This topic is all about practical methods and products to help prevent leaks and clip failures with ileostomy bags. Here are some helpful tips and insights shared by others:

- Start with skin preparation: Use a skin conditioner spray, apply ostomy powder, and then use an Eakin Cohesive Seal ring along with ostomy paste on the flange.

- Secure the flange: Add adhesive gauze tape around the edge of the flange for extra hold.

- Add an extra barrier: Use transparent plastic tape or more gauze tape over the flange for additional security.

- Reinforce the closure:
1. Place a strip of hockey or sports tape horizontally across the bottom of the bag.
2. Attach a self-adhesive Velcro dot to this taped section.
3. Fix another Velcro dot to the end of a short piece of tape placed vertically under the horizontal strip and onto the back of the pouch, then fasten the two dots together.
4. Dust baby powder on the exposed sports tape to prevent it from sticking to the pouch’s closure.

- Observations: New Hollister bags can be slippery, causing clips to slide off. Coloplast Velcro closures usually hold well but can release if not fully locked.

- Cost-saving tips: Sports tape, plastic tape, and Velcro dots can be found at Dollarama or Walmart in the Greater Toronto Area, Canada. Adhesive gauze is often available from home-care nurses or medical-supply shops.

- Sample feedback: Coloplast sent adhesive “one-piece” flanges that work well for flush stomas. For protruding stomas, reinforcement with tape, paste, and waterproof tape is recommended. Coloplast also offers traditional locking flanges with flexible glue strips that are effective.

- Favored accessories:
1. Coloplast Brava Elastic Tape, product no. 12070, is available for CAD $32.40 per box of 2.
2. Consider cutting small triangles in rigid Coloplast wafers and sealing gaps with Brava half-circles.

- Personal preferences: Hollister flanges are liked for their breathable gauze backing, while Coloplast flanges are seen as tougher to fit on uneven skin. A homemade “tape & Velcro” safety closure is always added to Hollister’s clip version, and the clip’s locking tab is checked to ensure it is fully extended.

- Supply challenges in Canada: Some U.S. distributors cannot ship wafers/flanges to Canada, and local prices are about double those in the U.S.

- Closure technology comparisons:
1. Coloplast’s Velcro closures are considered the most reliable by many.
2. Convatec clips are rated as more secure than Hollister’s traditional clips.
3. Bags with positive-locking couplings, like Coloplast Click or Convatec’s “Tupperware-style” lock, are preferred over adhesive-only systems as they handle movement better.

- Activity and heat: Convatec wafer adhesive may loosen with heavy activity or sweating, so extra security measures or alternative brands might be needed for outdoor or strenuous work.

- Alternative security strips: Half-moon hydrocolloid strips, such as “Secuplast Hydro Aloe” by Salts Healthcare (Product Code SPHA2, 30 per pack), provide additional edge sealing similar to Coloplast’s Brava strips.