Things That Won’t Stick to Skin

Contributed by

Mary Bertossi, MS, RN, CPNP 

For those of you with children who wear insulin pumps or continuous glucose monitors (CGM), you’ve probably had that moment when you wanted to have a serious talk with the person that designed the adhesive tape.  There’s nothing more frustrating than losing those cherished infusion sites, Omnipods which are still full of insulin, or the $90 sensor for which you paid out of pocket since you hadn’t yet met your insurance deductible.  These things were designed to stick, right?  Well, that is the general idea.  However, we all know what happens when you combine swimming and/or sweating with invasive diabetes technology: the adhesive tends to lose the battle.  Having worn most of the pumps and sensors myself, I can attest to the fact that many adhesives don’t stand up to the rigors of an active lifestyle.   

First and foremost, don’t set yourself up for failure.  Make sure your child’s skin is clean and dry before you try to insert anything.  If you have a child with oily skin (example: a teenager), make sure they are cleaning the area well with an alcohol wipe or other skin cleanser.   Also, don’t apply the infusion set/sensor without allowing time for the cleanser to dry.   

If you have an active child, a child who swims or a child who wears a sensor, you’ll need to invest in some sticky skin prep to ensure that the infusion set or sensor stays in place.  My favorites are IV Prep Wipes, Skin-Tac (wipes or liquid), and Mastisol Liquid Adhesive (brands listed in order of increasing stickiness).  IV Prep Wipes are a good starting point for infusion sets, but they won’t make a sensor last 7 days.  If you have a more active child or are using a sensor, start with Skin-Tac.  Mastisol is more expensive and is akin to superglue, so I typically use this as a last resort.   

As with anything else, you have to use the skin prep correctly.  There is a moment of “crucial stickiness” that occurs about 5 seconds after you apply the skin prep.   This is the point at which you must insert your infusion set/sensor.  Apply it too early, and the tape gets soggy and falls off.  Apply it too late, and you’ve essentially made a glossy surface that is less sticky than bare skin.  Apply it at the correct time, and both you and your child will be happy campers.  An important side note: if your child is wearing a sensor, do not apply skin prep where the glucose sensor goes into the skin as this can cause faulty sensor readings.  To get around this, you can use the liquid form of Skin Tac or Mastisol and apply it directly to the sticky side of the adhesive BEFORE you put it on the skin. 

When the time comes to remove your child’s infusion set or sensor and you are having trouble (this does actually happen, I promise), try using an adhesive remover.  Baby oil is a cheap alternative, but you can also purchase Uni-Solve Adhesive Remover or Detachol Adhesive Remover.  All of these products, including the skin preps, are available on Amazon or at American Diabetes Wholesale (adwdiabetes.com).   

Most importantly, don’t lose hope.  I always tell my patients that where there’s a will, there’s a way-and an adhesive product that can save the day.