Having an ostomy means that you need to also focus on one thing—cleaning your peristomal skin.
That’s the skin that’s around your stoma. It’s also very fragile, so with one wrong move it can be damaged.
However, if you don’t clean it, it can cause irritation, infection, and a whole slew of other issues, so you need to keep this clean.
Here, we’ll go over what the skin is, and how you can clean it.
What does Peristomal Skin Look Like?
Peristomal skin is of course that opening in your stoma after an ostomy occurs.
This skin is delicate, so it does require you to be diligent in your routines.
Normal peristomal skin, is a pinkish or reddish color that is similar to the way your mouth looks.
If you’re not sure whether your stoma looks correct, stand by a mirror, and look at it. It should be shiny, the pinkish-red color, and moist as well.
If you notice the skin looking any different, is irritated, and may have bleeding or even pain when touching, you should definitely contact your doctor for ways to fix this.
If you do notice tiny painful red bumps as well, that’s also infection, or folliculitis, and you should avoid shaving to prevent this. Finally, you should also look for red rashers, since that’s a fungal infection, and that comes with both burning and itching.
How to Keep the Skin Healthy
You should make sure that you keep it clean whenever possible.
This can be avoided by not using a ton of moisturizers, residue, and some oils, since this does affect the adhesion of the pouch.
You should also look at the type of soap you’re using. If you use certain kinds of soaps, it impacts the skin barriers, weakening it and putting you at risk for leaks and irritating the skin.
When you bathe, make sure that if you use a two-piece system, you don’t remove this, since it does break down the adhesion location.
However, when cleaning this, don’t be prudent with the soap and water. You cannot damage your stoma with it, only if you clean it excessively and the soaps cause abrasion, so don’t be afraid to keep it clean.
Since some products do cause adhesion and irritation, some people will only use water, which is sufficient, but make sure you clean your hands so you don’t contaminate the area.
When using soaps, try to avoid anything too heavy, and work to a mild soap for best results. You should also avoid the following:
Skin creams
Powders
Lotions
Wipes
Rubbing alcohol
Ointments and medications
Or anything else that isn’t approved to be used on ostomates.
How to Clean It
This is simple. First take some warm water and run a washcloth under it.
Then rinse the stoma area, removing any skin paste or adhesion before you do so. You should also get rid of old adhesions as well so that there isn’t problems with attaching this again.
Use motions that are gentle and circular, not putting a ton of pressure on that area. :Usually, if you’re conscious of the movements, it’s simple and takes a few moments.
Never scrub hard, or use exfoliating items on a stoma.
If you do see a little bit of blood, don’t freak out. it might be because a couple of the blood vessels did get exposed. If the bleeding won’t stop after you clean it, talk to the doctor.
And there you have it, everything you need to do to clean the stoma.
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