Marathon Skin Protectant: A Costly but Effective Option

Hi gang,

Figured I'd start a new post to tell you how my Marathon skin protectant adventure went... and it was an adventure. So Marathon is basically SuperGlue or KrazyGlue or whatever you want to call that fast-setting Cyanoacrylate stuff. It comes in little plastic tubes that have a hard plastic or glass tube inside it that you squeeze between your fingers to break, and the purple-tinted protectant can then flow to the foam applicator tip. It's expensive... like $40 for 5 tubes, and each tube is claimed to cover a 4" square. And maybe it does, but it's a bit hard to see when you apply it, so when I applied it I ended up using 2 tubes to cover a 4x4 area. It dries quickly, and once dry you apply your barrier directly over it. I didn't have any problems applying it, it doesn't sting or anything, so it's easy.

My concern was how easy it would be to remove, as Krazy Glue is not fun to remove right after you put it on. I was surprised to find the little fold-out info sheet that comes with it... you know the type... tiny print in 74 different languages... didn't say much about removal! All it said was "Once it has dried, unwanted Cyanocarylate can be softened with petroleum jelly and removed. It will naturally wear off within 1-3 days as the skin renews itself." And that was it. So ok, what could go wrong, right?

The morning of day 2 comes around and it's time to pull off my barrier and change it. Starting at the top I slid my finger under my barrier bandage and starting lifting. All was good until I got to the lower half of the barrier. Hmmm... it's stuck! How hard should I pull? Where the heck did I put the petroleum jelly? Do I even have any petroleum jelly? Why didn't I think to look for it BEFORE I started pulling it off? But hey... I'm a guy and I actually DID read the instructions... now how many guys do you know that would do that? So rather than go looking for something I might not even have... I did what any non-brain surgeon guy would do. I pulled it off slowly. And it did come off without taking most of my skin with it. But a lot of it stayed stuck to my skin. Hmmm... how to get that off before I reapply? I decided on the fingernail and minor wincing method. It wasn't too bad, but I'd hate to have to try to remove this stuff on Day 1 or 1 1/2 rather than Day 2. But the good news was that my skin underneath it... that it was supposed to protect... was protected. It worked! So I decided to reapply and give it two more days. And I did make it a point to find the damn petroleum jelly. So on Sunday, when I do this again, I'll be ready Freddy!

So if you're considering using a skin protectant like Marathon... I can wholeheartedly recommend it. It's not cheap, but I did find a place online that sold a 10 pack for $46... which is what some thieves charge for a 5 pack. And if you get more wear time out of your barrier than I do, I guess it's money well spent. So thanks to all who replied to my previous post on this stuff, especially Uro2011, who calmed my fears about using SuperGlue to hold my barrier on. And I'll keep a tube of it in my toolbox just in case I run out of KrazyGlue! Marathon is going into my WIN column.

Regards,

Bob

Thanks so much for sharing and giving us a review of Marathon skin protectant! I'm glad to know you didn't tear your skin! We are all similar in ways of our ostomies, however we are all different when it comes to how products work for us individually. It's so helpful to learn of new products and how they work. Thank you and wishing you continued success!

Bob,

Great to hear you found a "win" in the marathon. Always nice to have info on products that may be needed in the future.
Have not had the need for any crazy glue or anything else to hold my bag on. My Convetec two-piece lasts for 10 days with no additional products! Maybe I am just lucky, but I never have any skin issues under or around the barrier. That is subject to change at any time. We all know how quickly something can happen to rock our world.
That could have been a disaster, so glad it worked out! Lol

Now all you need is my July 4th pouch cover to match your Stars and Stripes hat! Haha

Pup!

Hi Bob, so glad it worked for you. You may know this already, but I get the wafer edge started. Then, instead of pulling it off, I hold the edge and push the skin down from the wafer. I was surprised what a big difference it made. It really has helped me. Best wishes and stay safe.

Pup.......you read my mind!  I've got about 15 or 20 cowboy hats..........so I'm figuring a bag cover to match each one!!!  It is pretty cool how easy they are to make.  The other day in Walmart I ended up buying 2 fanny packs in the Sporting Goods section.  I think I can easily modify them to act as both a bag cover and a place to keep shit.  Yes, both kinds!!! There's a lot of good sources for ideas out there, with the huge selection of spandex and neoprene clothing, just waiting to be converted into ostomy products.  If their designers only knew..............

;0)

Regards,

Bob

You're welcome, Bob. Marathon saved my skin and helped it heal when it was really bad. Nothing else worked for me, and I was getting desperate. The stuff is amazing but not cheap. My skin healed nicely using Marathon, and I haven't used it since, but have some in case of an emergency or for traveling. I never had a problem with it sticking to the point I had to pull it off. I suggest leaving any that stays on your skin and just adding more around it and on top of the existing Marathon; you'll just have a thicker layer of protection. With moisture, it'll just come off. Take a hot bath and soak, and for sure, it'll come off with no petroleum jelly required. I also use a blow dryer to dry it quickly, and it becomes a hard, crusty shell over your skin. I recommend it to everyone. Good luck with your next change.

Haha! You are so right! I will take anything and make it useful in a different way! The funny thing is, I have this old shower curtain, still in the package. For some reason, never used it and not sure why I bought it. I come across it constantly and have even put it out for garage sales with no takers! So when I saw on a YouTube video a lady took a shower curtain and made a pouch cover for her friend to use in the shower! That did it! I will be opening that shower curtain to repurpose it! I use the stickers that come in the pouch box to cover my filter but it really does not provide much protection and my filter gets compromised. This may prove to be very useful!
Good luck in the matching pouch covers! That may keep you busy for a while!
Pup

Pup,
That's an awesome idea! Let us know how it turns out! I would buy a shower cover if someone made them!

Hi Bob, thanks for the update, but like Lovely said, don't pull the wafer off. But after you get a corner of it started, try pushing the skin away from the wafer. Your skin will be happier, especially when you've been an ostomate for decades like some of us.

Hi guys,

Update after second removal and re-apply of Marathon this morning. It's working well, and my skin under the Marathon is healing nicely! Adhesion is good, and doing as Ron suggested helped with the removal process. I still had to use my fingernail to peel the old Marathon off about half of my skin that's under the bandage portion of the barrier, but it went well. I hesitate to use petroleum jelly, as recommended by Marathon, due to the difficulty of getting it off without anything harsh so I can reapply the Marathon. I also couldn't find the damn stuff despite knowing I have two containers of it in this house somewhere!! And to Uro's comment about just leaving the hard to remove portion still on.......I think that could be done without any problem, but the little Marathon pamphlets says not to do that, as the original layer will crack and degrade, ruining the top layer's adhesion. Since I change every other day I don't think that would be a problem with me, but for those who wear their barriers for up to a week....it might cause adhesion issues. Once you get a part of the stuck stuff peeled up the rest comes off pretty easily without tearing the skin. So there's a few ways to go with the stuck-on stuff. Anyway, the Marathon continues to impress and it makes applying a new barrier very simple too. Apply Marathon....dry......and apply barrier.....easy! Thanks for all the input.

Regards,

Bob

Marathon saved my skin. Found it early. I change every 3 days and there doesn't seem to be anything left when I remove. I now only use it for bad skin irritations. Clears it right up. I only use a few dabs then wrap the applicator in Saran Wrap and can use the rest next change. Great stuff...

Hi Bob,

Are you saying that you change your system every 2 days?! I have a 37-year-old ileostomy, have worn only Convatec, and get 6-7 days between changes. I am just curious why you only get 2 days. Rhonda

Hi V,

I could never go 6 days with the same appliance. After a few days, the integrity is lost on the seal and water seeps under the wafer, causing a leak. If you have some special tricks, let us know!!! It would be nice to leave it on for an extra day or so. nbsp

At one time I was able to get 6 days out of a change. Now I am down to 3 days as I still get some seepage under the part of the wafer near the stoma opening. I think from sleeping on my back, liquid pools around the stoma. I change now every 3 days and there is still some leakage under the flange but hasn't started to irritate the skin yet so it's all good. There sure is a lot of products and methods to consider. Learning things is the most fun! Thanks for that.

Bud,

It is an evolving process. (Maybe a revolving process); each event leads you to another product or process to make things better even if you have been to that product before. Pretty soon, you have become an expert when only yesterday you were the newbie! Lol

Have fun with it! There are so many things out there to try, and the companies will let you try them for free! How good is that?!

Never a dull moment here!

Puppyluv

Hi Rhonda,

Yup.......that's what I'm saying.   I'm short gutted, so I have to eat small amounts all through the day and night....or I lose weight.   Which makes my output pretty continuous (although I'm working at changing that with lots of experimentation) and always liquidy......so barrier rings break down pretty quickly.   I could change every 3rd day if I had to, but my skin would be a mess under the bandage portion of the barrier.   So every other day I change it.    

;0)

Bob

Marathon Update #2 Well.........it didn't go as well this second time as the first, but it might not be the Marathon's fault. My skin under the lower half of my barrier ended up being red and weepy again, despite having it be dry before I applied the Marathon when I put my barrier on the other day. I think this had more to do with that area being exactly where the top of my jeans rubs, and the friction caused by that probably made the Marathon disintegrate quickly and the dermatitis come back in all its raging glory. So I again cut the bandage section off the whole bottom of the barrier, then tried honey (didn't do anything), an antifungal (didn't do much) and finally a triple antibiotic ointment......which I went to bed with it on. When I got up to change my barrier, the skin in question looked pink, but not red and weepy. So......I did my thing and applied the Marathon a bit thicker this time (used 2 tubes instead of one) and I've been in sweats these last 2 days, so I keep the elastic waist well below my barrier bandage.......and it looks good so far. Will get a better look tomorrow morning when I change it.

Funny thing is when you look up Contact Dermatitis or Eczema you find lots of info, but no definitive plans of attack. It's like seeing the doctor when you're sick and his prognosis is............you're sick. Yeah, I know that.......how do I fix it? Seems CD and Eczema are just catch-all labels for anything wrong with your skin that dermatologists can't figure out. And treatment is totally hit or miss. So much for modern medicine...........but it doesn't surprise me. Most of the things I've dealt with medically in my life have been like that. We're good as long as no one looks behind the curtain and sees the Great Oz is a little wimpy dude. Medicine is like that.

Anyway, I'll let you guys know what I find tomorrow..........could go either way!!!

;0)

Bob

Bob,

Sounds like you're figuring it out. I can't imagine jeans being comfortable for you to wear as jeans rub against bag and wafer. I'll bet sweats will make you more comfy and give skin time to heal. Hope the redness and weeping resolve quickly for you!

Hi EA,

Well......my stoma is above my belt line, so no issues with the bag, just the bottom of the barrier bandage section. And my pants aren't skin tight, but I guess all the in and out of the car and stuff like that cause irritation. Guess I could always get those 'relaxed fit' jeans.....what do they call them.....Momma Jeans?? Yeah, I can get a pair of Levis Momma Jeans!!!

;0)

Bob, I am sorry you are having so much trouble. Hope tomorrow brings better news and you will be on the mend. Best wishes and stay safe

Heck if you're gonna try Mom jeans.... try maternity jeans! You can get nice fitted pants on your legs and the belly area has a panel of soft, stretchy material to keep stoma comfortable. Maybe they will make these for men with ostomies???

Either way- send us a pic of you sporting Mom jeans lol!

Hey Bob,

Me too! Short gutted. I have less than half of my small bowel left after 6 surgeries over 43 years. My last was 21 years ago. I can certainly empathize with you on how quickly, how much, and how watery the output is, not to mention how caustic to the skin! I have used a two-piece Convatec Durahesive wafer and pouch system for many years with no problems. However, 4 years ago, I started having leakage and raw skin on one side of my stoma. I couldn't figure out why, as I have used the exact same system for 22 years. So, I got different barrier rings to try and had to cut them in half, stretching each half to overlap so no output could seep under it. Then, I got the stomahesive strips and cut them into 2 pieces to fill in a little dip in my tummy, all under the Durahesive wafer. It worked and gives me 6 days of wear time. I occasionally have to change twice in one day due to seepage under the wafer. It's so disheartening at times, but I keep trying new things and new ways. Some work, some don't. All the best, Rhonda  

Hi EA, 

I use barrier rings that I cut in half and stretch a little to overlap so output doesn't seep under the wafer Convatec Durahesive 2 piece. I still sometimes have output that seeps under the wafer and makes my skin raw, so I have to change immediately when it happens, but it works most of the time.

Uhhhh........yeah.......no, there won't be any pics of ol' Bob sporting cool new Mom jeans!!!  And I can't wait to see the look on the gal's face behind the register when she sees a 56-year-old scruffy cowboy buying a pair of maternity jeans in his size!!!  Think I'll just go get some scrubs!!!  No pic of them either!!!

;0)

Bob 

Hahahah, awww come on, be a sport! Just kidding! I thought that would get me a laugh (and you) anyway! Have a great day!

Hi, Bob

A couple of thoughts:

Regarding using petroleum jelly for the Marathon product removal...  Yes, it is difficult to remove from the skin.  So, what about using something like a vegetable cooking oil (corn, vegetable, canola, etc.) or olive oil?  (Uro, have you tried these and/or have an opinion on these oils employed in this process?)

I agree with your thought on the term "contact dermatitis".  It is a generic, one-size-fits-almost-all label for "miscellaneous" skin conditions that can't be placed under another dermatological diagnostic heading.

Eczema, however, is a definitive skin condition resulting from autoimmune disorder.  Speaking from decades of experience, here, darn it.

Lily17

Hi Lily,

Seems the use of any oil to try to remove dried Crazy Glue is a misnomer. That stuff is impervious to everything except acetone (nail polish remover), and I'm not putting that on red skin. I changed my barrier this morning and getting off the old Marathon took some time. The only thing that really works is using your fingernail to find a loose side and scraping it off. It wasn't as bad as it sounds. The petroleum jelly did absolutely nothing, and I let it sit on there for at least 15 minutes. The good news is my skin is healing under the Marathon, so I'm still happy with it. It's expensive to use every change (for me), but I can get my Doc to add it to my ostomy supply list and let the insurance pay for most of it. I'm still not sure if I'm going to go that route yet.............a few more changes and I'll decide. Oh, I did also try the other oils in the kitchen (canola, corn, olive, and veggie) to no avail. Time will tell.

Thanks,

Bob

Hi, Bob

Well, since acetone is a major no-no for the skin, and the petroleum jelly doesn't work to remove the Marathon product, and an atom bomb would be totally counterproductive...I don't know what to say. LOL

I really appreciate you bringing up the Marathon skin protectant, Bob. As I've posted before, I have sub-appliance skin ulcerations that even the dermatologists at UC Davis can't diagnose. I'm looking for any products that will give me an advantage in healing since we can't figure out the cause(s). Your post and the subsequent replies and discussion from others here gave me food for thought.

I also found the product information sheet on-line, and reviewed it. Here's the link should anyone decide to review it for themselves: https://www.medline.com/media/mkt/pdf/marathon/Marathon-Instructions-For-Use-92013.pdf

I have decided that this product - and the removal challenges it presents - are not for me.

Again, thanks for posting about your experience with the Marathon, Bob, it was so helpful!

Is this a great site with cool people, or what?! : )

Lily17

Hi Lily,

Also bear in mind that Marathon claims it's easier to remove in 2-3 days, and I take mine off right at day 2.   So if you left it on for 3 or more days before changing it should be easier to remove.   Also, where there are areas that the old Marathon cannot be removed (it seems to stick better the worse the skin is) you can simply apply the next dose of Marathon right on top of the old.   It's like paint........if the old paint can't be removed and has a good bond to whatever it's stuck to.....you can apply right over the top.   Same for Marathon.   I did that on one part of my skin that was pretty raw when I applied it the first time.   I tried getting it off, but it wasn't budging, so I just re-applied the next layer and it worked fine.   I'm also curious to see how it holds up to my swimming pool.    

You mentioned dermatologists..........I've so far found them totally useless when it comes to skin issues related to the barrier or ostomies in general.   Nice enough folks, but right about as often as the weather man.   But cost a whole lot more.   In the area of stomal skin...........we're on our own!

;0)

Bob    

Hi, Bob

With as severe and deep as my ulcerations were...as they can become...I'll have to give this more thought. The derma has become fairly fragile, especially after a couple of breakdowns/healings in the same spot.

Thanks for the clarification and, as always, your time! :)

Lily17