Need help with skin irritations under Eakin seal!

I am having issues with skin irritations under the Eakin seal. There are tiny circles where the skin is peeling away. Any suggestions?

Hi D,

Are you seeing tiny "pock marks" or little craters in the skin... or are the circles just redness of the skin in a circular pattern? Posting pics gets ugly... I hate to do it myself... so how about a few more details. Do the circles itch? How big is "tiny"? Are there lots or just a few circles? Are they clustered in one area or evenly spread out under the Eakin seal? Are they close to the stoma (could you possibly be getting any leakage) or away from it? Do they sting when you touch them with alcohol or a skin prep wipe? Does the skin peel away as a "crust", meaning dry flaky skin, or more like a popped pimple (meaning wet or moist skin)? Guess I'm driving towards the question of whether what you are seeing is more like eczema or dermatitis.

Got to run to work now, but will check for your reply when I get home and respond back.

Regards,

Bob

They are about the size of a hat pin. They are circular and have a layer of skin off. It started as one on the side, but now there is one on the bottom. Not close to the stoma.

Hey Daanders, answers to these great questions from Bob will get you going in the right direction to fix this mess.  Please let us know how it works out.

Mike

Hi D,

That sounds like what I had going on over the summer. The best I could tell, it was a skin reaction to the material used in the bandage portion of my barrier. But I did a 96-hour skin allergy test with the material and did not get a reaction. So what I ended up doing was taking the clear plastic cover that gets peeled off the wafer before you stick it on and traced where the problem areas were. Then I cut small holes out of the barrier to let those areas breathe and not be covered. That works until you have to swiss cheese your barrier. In that case, you need to try two things. First, try Flo-Nase liquid... generic is fine. It's an anti-allergen that won't harm your skin. If that doesn't knock it out, you need a stronger topical steroid. I use Betamethasone foam, which is pretty strong stuff. You might want to see a dermatologist to try something weaker first. But hopefully letting the area breathe or using the Flo-Nase will knock it out. Let me know.

Regards,

Bob

Staying Hydrated with an Ostomy with LeeAnne Hayden | Hollister

Would hydrocortisone work? Isn't Flonase for sinuses?

Hi D,

The problem with hydro is it's greasy... so adhesion of your barrier becomes a problem. So I didn't mess with it much. The Flo-nase is an anti-allergy med, so if you look at your skin problem as an allergic reaction to something... it sort of makes sense. The Flo-nase works for me if things haven't gotten too bad. If I catch it late then only a steroid would get it back in check. Now if you can go for any length of time with your barrier off, like maybe in the morning when you get up, then using Hydro and letting it sit on there for 30 minutes or so (and then fully washing it off) might work too... just never tried it.

Regards,

Bob

I never go without it unless I am changing it. What about putting aloe from the plant?

Hi Daanders,

My stoma nurse suggested I try the puffer asthma sufferers use when I had the same problem! You just puff it onto the area that's bad, it dries very quickly so it doesn't interfere with the bag sticking! As it has a steroid in it, it clears the problem quickly! I just use it when I start to get some skin issues and it nips it in the bud! Might be worth a try!

Cheers

Marilyn.

Thank you. I will have to see if I can get this.

Hi D,

I've tried alone squeezed directly from the plant. It felt nice, but didn't do anything to solve the problem. Yes, I was talking about letting the air get to it when you change your barrier. I forgot that not everyone changes their barrier every other day, like I do. The asthma puffer sounds interesting.......

Regards,

Bob

I was hoping it worked. How do you explain prescription to a doctor? My ostomy nurse is old, not updated, and not confident.