One of the most common problems people with a stoma experience is the poor condition of the skin around the stoma. This part of the skin is known as peristomal skin, and it is usually more exposed to the contact of feces or urine. This contact can result in skin irritation, which can turn out to be pretty uncomfortable if left untreated. The most fundamental measure to prevent these peristomal skin complications is to wear a flange with a strong adhesive.

In this article, we will discuss a few ways to ensure the good health of peristomal skin.

Maintaining healthy peristomal skin

Damaged peristomal skin can be quite painful and is more prone to infection. Damage to this part of the skin makes it difficult for the baseplate to adhere properly. The best way to maintain healthy peristomal skin is to ensure proper prevention.

The first thing is to see how your peristomal skin looks when it is healthy. It should look just as anywhere on the abdomen. Then, you will have to look for signs of skin irritation.

The best way to ensure the optimum health of your peristomal skin is to fit the baseplate around the stoma properly. It will help prevent peristomal skin problems.

• If you are using a one-piece ostomy pouch, you will have to make sure that the adhesive used with its baseplate is flexible. It will allow for frequent pouch changes.
• If you are using a two-piece ostomy pouch, you will have to use special moldable baseplates that hug the contours of your peristomal skin to ensure proper fitting of the flange.

Sore skin and your stoma bag baseplate

Skin soreness is pretty common among stoma bag wearers. This soreness can range from little redness to weeping wounds and irritating sores. It can be pretty painful sometimes.

Some most common reasons for skin soreness are as follows.

• The most common reason for skin soreness is leakage. Reasons for leakage include wrongly-sized baseplate, the wrong type of baseplate, and not prepping the skin before wearing a baseplate. All these reasons contribute to waste materials coming in contact with the peristomal skin, which can eventually result in soreness.
• A poorly fitted baseplate is another reason your ostomy pouch doesn’t adhere. It may be due to the wrong-sized opening of your baseplate. While using a cut-to-fit ostomy pouch, you have to make sure that the opening of your baseplate is right according to the shape and size of your stoma.
• If the baseplate is not sticking to your peristomal skin, you may experience leakage, which is the primary reason for skin soreness. Allowing feces or urine to leak through can result in a vicious cycle of leakage and skin soreness. You can discuss these matters with your stoma care nurse in detail.
• Sometimes, the product you use may not suit your stoma. It can result in a host of peristomal skin issues. Again, your ostomy care nurse can help you determine the type of product you can use.

Peristomal skin issues can be quite painful. They can also result in an affected quality of life. Preventing these issues or addressing them on time is critical.