Looking for Pump Action Alternative to Aerosol Sprays

Hi, I'm a newbie on here so please forgive me if this subject has been covered already. I have this thing about aerosol sprays, I find them very wasteful for environmental reasons and I feel guilty using so many of them. I regularly use Appeel no sting medical adhesive remover which has a UK code of 3500. It works extremely well, but it comes in a tiny 50ml spray and I have to order 4-6 at a time, it really does my head in, surely they could use a pump action spray? Anyway, I have been trying to find an alternative that comes in a pump action but have found nothing that works as well as the Appeel. Does anybody know of such a thing?

Hello jimrobb01. I regularly used the Appeel spray until recently when I gathered together a load of samples to see if I could find something better.

Among the samples were some wipes to do the same job. I cannot remember who supplies them and because I felt they did not work very well for me, I did not make a note of the manufacturer.  In my exploration I did not come across anyone who supplied pump-action sprays but if you contact manufacturers and ask - sometimes this type of questioning prompts them to come up with something new. Also they sometimes already have things that they are experimenting with and they might give you a sample to try.

I can understand your feeling about aerosol sprays but at present they do sem to be the most efficient way of removing the adhesives.

Best wishes Bill

Hello again. I just re read my post and maybe I gave a false impression about adhesive remover wipes. They work fine to remove the adhesive once the wafer has been taken off but I did not find them as efficient at removing the wafer as the sprays were. 

I've just been rummaging through my 'experimental' box and found  a few of the wipes by Brava, Dansac, Pelican and Osto-clear. So I presume that most manufacturers produce them. They are probably still in the box because I didn't feel they were effective for what I was trying to use them for - getting the wafer off. 

I usually try to go to one of the meetings where manufacturers get together to show off their wares and give out samples. this way I can pick up these things and try them without being bombarded with aftersales literature.

Best wishes.

Bill. 

I use the alcohol-based wipes to remove the wafer, and they always do a good job removing the wafer. I know some people don't like them because they have sensitive skin and the alcohol may irritate it. I have actually never used an aerosol spray for this, because in the hospital, they showed me how to use the wipes, gave me a whole bunch of them, and pretty much assumed that's what I would use - I never even knew there was another option!

Basically, you start at a corner or any area of the wafer where the edge is starting to come loose, and slide the wipe along the adhered area of the wafer, and it comes up as you lift the wafer. The trick is never to pull at the wafer so you're just pulling the wafer off, but to keep sliding the wipe along between the wafer and the skin with very gentle upward pressure of the wafer away from the skin. It generally takes me about 15 seconds tops to remove the wafer.

I then have a regimen for cleaning the skin: one moist wipe to clean any residual waste of the stoma and the skin around it, a second alcohol wipe to ensure any residual wafer adhesive is removed, then a final swipe with a wet washcloth (water only) to make sure no alcohol residue remains. When I have very clean skin, I have no problems with the next wafer adhering. I also started using SureSeal rings over the wafer, which has securely extended the wear time usually to around 7 days (occasionally 8) with absolutely no embarrassing breakthroughs.

Hey Dana, I agree with everything you wrote but would like to amend one of your thoughts if you don't mind.  Where you suggest VERY GENTLE upward pressure upward away from the skin, I would suggest pushing the skin into the body while holding the wafer or any other adhesives in the same plane where they started.  By pushing the skin inward I think we cause less harm to the skin than when we pull it outward.  Just my thoughts and I ask you respecfully to consider.

Thank you,

Mike

Words of Encouragement from Ostomy Advocates I Hollister

Oh, very good thought. I guess my skin is a bit tougher (or I'm just too impatient!).

Hi everyone, I also use all the adhesive removers you have mentioned. I have just tried samples of Stoma Seal. It's a company in New Jersey. It's a thin film which you cut to the size of your Stoma, and it avoids using sprays as your flange comes off with the seal. I loved this idea, but because my Stoma is inverted, I found it difficult to get a good seal. But I am going to keep trying as it will save me carrying sprays, and I found my skin wasn't as sore. Just google it. Hope this is of some help.

A suggestion to keep skin from being damaged. A silicone-based adhesive remover spray such as Coloplast's Brava or SensiCare by Convatec is AMAZING for getting the wafer off with no stress on the skin. Also, their silicone-based remover wipes are THE best for removing adhesive residues with simple wiping. I LOVE them! You really do NOT want to overstress the peristomal skin. It takes off layers of your precious dermis that protect it.

I am a urostomate. I remove my wafer (Hollister Premier Urostomy Pouch Flextend #8485) in the shower by letting the soapy water run over it. It is somewhat painful on the skin while pulling the wafer away. Next time, I'll push the peristoma skin inward and see if it is less painful. After coming out of the shower, I wipe the peristoma skin with Hollister Adapt Universal Remover Wipes, No Sting #7760. After the skin dries, I put on the new wafer. The wafers which I use are pre-sized to leave only a 1/16" gap around the stoma. For the sealing, I use Convatec Eakin Cohesive, which I roll with my hands to a little snake 1/8" diameter x 4" long. I have been searching for answers if the skin itching situation over my whole body is caused by the adhesive in this type of wafer with its large contact area with the skin (more than 4" dia)? Usually, I change the wafer once a week.