Urostomy: How do you care for skin under the wafer?

I would like to help you as I have had serious skin problems my self after my coloscopy last year. Also the stoma is flat/concave so I need to use a barrier ring in order to make a good seal around the stoma. However I am not sure what you are referring to when you say the 'wafer'. Are you talking about what I call the 'flange' to which the bag is attached? I have read the other replies you have had and it is all good advice. Do you have an Ostomy specialist that can look at your particular problem and advise what would work best? Do not ignore the skin problem it will get worse.

I am calling the part attached to the pouch as the wafer. This is a one piece pouch. Maybe it is a flange on a two piece. ??? We are Mayo Clinic patients so yes, there is an ostomy nurse. We are located over an hour from the clinic so we go for an appointment only when required. Thank you for your concern. Everyone has been helpful and appreciated.

After a shower and gentle soap cleaning I do 2 things that has helped me. First , I use a portable hair dryer to dry the stoma area. Then after I apply the apparatus I use Hy-Tape ( very skin sensitive, and friendly, but sticks really well) . I use this as a supplement to the barrier and put a piece about 2 inches long at the top, bottom and sides of the flange. I play tennis 3-4 days/ week, I shower 3-4 times / week and live in Hawaii witth 80+ temp. My device last 6-7 days.

@Dragoness. Thanks for your input. It’s amazing you have found a way to be active and yet have success. Are you using a two piece pouch? Since I last posted here we have had a visit with the ostomy nurse at Mayo Clinic Jacksonville. We now use a one piece, deep convex pouch. We use no barrier ring or extra tapes of any kind. We change it every four or five days and have (knock on wood) had no problems with leakage. We have a new lease on life.

Our Nurse, Kathy, has us using over the counter Flonase as an anti inflammatory on the skin and it was magic. Simply spray the skin with a light coat after drying from the shower, let that dry or use the hair dryer on cool setting, and apply the pouch. This has been a seven month learning experience. For clarification, my husband has a UROSTOMY so urine has been the issue.

Hi I also had a urosotomy in Nov 2019. After about a month or so I also developed a nasty rash under my wafer. The VNA nurse felt I was allergic to the adhesive on the wafer. So I changed companies and now I use Convatec. I use a 2 piece system. My Dr prescribed a medicated powder for under the wafer which helped to get rid of the rash. But be patient, it takes a long time to clear up. Now I am very careful when I change my bag to make sure everything is dry and I also haven't tried going in a swimming pool or the ocean cause I fear getting the wafer wet and having another rash from it on the skin. I hope this is helpful?

Sometimes a rash can occur by pulling off your wafer too fast. Sometimes we think the best way, is fast like a bandaid. Unfortunately, that is not true with the skin around your stoma. You should always take off slowly. Use adhesive removers if available. And push your skin as you pull. If you are developing a rash, think about how you take off your wafer. This is one of the first things to remember for good stoma skin health.