Irritated skin below stoma pouch

Hi LynnH6 and welcome to the group.

I’ve had my stomas for 6 years now and do suffer occasionally from itchy skin. I have found for me the simplest solution is to put some calamine lotion on a cotton pad and wipe it gently over the skin. I normally use a hairdryer on a cool setting to dry it off, but you can let it dry naturally. It doesn’t affect the seal so long as you make sure everything is completely dry before putting the new bag on. 

We do have a stoma support group you might be interested in posting on to widen the number of people who will see your post, and if you’d like to join it and make an additional post there, this is the link

Stoma Support Forum

All the different types of stomas are discussed there, and I know that itchy skin can be a factor for many of us with different types of stomas. You might get some extra advice and tips there. 

Hope this might help you!

Sarah xx

Thank you, Sarah. I will join the group.

Hi LynnH6,

I have had this and was recommended 2 solutions, both of which I use from time to time (I have lots of allergies so am fairly used to reactions like this).

Calamine lotion is fine and I apply it using toilet paper as I find cotton wool can stick to the skin, but a baby bud also works and you can paint it on thinly. You don't need a lot, and it dries quickly like that.

I was also advised by the hospital stoma nurses to get the GP to prescribe steroid skin lotion - Betacap is the one I use plus a baby bud as above ( I'm already prescribed something similar for my scalp dermatitis but have a separate bottle to prevent cross contamination!). 

My bags are Welland Aura and they have manuka honey in them. If I attach them well (holding them in place for a minute or two to get the adhesive warmed up properly so they stick) there is no leakage and the bag stays fairly Ok. After a leak however it does flare up a bit, so back to the lotions

I use Coloplast Brava remover spray as well - other makes cause a bad reaction. I don't use flange extender either - anything that irritates the skin is a nuisance.

E 45 would affect the stickiness of the bags (and I can't use it anyway because I'm allergic to it). I'd stick to these 2 above if I were you. they've worked well for me over the past 3 years. 

All the best,

Latestart