Stoma barrier cream

Hi Sbee and welcome to the group.

I’m sorry you’re having problems getting the right size of hole cut in your bag-I get my bags precut for me so I don’t often get any sore skin as I do get a good fit. 

However, I have occasionally had sore skin around my stomas and I choose not to use a barrier cream of any sort-I find calamine lotion works very well to soothe my skin and help it heal quickly. I put some of the lotion on a cotton pad and rub it gently around the stoma. Then I let this dry, or if I’m in a hurry I’ll use a hairdryer on a cool setting to dry the area thoroughly before I put my new bag on.

I’m sure others will be able to recommend specific barrier creams for you but I find the calamine lotion is a cheap solution that I keep on hand just in case, and it was a tip from my stoma nurse.

I hope you can find something which helps.

Sarah xx

Hi Sarah 

Thankyou for that I didn't actually think of trying anything else but that definitely makes sense so I'll give it a go, 

I have been offered pre cut bags but at the moment each bag seems to have to cut different each time so I'd still probably have to trim bits off each time I change it.

It takes time for the stoma to heal and settle after surgery so I used to cut my bags myself. The shape changed, so I had to cut holes which were not round-my urostomy has a crescent shape and neither of my stomas protrude from my body at all, so I did have a lot of leaks to begin with! 

I waited for quite a while until I was confident enough that my stomas wouldn’t change further before requesting my bags to be cut and everything is fine now. 

Sometimes simple solutions can be very effective, and I’ve certainly found that with calamine lotion so I hope you get some relief.

Sarah xx

Hi Sbee

I would echo SarahH21 in terms of lotions & potions...calamine also worked the best for me. Both in terms of healing but also didn't interfere with the sticking of the bag. (As Sarah says, just make sure the calamine is dry...I use to use a mini handheld fan - those silly little amazon ones for menopausal flushes. LOL) 

Another thought is barrier rings. I've had four stomas - two temporary & now two permanent....but I only really discovered the joy of barrier rings on my permanent stomas. Wish I'd used them more before. You can either put the barrier ring down first and then bag on top (I do this, I find it follows the outline of the stoma the best and 'seals' gaps). Or you can put the barrier ring on the bag, and then put it on stoma as one unit - I think this is suboptimal. PS the barrier ring is very pliable, so you just shape it as you need for either way.  

My skin around my colostomy stoma gets grumpy when I'm on chemo - so I use barrier rings while on chemo and no probs, perfect skin. I find it protects the skin and avoids any trouble. (So one is not treating a problem but avoiding it).

These are the ones I use, but there are tons of them, ask your stoma nurse if you think it may work for you

https://www.hollister.co.uk/en-gb/products/ostomy-care-products/ostomy-accessories/barrier-rings-and-strips/adapt-ceraring-barrier-rings

All the best 

My first stoma which was done back in feb seemed to stay the same size and shape which was literally just a 40mm hole. But once I had the next surgery it really just keeps on changing so hopefully it will settle and I can get some pre cut bags ordered.

Hi I do have some barrier rings I've only ever used one though and that was back when I first had stoma surgery, I had a visit from a stoma nurse who did it all for me and it was all good but I didn't see how she applied the ring and when I tried to add one myself I literally just had to do without.

This afternoon I did try again as the skin is extremely sore but the ring is smaller than the hole that cut in the bag and again I just gave up as I just couldn't get it to the right shape as I was just stretching way to much.

im hopefully going to be able to speak to a stoma nurse on Monday and see if they can suggest something or even just show me how to get them to work.

I’d forgotten that when I first had my stomas I used aloe Vera barrier rings in exactly the way babotie suggested-putting them on my body first before the bag. They are very pliable and can be stretched quite a bit. You can cut them into bits too, depending on how you need to use them. I used a stoma gel to fill in little dips in my skin which was an extra bit of help in those early days. Hopefully the nurse could show you-I found them useful at the time but don’t need them now.

Sarah xx

I think it's just a case of trying a few different ideas and hopeful finding something that works.

I'll get some calamine lotion tomorrow and give that a go first.

I'm a bit late to this but in case it helps I was prescribed a steroid lotion when I had a bad reaction to the adhesive in one make of bags. I have lots of allergies and should have been using the Welland bags with Manuka honey but the local stoma nurse changed me to the ones her employer produces. 

It took a while to get the rash to go and that nurse recommended calomine lotion while the ones from the hospital where they did the op said to use the steroid lotion - Betacap -  which dries quickly. It's actually lotion for scalp dermatitis (which I also have - different bottles obviously in case of cross contamination). I have used both but the steroid works best and quickest for me.

Every so often I still use it when urine has irritated my skin, applying it with a baby bud. My GP prescribes it for me.

All the best 

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