Skin preparation
Prepping your skin
Before using a new pouch, it’s important to prepare your skin. This will help ensure the pouch is secure and minimise the risk of skin irritation and leakages. Below are some key areas to consider when ensuring skin is ready for your next pouch application.
Check the size
To help keep the skin around your stoma healthy, it’s important to frequently check the size of your stoma and make sure your pouch has been cut correctly. Stomas and bodies can often change (even if your weight has stayed the same), so it’s a useful exercise to get into the habit of doing.
The box your stoma pouches came in will include a cutting template which you can use to ensure an exact fit.
How to prepare your skin
- Wash your skin with warm water and a mild soap if you like (please ensure the soap is suitable for your skin as it can sometimes be an irritant).
- It’s important to then let the skin dry completely.
- You may then find it useful to use a skin protective film. Again, wait for the skin to dry completely.
- Apply your stoma pouch as usual.
When to consider a skin protective film
Skin barrier wipes and sprays provide a thin layer of film over the skin, helping to form a barrier to prevent skin damage such as skin stripping.
This can be especially useful if you often experience skin or leakage issues. If however, it’s a frequent occurrence, it may be useful to look at your stoma pouch and ensure the fit is correct and the adhesive works well. If you are having issues with this, it may be worth considering sampling alternative pouches.