Dexcom adhesive irritation

Type 1 and LADA
1

I am new to wearing the G6 and am a moderately furry guy. I shaved the area to ensure better adhesion. Now 4 days in, it has become very itcy and i am not sure if due to hair growing back or simply being irritated by adhesive.

Any suggestions would be great. Should I NOT shave first? Will it stay water tight if I don’t? Is there a product to apply on skin to reduce irritation (if adhesive related)? Thank you!

2
  1. Yes - Always shave first for good adhesion. Watertight is not the issue but adhesion is.
  2. This is what I have used, Make a patch and put where you plan to insert sensor. For many of us this solution works, for others this product causes irritation.
1 Like
3

Welcome to adhesive contact dermatitis! I am plagued by it and have searched and searched and bought numerous different products and still have yet to find a solution that works. Most people don’t have as hard of a time as me though.

You may also find that you will need to reinforce it to get it to last 10 days, even with shaving. Usually people use dressings or patches like shown above, but there are also adhesives you can use. I have been trying different adhesives to find something that keeps things stuck (I sweat a lot and have oily skin) and also doesn’t irritate my skin. So I basically use the adhesive as a barrier as well as reinforcement.

4

It may be an allergy - spraying Flonase on the skin and letting it dry before putting the sensor on would help with that. It could also be irritation caused by sweating - spraying antiperspirant before sticking it on would help there.