Switching from Eakin to Brava Seals Due to Skin Irritation

I switched from one seal manufacturer, Brava, to Eakin early this summer 2024. I recommended both in my profile, which I'm likely going to update.

I am joining the growing percentage of people on here who toss the Eakin to the trash due to skin irritation.

I thought the Eakin was perfect. Soft, moldable, leak preventive worth. Since starting using it, I noticed redness developing until this month it turned fire engine red and weeped blood.

The appliance flange could no longer adhere due to weeping blood this past weekend.

Reading past posts here, members suggested Domeboro for this exact issue. Could not find it in the big pharmacy stores like CVS and Walgreens.

The local pharmacy had it though.

It treats poison ivy. What!?

After two treatments and some air dry time, no more blood. But very dry skin.

Stoma nurse appointment is this Friday.

Decided to just use the flange alone. No barrier seal. No C strip extenders. The bare necessity. Flange, Mio click bag, a belt... and kept fingers crossed.

After 48 hours it's still holding. No leaks but I am confident it will.

The Domeboro suggests a 15 to 30 minute soak, 3 times a day.

If you have enough bags and flanges in stock to do the treatment 3x daily, good for you.

I am doing only 1x because my skin is really dry now. No blood. Adhesion is good for now. Worked 12 hours on my feet today. Still holding. Sleeping with an added protective sheet, anticipating a blowout.

The backstory is I thought the biological meds I'm on were causing this. I had tried a number of them this summer trying to ease arthritic pain.

In hindsight, they could have been very helpful but telling doctors about the irritating skin gave them reason to stop it. Cause and effect? Nope. Just an oops afterthought now.

Looking 72 hours with only 2 treatments of Domeboro by tomorrow.

Will change the entire appliance and do a third treatment... maybe in the morning but that stuff works. It did burn and sting. But diluted the powder to water ratio.

Special thanks to brother in arms 30wbob for reaching out for my 911 email.

Looks like I'm going back to Brava seals. Those salt seals I heard so much about are not available in the states. Perhaps our members across the pond or down under or north of America could help fix that?

 

 

Glad you're healing. I bought an ostomy skin care medical textbook. It's from a hospital in England. It features pictures of some nasty-looking peristomal skin problems and explains treatment plans and medication for healing. Fortunately, my skin is doing well.

I had the same problem with the Eakin and had to go back to Brava as well. The Eakin are now in my donation drawers for anyone who may want to give them a try.

That stuff, by now knowing how toxic it can be with certain people, should come with a warning label.

Yeah, I was thinking about you, kiddo, as I packed up my Eakin reserves. Do you want these? I will send them to you. Let me know. Thanks.

This morning, as I thought and planned, it popped using just the flange, no barrier. I got almost 3 days. You have to do without the seal until it heals properly, so that's what I am doing. Unless it's the flange appliance causing this? But I doubt it. It's a perfect circle of red, irritated skin, the exact size of the barrier ring.

So this morning, not dried out but still red and inflamed, not ever itchy thankfully. Just wanted to stick the appliance on so I can do my work. Friday I will know better after the stoma nurse takes a look. Did a treatment soak with Domeboro. Stung a bit, all done now, ready for the day. Thanks for the reply. That book was mentioned by w30bob awhile back. Wouldn't hurt getting it for a reference. He said you can do that at Amazon. Buy it. Sound investment.

Staying Hydrated with an Ostomy with LeeAnne Hayden | Hollister

I got it on Amazon. Pretty cheap price. It was shipped to me by a bookseller in England. Since we all have stomas... it's an interesting book. Lots of full-color, detailed pictures. I've read it a couple of times. Some of the photos... whoa!! Lots of skin problems caused by retracted stoma and using a convex wafer with a support belt. Better to get revision surgery to pull out the stoma more. Also, removing the wafer too much or too aggressively.

Be really careful.

According to the book, some manufactured batches of rings have high levels of residual solvent. Switching to a different batch of the same product fixed the irritated skin.

You probably had chemical irritant dermatitis. There's a picture in the book of a red ring around a stoma, exactly where the barrier ring fit, just as in your case.

I can't use eakin seals either. I am also taking biological meds for arthritis (Simponi).

Hi all, I started out using Eakin seals also, but they didn't hold up or last more than a day, so I switched to Brava and usually get 3 full days and change in the morning of the fourth. The thing I noticed about Brava seals is that the seals from one box will peel off easily, but others will stick like gorilla glue, and I have to take care not to pull too hard and gently work the skin away from it.

I like Eakin rings, especially the Stomawrap that is bigger which means not having to stretch a regular ring so much. The only issue I have with Eakin is they are more difficult to remove all the residue than what I use, which is the Adapt/Hollister rings. 

I had the same problem with Eakin rings. But when I try a new product, I test it on my stomach but on the opposite side of where my stoma is. Just a trick to try before trying something new around your stoma to see if you're allergic. Have you tried Hollister's slim barrier rings? They're the only ones I found I can use.

Hi Beth. No, I haven't tried anything until the nurse on Friday sees it and offers some advice.

Just the flange for now.

I don't know of any other seals other than Brava I have used before. Will look into it though.

Testing the skin, as you explained, is spot on. Nobody thinks of that stuff to test run products first. Good suggestion. Thanks.

So Ron, you never suffered from irritated skin then? Just leakage?

Me too. I was on it... several treatments... and nothing improved like the Cimzia I am on now. We are at the doctor's mercy, having a stoma and skin that may be affected by these biologics.

They don't know and would rather stop the treatment if you bring a question to the treatment.

What else have you tried? You have RA and PSA?

Thanks, Dan. Always use the spray adhesive remover. Who knows, it could be that too, but I do remember with Brava seals... skin looked fine, but I was leaking with it, and switched to Eakin, and my biological treatment then came into question. Causing this irritation? Don't know now. The process of elimination takes time. I'm done with Eakin as a suspect.

I really like the Coloplast Brava, thin 2-inch diameter rings. They can be stretched quite a bit without tearing. The same size Adapt rings tore every time I stretched them.

I have a well-behaved colostomy, so my sealing requirements are not as stringent as those for an ileostomy.

Hollister makes a flange with a built-in moldable ring. You form it instead of cutting the hole. Using that type of flange, you could put it on, then put a moldable ring on top of the wafer, sealed to the stoma. I have those flanges, but haven't needed to use them.

Looking at the pictures in that book... on what could go wrong... I'm so lucky. Having just a mild parastomal hernia and protruding stoma is a gift. 😉

I like Eakin Slims, my problem is they leave residue which must be cleaned up. If I use Brava Barrier Rings, I have to replace my appliance every 4 days because after 3 days the hydrocolloid has swelled and pushes the barrier/flange up. Never could get the Trio Silicon rings to adhere to my skin. Hollister rings work fine and clean up better than Eakin but last no longer. I have finally settled on Marlen Ultraseal rings. They allow me to keep my barrier/flange on for 7-8 days.

A week? Wow... and you are active? I don't feel comfortable going that long anymore. I used to get 5 days, but you get that distinct odor telling you it's change time. Plus, what a mess... everyone is different, and the seals are a vital part of it, but activities are another part too.

I also feel sitting and or laying down creates more stress on the seal.

Plus diet... so a lot of factors to consider. Allowing your stoma skin some fresh air helps too. Thus the need to change on a schedule.

Presently afflicted with bad irritation around the stoma. I gotta get back to normal soon. Your advice and recommendations, as others have given me on my thread, are appreciated. Thanks.

Warrior, have you tried marathon or 3 m?

I use 3m Cavilon swabs and spray. Works great. The swab makes the crusting technique easy. The spray doesn't affect a stoma, so I blast the whole area, put on the ring, then the wafer.

Not yet. I just got done with Eakin and am going au naturel until Friday. I mean, the thought and concept is a barrier ring. It's not looking infected. It's not itchy. There was blood last week.

So that's the thought. Change the ring but still, I'd rather be safe with a stoma nurse or doctor because of the biologics.

I'm not trying anything probably until next week. I have a hold on the order with my supplier right now, Edge Park. So whoever is offering recommendations on seals, I will look into those. Thanks!

I use 3M Cavilon barrier film. No skin irritation.

Oh gosh, Warrior, I had the same experience with Eakin rings. I think they changed ingredients because when I first got my ostomy, they did not bother me for a year or so, and then suddenly it was a nightmare!

I get rashes with Brava too!

The safest rings I've found are Hollister Adapt and Adapt Cera rings, either one. The Cera rings might help your skin heal up.

I also had to do the Domeboro soaks along with Cavilon barrier wipes and a Cera ring, but only once a day, and it eventually healed up.

I like to think I am active, but active for me is doing yard work, walking on the treadmill, and occasionally going out to dinner — incidentally, you can work up quite a sweat doing yard work in the Florida heat. 😉 For the longest time, I could only go 4 days before I had to change my appliance. I read a post from BB where he put himself to the test to see how long he could go between appliance changes — he made 10 days. Being the competitor that I am, I resolved to attain more than 4 days. With some minor accessory changes, I was able to attain 5 days. I next spent several months trying different barrier and accessory combinations. I found a combination where I was able to go eight days. I could have gone past 8 days, but I felt my skin needed air, so I stopped. I now change it every 7 days on the same day each week — makes it convenient for me. I have a colostomy, but much of my colon was removed, so my output is watery. To attain semi-solid output, I eat plenty of bananas and take loperamide each day. So for me, it was a combination of diet, appliances, and accessories. You have to be willing to experiment — I have always embraced change.

Hi Warrior, no sore skin, just the start of it, the stinging which tells me it's time to change, which is usually the morning of the 4th day. And when I remove the barrier, I can see where the ring and barrier have eroded away enough to allow output to touch the skin.

Hey Warrior!

I have boxes of Coloplast Brava, boxes of Hollister Adapt Cera rings, one Trio Genii ring, and 3 Ostoform Flow Assist seal rings, as well as the Eakin that no one wants in my donation closet. I also have no-sting swabs and maybe some spray. Is there anything I could send you to try?

@Kas! Hey... that's awfully sweet of you. Thanks. I would appreciate something but not sure what at this moment.

If I test drive something you have to offer, I will replace whatever I do use you send.

I have good insurance, so no question about replacing stuff.

I also recall sending you my batch of Bravo seal I didn't need. Ha ha. I may need them back, but this morning I found several Brava seals hidden in my own closet... ha ha.

First things first. Tomorrow, see what the nurse says. Then I will contact you. I sincerely hope it's not a reaction to the biologicals, but it does seem these rings are toxic to others, so going with that for now.

Will be in touch and relay the nurse's advice. Thanks again.

@Ron..yeah..stinking or stinging..first clue a change is due. Viewing the perimeter around the seal, you can also see it bleeding through..a color change.. dark color..Definitely a breach..

Thanks!

Thanks. It sucks. Funny how so many of us go through the same exact process of dealing with our issues. I'll let you and all know after tomorrow's stoma nurse visit. Thank you.

@traveler.. but what's important here is wear time will vary if you're a colostomy or ileo..

We ileos - ugh - more liquid output than you guys with a colostomy. More acidic waste tends to disintegrate the seal.

So it's important to distinguish this..between us.

I see this as a valid reason for longer wear time as a colostomy wearer vs. us ileos, "wet baggers" 😆.

Florida heat? You're right.

It's a nice place to visit - Florida. Couldn't live there because of that heat. You have my sympathy. 😄

I haven’t had anyone who needed them - so I could send them back!

I’ll wait to hear from ya!