both colostomates and ileostomates. It has something called ceramide, which Hollister describes as:

Ceramide is a natural component of human skin, consisting of waxy lipid molecules. Ceramide links cells of the outer skin (epidermis) together to form a waterproof, protective barrier. Ceramides help prevent water loss that can lead to skin damage and dryness. Many skin moisturizing products contain ceramide as a component to help protect the skin against loss of its natural moisture.

https://www.hollister.com/en/ceraplus

Hollister also offers other products that use ceramide and they are all part of their CeraPlus branding.

Some people will notice right away is just how large the wafer on this appliance is – it’s probably one of the largest in a standard one-piece appliance.

The diameter of the wafer is 12cm (4.72″) despite the maximum cutting area being only 64mm. Compared that to the wafer on the B. Braun Flexima, which has a similar diameter, but can accommodate a hole that is 76mm in diameter.

Hollister 1pc ceraplus measure wafer
That is a lot of surface area!

The large size makes it a “one-size-fits-all” appliance, but it does take some getting used to.

Fortunately, because the wafer uses tape borders, it feels light on the skin, and it keeps the overall thickness of this appliance to a minimum (see my video review if you’d like to see how thin these are!).

One advantage to having such a large wafer is the fact that it can support itself quite nicely without the need to use an accessory belt (which you can’t attach to this one-piece appliance anyway).

One disadvantage of having such a large wafer is that it may interfere with abdominal incisions, belly buttons, or people who have smaller bodies.


My Experience

I’ve worn this appliance for months, and my results have surprised me, to say the least.

While I tend to normally average about 3-4 days between appliance changes, I’ve been able to consistently get 4, 5, and even 6 days of wear out of these.

Most of the time, when I do change this appliance, it’s because the filter has clogged (causing “ballooning“) or the fabric is too far gone and the outlet begins to dangle.

Hollister 1pc ceraplus ballooning
Yes, ballooning can still happen once the AF300 filter clogs up.

I noticed that my skin’s health is very good, although I do notice that my skin is drier than normal, which is ironic considering the benefit claims of using CeraPlus.

For those who aren’t used to wearing such a large wafer, the initial feeling can be strange – it feels big – but that feeling goes away as you wear the appliance longer.

The tape border on this appliance is really nice, and it conforms well to my body shape without leaving sharp wrinkles like I’ve experienced when using thicker, hydrocolloid wafers; removing this appliance has also been easy with or without an adhesive remover.

Hollister 1pc ceraplus conforms to skin contours
The tape border conforms to skin folds and dips without a problem.

I did notice a bit of edge peeling, which is unusual for a Hollister tape border product, but I suspect it has something to do with the large wafer reaching areas of my skin that aren’t used to having adhesives on them. This edge peeling did not negatively impact the wear of this appliance, including during showers.

Hollister 1pc ceraplus edge peeling
Some edge peeling after several days, but it is not enough to cause problems.

Because I like to wear my appliance sideways, I also gave that a try but didn’t like the experience because I feel it’s too awkward to empty with this one-piece. That’s not to say that it can’t be done, I just don’t prefer it over other products.


Conclusion

At the time of this writing (Jan 2022), I’ve been able to buy a box of these appliances for approx. CDN$87, which is more expensive than their regular Premier 1pc appliances.

If you’re paying out of pocket, it might best to use the regular Premier 1pc unless CeraPlus is benefiting your skin. The two systems are nearly identical now that Hollister also includes inspection windows in certain SKUs for their regular Premier product.

It looks like Hollister does sell these in both Canada and the United States, but they may also be available in other countries.

Hollister is great with sending samples, so I would suggest contacting them to see if they’re able to send any to you before purchasing them.

Pros:

  • Much easier to apply compared to a fully opaque 1pc.
  • Conforms to most body shapes.
  • Inspection window is useful when needed.
  • Has release liner tabs to help grip the wafer when applying it.
  • Great wear time.
  • Very low profile.
  • The Lock ‘N Roll closure is easy to use and reliable.
  • CeraPlus can help to improve skin health.
  • The box includes a stoma measuring guide and disposal bags.
  • The wafer includes a cutting guide on the release liner.
  • The AF300 filter works well and doesn’t need to be covered.

Cons:

  • Cloth material is still cheap and breaks apart.
  • Minimal edge peeling.
  • The outlet still needs to be creased to open it easily.
  • The large wafer may be problematic for people who have smaller frames or incision wounds near their stoma.
  • Output can be seen when the outlet dangles.
  • Not the best appliance to wear horizontally.

Recommended

With features like the inspection window and advanced wafer formulation, the Hollister Premier 1-pc with CeraPlus sets itself apart from the competition.

While I do still know that there’s room for improvement, this is a one-piece appliance that has given me consistent results with very little trouble.

For more information, please visit Hollister’s website at: www.hollister.com

Question: Have you used this appliance? Share your experience below.

19 thoughts on “Hollister Premier 1pc with CeraPlus: Review (w/ video)”

  1. Too bad they can’t take the best of each and put them into one product.

    This would be holy grail, for sure. A lot of people want to see this happen.

    I’m glad the Mio filters work for you. Colostomates have better luck with filters, and they do make a difference when they work!

    I hope you continue to have a positive experience!

    Reply
  2. The ostomy nurse at the hospital started me out with Hollister products. While I found they do the job, they do look and feel cheaply made. I find the filters in particular are not worth spit. I’ve lost track of how many times I have woken in the middle of the night or in the morning and the pouch is blown up like the Good Year blimp. The filters on the Coloplast samples I had sent to me recently work much better. One thing I do like about the Hollister products is their size, or rather the length of their spout for emptying the pouch. I find it long enough to minimize or prevent backsplash.

    Reply
    • Thank you for sharing, Kelvin.

      Do you have an ileostomy or colostomy? Some filters work better than others, depending on the type of ostomy. But nearly all of them will fail pretty quickly, in my experience (ileostomy).

      Which appliance have you ultimately settled on?

      Reply
      • @veganostomy, I’ve had a colostomy since late April of this year. Been a learning experience to say the least lol. I have found both Hollister and Coloplast each have their good points and their weak points. Too bad they can’t take the best of each and put them into one product. I have a few Hollister pouches I will keep for in case of emergency. Otherwise, I will be using the Coloplast products. I find Coloplast’s Sensura Mio’s filter actually works so I don’t have to empty or burp the pouch eight plus times a day, which can get annoying.

        Reply
  3. J’utilise les anneaux Hollister Ceraring avec satisfaction et j’attendais cette poche Ceraplus 1 piece sur support plan avec impatience. Déception ! Ma peau n’a pas supporté l’adhésif périphérique autour de la partie en Ceraplus. Je conserve donc mes poches BBraun Flexima 1 pièce, bien plus tolérante avec ma peau.

    Reply

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