Shiny Skin and Rash Issues with Ostomy Products

I remember reading a comment on here a while ago about “shiny skin.” Currently, I am experiencing this dilemma along with intermittent periods of a rash.
Consulting my ole' buddy AI and many of its offshoots, I ran across this statement.
“Avoid using ostomy powder or skin prep wipes for more than a few days at a time.
Using them for long periods of time can make skin irritation worse.”——- Wait, what??!! ——I use the powder to try and eliminate the rash!
For a while now, I have noticed I no longer need adhesive remover wipes to remove my gear. The surrounding tape is easily removed without any chemicals. The gear remains firmly attached by use of 2 different sizes of ConvaTec Cohesive products. The small Cohesive slims wrap immediately surrounding the stoma, then the large Cohesive stomawrap immediately surrounding the small one.
I change gear every other day (a personal preference), shower naked at each change, and occasionally use a 2-piece system, although I favor the one-piece appliance.
I have no leakage problems, so the intermittent rash I get is most likely caused by a product…either/or ConvaTec remover wipe to clean off the area from wrap residue, Stomahesive protective powder, or ConvaTec skin barrier wipe.
Anyone else have shiny skin and an intermittent rash on the “outskirts” of the stoma and found it to be one of the above? Next step: contacting my supplier's stoma support group, but I do prefer my MAO on-the-job experienced peeps.
Thanks, jb

G-Day JB,

Interesting that they say don't use things too often. The only chemicals I use are a spray adhesive remover and adhesive remover wipes, and I also use a spray barrier. Touch wood, I have not had any problems, but should one turn up, I know now where to look. Thank you for that information, JB. I hope you're having a great day.

Regards IGGIE 🦘

Sorry yur dealing with this, kiddo. I stopped reading after " showered naked". Whoops!😁

My skin is always shiny. Is that a bad thing?

The rashes may be fungal (usually yeast). It is normal for fungus to live on the skin, and it is not cleared by antibacterial soap.

Crusting with Desonex works for me. I've seen washing with dandruff shampoo suggested by others, and I think that would work too.

That's true, Susan. I always wash around everything with Head & Shoulders shampoo.

IGGIE

My Ostomy Journey: Kimberly | Hollister

Hi Just,

First off, AI is usually wrong, so don't put too much faith in it for now. All AI does is search and summarize what it finds on the internet, most of which is just people's opinions that are usually wrong. With that in mind, 'shiny skin' can mean different things. If your skin is in good shape, meaning nothing going on like redness, weeping, etc., and you're not using any steroids on it, then 'shiny' as you describe is probably caused by the ostomy powder getting absorbed into the skin, causing a film to form on the surface. That's fairly normal when you use it continuously, which I don't recommend. I used to use it only when necessary, and that was when something else was giving me a problem and I was using the ostomy powder as a band-aid until I figured out what was going on. Nothing sticks to powders, as you well know, so once that 'shiny' layer forms on your skin, it will be tough getting your barrier to stick to it. Give your skin a break from the ostomy powder if you can, and wash the area with a mild, read that MILD, soap each morning when you shower. Your skin should get back to normal pretty quickly. If not, there might be something else going on and you should probably take some good pics and go see a dermatologist, or your ostomy nurse if he/she is any good. If you are using topical steroids, you have a much bigger problem, which is thinning skin. That gets 'shiny' for a much worse reason, but we won't go there now. Hope this helps, and go easy on the AI, at least until everyone on the internet gets a bit smarter. Yeah, like that's ever gonna happen anytime soon. 😜

;O)

Actually, now that I think about it, my shiny skin is probably inverse psoriasis. I struggle with that in skin folds, and I imagine the wafer acts like a skin fold. In the case of psoriasis, it is excess production of skin cells. In dry areas, like elbows, I get a plaque, but in moist areas like skin folds, I get shiny skin and then a soft plaque that will slough off easily, leaving sore skin behind. Therefore, I need to watch for plaque formation and treat it if that starts.

So unless you have a similar skin condition, it might need to be looked at by an ostomy nurse. Shiny might indicate light damage.

My skin goes between shiny and dry as I have eczema. I've washed the skin around my stoma for years with Dermol 500 lotion, and when the skin is irritated, I just rub some Sudocrem on the skin until it clears. I've never used powder or barrier wipes or sprays; less is best in my view, unless you have a skin issue that really needs it to be used all the time. I'm set in my ways; most of this newfangled stuff wasn't around when I first had my ileo, and we managed very well without it.

I would say my peri-stomal skin is a little on the shiny side, but healthy and unblemished. Apart from the adhesive remover wipe, I don't use any product, powder, spray, or anything on my skin, as long as it's healthy. I shower after I use the adhesive remover and clean it all with Ivory soap. That's it. No other products before applying my barrier ring and then appliance. I still go with what my ostomy nurse told me, the whole 'less is more' concept, and it's worked well for me. I only change once a week.

Terry

Warrior, you are about as helpful as the guy who went to the liquor store on his bike to buy a bottle of Fireball. On his way home, he thought to himself, "What if I fall off this bike and break this bottle?" So he promptly drank all the Fireball - it turned out to be good advice; he fell off the bike seven times on his trip home. jb

Hmmm, I am a firm believer that less is more. For sure, I will start by eliminating the stoma powder and just use the remover wipe for removing waxy residue from the wraps. Not even sure the barrier wipe is necessary, as my skin is in good shape except for the spotty rash I get from time to time. I have used Dial Antibacterial Soap but find it harsh, so I am currently using Dove for sensitive skin. I doubt that soap is an issue and feel it may be one of the other three products. The shiny skin, I believe, is the reason the adhesive does not stick as firmly as it once did. The tape stays secure, but no remover is required to release it. This is not a bad thing, as less chemical use is better. The shiny skin is really no problem other than my curiosity about the health of it. jb

Thanks for the info…I will eliminate the powder and barrier wipe for a while and see how that works. I use Dove for sensitive skin, and the shiny skin does not seem to be any sort of product “build-up.” I don't take meds or topical steroids. Given my age, thinning skin, nails, and hair, along with brain power, is the probable cause. Thanks for your input…jb

Wow.........I can get a very detailed mental image of that whole trip. Bro has a hard time riding a bike as it is.......adding some Fireball (that's a really cheap Canadian whiskey with cinnamon flavor added to it) and that'd be hysterical!! Here's a video of Bro trying to ride his bike after a few shots of Jack.

;O)

https://youtu.be/NlU9YURQ9uI

Well... at least he helped himself. 😋..

That's just mean, brother Bob.

Now I gotta tell everyone you pee sitting? 🤷‍♂️🤔🫵💓

OMG…thanks for that morning giggle to start my Sunday. - Amazing he had the wherewithal to straighten the handlebars - straightening them was truly helpful, right Warrior? Some laughter each day keeps the doctors away…..jb

Let us know if this improves things for you, JB. This is what I was told by my ostomy nurse and also by one Hollister rep over the phone. The 'no-sting skin prep' in conjunction with the stoma powder is used to create a crust to form a dry surface, 'if' your skin is degraded or raw, and that's it. It should only be used on the degraded part of your skin, nowhere else. There are no medicinal ingredients in either to improve healing or improve adhesion. Its sole purpose is for crusting. If there are other products out there that are used for healing or adhesion, I don't know what they are, and I'll be the first to admit it. When I see ostomates talk about using 'barrier wipes' on their skin before putting on their appliance, I'm not sure what they are talking about. Is there something else besides the 'no-sting skin prep' that is supposed to improve adhesion? And using powder by itself, why would you do that? It only adds a barrier between you and your appliance that will not help with adhesion; in fact, it will give you a poorer seal. If I am wrong on any of this, please someone let me know, as I don't want to be giving out bad advice. I remember when I had a really bad skin issue and started using the wipes and powder to create a crust. It was good to have a dry surface, but I sure didn't get the wear time that I do now. I think most would agree that going a whole week between changes for an ileostomate with high output that is often very loose or even liquid is pretty good, so I must be doing something right? With those amazing Salts aloe barrier rings, I could actually go longer than a week. When I do my change, that sucker is still on there really solidly. I wish you guys in the U.S. could get Salts.

Terry

I use barrier wipes on the skin around my urostomy. I am under the impression that it helps protect my skin from output. Since I frequently get small amounts of urine on my skin while I'm changing appliances, it seems prudent. I occasionally use it on the colostomy to help the skin because my liquid output will soak through the barrier ring. I recently switched to Marathon skin prep for that purpose.

I didn't always use both powder and wipe. The barrier wipe, I was told, was supposed to protect the skin and should be used before applying an appliance… it leaves a very thin skin-like barrier… peels off somewhat like sunburned skin would peel. This is when a remover wipe was used to clean the area. I thought this was a good thing. The powder was added first whenever I had a skin rash and then topped with the barrier. Oh my, I am going to call my supplier tomorrow and see what the stoma nurse has to say… since I do not have a leakage problem, maybe these chemical helpers (hmmm that's an oxymoron) are the villains… jb

I find it frustrating that ostomates are given conflicting information by people who should be in the know. Maybe barrier wipes do protect your skin; what do I know? I guess in the end, it's just what works well for you. I never had any problems with skin irritation while I had a colostomy, so getting output on my skin wasn't an issue, except for the leakage thing, of course! Once I got my ileo, skin irritation became a big thing, and it took a while to find a solution.

Terry

Like I said to Susan, maybe the barrier wipes are a good thing for protecting your skin. We haven't all been given the same information. I can remember other occasions when I've had different ostomy nurses tell me conflicting information. I do know for myself, when I've used the wipes and powder on my irritated skin, it seemed to help keep the appliance in place, but didn't do anything to improve my skin. Just my experience. Maybe this is just another example of what works for one, doesn't work for another!

Terry

I was told that powder was only for use when there was skin irritation. In that case, the barrier wipe serves a dual purpose because it is used to crust the powder and provide a suitable surface for barrier adhesion (obviously, uncrusted powder would interfere). So we were told the same thing there.

I don't think the barrier wipe improves wear time. When I've forgotten the barrier wipe, it hasn't seemed to make the slightest difference in that. But my skin does seem more sore without it.

I think that if you can get away without the barrier wipe, it's fine. But some of us do benefit from using it. I wouldn't recommend the powder except when you are having skin issues.

Yeah, in my case, I wouldn't want anything between my skin and my Salts ring, as it's the ring that is keeping my skin healthy to begin with.

Terry

Hi Terry,

I also use and recommend the Salts Ring, but I do use a Spray Barrier first, not just for the ring but for the wafer as well, and my skin is good, and it all holds together well.

IGGIE

I guess, in the end, we all should stay with what works best for us. If you've found a system you are happy with, excellent. For me, I cannot see why I would start using a barrier wipe before applying my aloe ring. Two reasons here: number one, the aloe ring itself is what is protecting my skin and even healing minor irritation, so I want it directly on my skin, with nothing in between. Secondly, I still believe that if my skin is healthy, clean, and dry, that surface will give me the best seal when I apply my ring. If there is no output getting under the ring, there is no need to protect it, right? Susan was saying that the spray helps protect her skin from output that gets under the ring and/or wafer, so that would be a good reason to use it. At least we all seem to agree that powder should only be used when there is a skin problem, and then to be used with the wipes.

Terry