Ostomy Supplies Review: What are the benefits of Adhesive Remover Wipes and Sprays?

Everyone has cringed at the thought of taking off a BAND-AID after it’s been on a while.  You rip it off quickly. As a kid, maybe your parent counted down 3-2-1!  When I first got my colostomy, I remember asking the nurse if it would hurt taking it off as a BAND-AID does.

I was in the hospital for 3 weeks after an intense life-saving surgery, my colostomy was placed at that time.  Looking back today, those 3 weeks helped me learn some important things in regard to my ostomy life.  I’m pretty sure I used the BAND-AID analogy with the nurse, but to be fair, I was highly medicated, so maybe I didn’t, and it’s just how I remember things all these years later.  I was taught 2 pouch removing methods in the hospital, and they’ve served me well ever since.  The nurse brought me Brava Adhesive Remover Spray and the Adapt Universal Remover Wipes.

The spray was pretty easy to teach.  Simply spray around the baseplate, and you’ll see it lift.  Spray again to areas not lifting, and the pouch is off in seconds.  The Adapt wipes were his choice because they have liquid inside the packet.  He taught me to rip it open and spill the liquid onto the baseplate.  Then take out the wipe to use around the baseplate, and it would come off.  I’ve used the Adapt wipes in a pinch but prefer the spray for its quicker, less complicated results.

There are many Adhesive Sprays and Wipes to choose from. Coloplast, Hollister, ConvaTec, Smith & Nephew, Salts etc.  I recently started using the Salts Adhesive Remover Spray as it has an amazing mint smell.  My biggest downside to this spray is that the exit point sprays wide, whereas the Brava doesn’t.  I like to rotate between the two.

When and How to Use Remover Sprays and Wipes

The spray and wipes can be used in different ways and for different things.  Generally speaking, a spray is easier and more effective in removing a pouch, and the wipes are best for cleaning the skin.  Before applying a new system, you want to make sure the skin is clean and no leftover adhesive on the skin.  The Brava wipes are a really good size to catch things, whereas the Adapt wipes are smaller and damper.  It really does come down to personal preference and, again, many brand choices which are so great.  Ostomates years back didn’t have such choices.

Salts recently rolled out a new Adhesive Remover wipe that is Eco-Friendly.  They’re called Flushaway Adhesive Remover Wipes because you can flush these since they completely dissolve in about 1 minute.  It’s a great option to avoid sending more waste to the landfill.  Below is a YouTube video that demonstrates its use:

I have a friend who wears a Dexcom monitor for her diabetes, and she was telling me about the sticky residue left on her skin when she takes it off, as well as how, in the hot weather, it isn’t staying on very well.  I went to my ostomy kit and got her some adhesive remover spray to help remove it, adhesive remover wipes to take off the sticky, and the Torbot Skin Tac wipes to help apply it.  She is now raving about how these products have helped her have longer wear and an easier removal process.  If you’re someone who is struggling with your pouch not sticking, the Torbot Skin Tac Wipes are such a good alternative to barrier strips which can irritate the skin and don’t work so well in water.  

Some ostomates don’t use anything to take off their pouch.  I guess they have tough skin, but for most of us, that ripping BAND-AID cringe feeling rushes back in.  Using a spray or wipe is so much better for overall skin health, but to each their own and how great that we have choices to choose from.