Ostomy Accessories – When and How to Use Them
If you have recently had ostomy surgery or are just getting used to living with a stoma, you may be feeling a little overwhelmed by all the different ostomy products. In addition to your pouching system – which includes the ostomy skin barrier and a pouch – you may require the use of an ostomy accessory to enhance the performance of your system.
Ostomy accessories may enhance the wear time of the skin barrier, help prevent leakage, reduce odor, and make pouch emptying easier. These are products like skin barrier pastes, barrier rings, adhesive removers, and ostomy belts. For many people with ostomies, these accessories form a crucial part of their daily hygiene and ostomy care routine.
In this article, we will walk you through some products from our Adapt™ accessories range and tell you more about how they work. In each section, you will also find a link to a guide that has more information about using that particular ostomy accessory.
Adapt™ Flat Barrier Rings
Barrier rings are designed to protect the skin around your stoma. The barrier ring will help fill in uneven skin surfaces to enhance the fit of the skin barrier and help prevent leakage of stoma output under the skin barrier.
These barrier rings are flexible in design, meaning you can cut, stretch, or stack them together to help improve the fit of your pouching system. They can be applied to the adhesive side of the skin barrier or directly to clean dry peristomal skin. They are available in different sizes and different thicknesses.
Please be sure to check out the newest product addition to the Adapt™ barrier ring family – The CeraRing™ Barrier Ring.
Hollister also offers a convex barrier ring accessory. Convex barrier rings help to provide a gentle convexity to a skin barrier, which can improve the fit of your barrier, minimize leakage, and protect your peristomal skin.
The CeraRing™ convex barrier ring comes in a variety of sizes and two different shapes – round and oval – to accommodate many different shape stomas. The convex barrier rings should be applied to dry peristomal skin convex side down or to the adhesive side of the skin barrier flat side down.
CeraPlus™ Barrier Extenders are infused with ceramide to protect the skin and provide an added sense of security by framing the skin barrier with a thin, flexible, hydrocolloid adhesive. Use three individual pieces to surround your ostomy barrier, or use the strips in areas which you feel necessary to create a personalized fit.
CeraPlus™ Barrier Extenders help prevent leakage by holding the skin barrier in place and reducing barrier edge lifting. They conform easily to the natural folds and movement of the body, helping to increase barrier wear time and deliver an extra boost of confidence throughout the day.
One problem many people living with an ileostomy or colostomy experience is pancaking. This is a term used to describe stool that gets stuck at the top of a pouching system around the stoma. Because the contents can’t drop to the bottom of the pouch, they attach to the top and may cause leakage issues or interfere with the function of the integrated ostomy pouch filter.
A lubricating deodorant works by making pouch emptying easier and can help minimize stool from sticking to the pouch. It lubricates the inside of the ostomy pouch and helps the stool to flow to the bottom of the pouch. This product also helps to minimize odor upon emptying and with pouch change.
Adapt™ lubricating deodorant is colorless, odorless, and available in bottle or packet form. You can use it with each pouch change and after the pouch is emptied to neutralize odor and help stop your output from sticking.
The Adapt™ universal medical adhesive remover helps to easily remove the ostomy skin barrier while reducing the potential for skin stripping. It also aids in the removal of any adhesive residue on the skin.
As the remover is silicone-based and alcohol-free, there is no sting associated with the application of the product.
The adhesive remover evaporates quickly and dries without residue, so the next skin barrier can attach securely.
The Adapt™ Remover is available in a wipe or spray format.
Adapt™ Universal Medical Adhesive Remover
A step-by-step guide to using Adapt™ Universal Medical Adhesive Remover
Living with an ostomy means having to wear an ostomy skin barrier for prolonged periods, and having to remove the barrier from your skin with pouch changes. This may result in irritated or sore skin.
Adapt™ no sting skin protective wipes provide a protective film on the skin that acts as a protective interface between your skin and the ostomy skin barrier – helping to protect the skin when it comes in contact with stoma fluid and when removing adhesive products.
Apply the skin protective wipe to intact skin and allow to completely dry before applying the ostomy skin barrier. It is not recommended, however, for use with extended wear skin barriers, as this may decrease wear time.
Adapt™ No Sting Skin Protective Wipes
A step-by-step guide to using Adapt™ No Sting Skin Protective Wipes
If you are looking for enhanced security with your pouching system, an ostomy belt may give you added confidence. Clinicians often recommend adding an ostomy belt (when used with a pouching system) to enhance convexity and ensure a better fit with the skin barrier.
You can use our Adapt™ elastic belt with pouches that have belt tabs. Be sure that the belt tabs face outward to your body and the belt is worn in line with your stoma. Be sure that the belt is snug but equally not too tight. Proper fitting will allow for two fingers to slide comfortably between the belt and the skin.
This accessory is also adjustable and washable.
Adapt™ paste helps to provide a good seal between the stoma and the ostomy skin barrier. This can prevent stoma output from getting under the barrier and in contact with your skin.
It acts as a caulk to fill in uneven skin surfaces and to help minimize the risk of leakage. Adapt™ paste is NOT an adhesive, and too much paste may interfere with a good seal.
Adapt™ paste comes in easy-to-squeeze tubes in two different sizes.
Stoma powder is a non-medicated powder used to absorb moisture from slightly irritated or moist skin around the stoma. By absorbing moisture from skin around the stoma, the powder allows for better skin barrier adhesion.
There is no medication in stoma powder; it merely absorbs excess moisture, giving a skin barrier a better chance to adhere to the skin. Dust the powder on your affected peristomal skin but be sure to brush off any excess powder, as this may affect the barrier adherence. Be sure to discontinue the stoma powder once your skin has healed. Some clinicians may recommend the use of a skin barrier protective wipe over the powder but this is not always necessary.
If you’re looking for more guidance on stoma care, you can find lots of useful information in our Quick Educational Tools page. Alternatively, contact us today to ask us any questions you might have about ostomy accessories.
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