Skin-Tac™ Adhesive Barrier Wipes 50 Count

Product Information

During the insertion process, press and hold the Dexcom applicator firmly against the skin for about 30-60 seconds before pushing the button to insert the sensor. This will ensure that the sensor adhesive has good adhesion to the skin. Alexandra100 , a simple thing which is sometimes overlooked is preparing the arm properly before applying. I'll always shower or wash my arm to remove residual grease, use the alcohol wipes, and also shave the application area during the washing. Wow! It is worth it to buy this product. It helps with keeping the skin grip in place a lot better and longer." Am on my 54th at the moment and have only had 1 fall off, and that was because of bumping a door-jamb. Facebook groups and other social media channels are full of PWDs complaining about rashes or red marks caused by wearing a CGM or insulin pump infusion set. Many include images — sometimes quite graphic — to show the extent of the problem.

Manufactures keep close to their chest when it comes to data about customer service calls relating to adhesives or skin issues. And skimming through “adverse event reports” kept by the FDA to find data can be quite complicated and fruitless, given the complexity of the database. I’ve been using the freestyle libre for just over 7 months. About a month ago I was upgraded to the freestyle 2. With both products I’ve experienced a lot of issues with it staying on for the full 14 days, in fact 80% of them fall off within the first week!But it’s a real concern for PWDs, because it can sometimes translate into not being able to use an insulin pump or continuous glucose monitor (CGM) — devices that could otherwise reshape diabetes management and their quality of life with this condition. Keeping a Dexcom sensor adhered for the full 10 days requires proper preparation, insertion, and maintenance. Here are some tips to help you keep your sensor in place for the full duration. In 2018, a team of healthcare professionals including diabetes care and education specialists (DCES) recognized the problem in a research article on “Preserving Skin Integrity with Chronic Device Use in Diabetes.”

The authors explain how “devices involve a small filament or cannula being inserted under the skin and secured with an external adhesive patch (worn) on the skin (that) varies in size, with tubed infusion sets offering the smallest surface area, and CGMs and patch pumps requiring a larger adhesive body.” They note that insulin pump infusion sets need to be replaced every 2 to 4 days, while CGM sensors are approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to be worn on the skin for 7 to 14 days.That work continues, she adds, but it can take as long as 2 years to even determine which adhesive component might be an issue to press the manufacturer on.

One of the world’s most passionate researchers on this topic in recent years is Dr. Stefanie Kamann, a dermatologist and allergist in Germany, whose son lives with type 1 diabetes (T1D) and experiences these adhesive woes personally. an infusion set or sensor gets bumped on a wall or door jamb, ripping off the adhesive along with some of your skin Skin Tac can be a valuable tool for Dexcom users by increasing the sensor's adhesion to prevent it from coming loose or falling off before the sensor expires. Dexcom users should also take proper preparation, insertion, and maintenance steps to keep the sensor adhered for the full 10 days in addition to using Skin Tac as directed. By following these tips, Dexcom users can have added protection and a peace of mind from Skin Tac that their sensors will stay on for the full duration. Abbott followed Dexcom’s lead and made changes in 2017 after conducting its own clinical study that showed some of the issues PWDs experience from the adhesives. The company also issued a special guide that year to help people navigate adhesive woes.

In its official FAQ, Dexcom has explained its adhesive makeup this way: “It is a pressure sensitive acrylic adhesive coated on top of a polyester spunlace fabric. The plastic housing is attached to the patch by direct pressure and heat. There is no latex or bovine components in the adhesive.” International clinical studies by Kamann and others also confirmed the success of the adhesive change. Kamann’s research has found that possibly more than two-thirds of patients experience these issues at some point. “They can handle this problem sometimes with skin barrier wipes or skin care creams, but some have more problematic and life-long real allergies.” Some researchers have found that at least 35 percent of diabetes device users experience intermittent skin problems due to irritation from sweating, occlusion and so on under the adhesive. While she’s pleased that companies are paying more attention to this issue and some are making changes, Kamann feels it’s a lingering concern that needs more research and continued pressure.

I’ve tried skin tac on 3 sensors now but it literally makes them not work. The first one I applied, the needle of the sensor came out but the sensor stayed in the applicator?? That may have been a faulty sensor though. The next 2 neither of them gave me any readings. It was a series of ‘try again in 10 minutes’ before finally ‘replace sensor - sensor not working’ !!! But that changed in 2017, when the company made the change in the adhesive it used to avoid the allergen ethyl cyanoacrylate.

In her own dermatology lab, she saw many patients between 2016 and 2020 who experienced allergic skin reactions after using the Abbott FreeStyle Libre, Medtronic Minimed Enlite CGM sensors, and the Omnipod insulin patch pump. That also led to cross-reactions to other devices they used with adhesives, she said. Enquiries about the information contained in the Drug Tariff should be directed in the first instance to: For its part, Dexcom says that it continues to work to improve its adhesive, to give PWDs the best possible CGM experience. Senior public relations manager James McIntosh told DiabetesMine in early 2021 that “with modifications to our adhesive, and an updated G6 transmitter that was approved by the FDA in December 2020, we are already seeing significantly improved sensor wear time and reduced sensor errors.” For Kamann’s son, it was the Abbott FreeStyle Libre with a quarter-sized round sensor adhered to skin that caused him problems. He’d get severe skin reactions that made it difficult to wear that device. Just before we left for school this morning Lily said her cannula was peeling off so I had a look and sure enough it was starting to peel around the edges so I taped it up with some micropour tape and told her to keep an eye on it.