Can any of you share your experiences with using skin tac to apply a Freestyle Libre with me? Was it extra sticky/hard to apply or remove a sensor? Did you paint the whole area where you’re applying the sensor? Was it easy to mop up any excess skin tac using rubbing alcohol? I have just started my first Libre Freestyle 2 sensor and I bought a small box of Skin Tac wipes to try.
Always call Libre when you need a replacement,they have been very good about replacing them lately.
I like to snorkel and swim in the ocean and the Libre has worked really well with the reader in a Stash waterproof pouch and I can scan it when I’m out there. This is important to me because I am a type 1. But because water for any length of time has a tendency to loosen adhesive I now use Skin Tac on my LIbre . ( Libre will not guarantee them with ocean water use)
Make sure to clean the area well with alcohol before you apply your Libre. It turns out door frames are one of the most common places to hit and knock off your sensor. Placing it on the back of the arm, maybe towards the body more might be the safer area to not knock it off.
But I have a bottle of the liquid I do the first step of clicking the lIbre onto the applicator and then I use a Q TIP to apply Skin Tac to the adhesive, being careful to avoid touching the needle, I liberally apply it and then wait for it to become tacky before I apply it to me. I just yank mine off when it’s time, they can be on there pretty good with the Skin Tac though. If it’s on a sensitive skin area I will pull it off more slowly. I have Tac away that I use some of the time to remove traces of it. Alcohol works for most of it. Oil can also work.
I think with the wipes you might find it easier to apply Skin Tac directly to your skin, but keep it in the small area you plan to apply it. You can use alcohol to clean up the residue adhesive, but will have to be careful not to loosen the Libre itself. You also with care might be able to use a wipe on the adhesive inside the inserter being very careful to avoid the needle.
There are also over patches like Grif Grips you can use to help keep it on if needed.
With Skin Tac, I don’t hardly ever knock them off .I apply them on different areas , my backside is one of my favorites and once I put one on where my bathing suit edge was against it and it came loose. I have a Omnipod on my abdomen, a Dexcom on my arm and a libre on my backside lol…
Skin tac wipes seems like a waste of time, they don’t really have enough in them and if you use too much it will stick to your clothes. The Bottle is much better and you can put it where you want it.
I find using a iv3000 tape under it is the strongest bond I’ve ever experienced. I put it on my skin and poke through with the device. I never knock off my dex with this method. It also helps with adhesive allergy.
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I’ve used Skin tac many times. Normally I apply it to the area I’m putting my Dexcom. After attaching the deacon I use alcohol wipes to carefully remove the excess around the area.
I think skin tac does help deacon stay on better but I don’t use it much.
My current system is put on Dexcom and around day 5 observe how well its attached. If its not looking good I put on an over patch. I would say 60-70% of my Dexcom’s I don’t do an over patch.
So skin tac is good but try to use nothing and if somethings needed I use an over patch.
I have never had a Libre detach from my skin., but that doesn’t say I haven’t knocked a few off. Every Libre I have knocked off my arm has detached itself from its own adhesive patch. I am left with the adhesive patch still stuck to my arm. Maybe its my skin type, the patch that comes on the Libre sticks better to me than it does to the sensor.
I find my best approach is to prevent it from being snagged so I put a patch over it to protect it. One patch will last me almost as long as a Libre, almost, they get pretty ugly near the end. I order my patches from Amazon.
Do you mind if I ask you which brand of patches do you use? I bought some from Glucology and they weren’t very good.
I’ve been using these patches and been very happy with them.
These are what I use but you don’t have to settle for these. Search Amazon for CGM patches, they offer numerous styles in different shapes. They even have different colors so you can express you individuality.
I agree with @Timothy that the bottle of Skin-Tac is better and easier to use than the wipes. The bottle contains an applicator fabric ball attached to the underside of the lid with a metal wire. This makes it easy to apply without getting that sticky liquid on your fingers.
I use it to apply my Dexcom CGM and I get the full 10-day wear-time on each sensor. I like this product and recommend it. I use the 4-ounce bottle. This will last me at least a year or two.
Jibcdiabetic, I’ve used the SkinTac adhesive wipes both ways – on the whole area where the sensor is applied, and also just going around the edges (I mark a spot on my arm with an old Libre sensor applicator first, so I can see where I’m going to put it). Sometimes I forget to apply the SkinTac wipes, and it doesn’t seem to matter, since the Libre sensor adhesive is already very strong just by itself.
If you’d like to make it easier to remove the sensor, you can always purchase some adhesive remover wipes like Uni-Solve, which make it a little speedier. A box of both of these lasts a long time, since we’re only using 2 sensors per month.
I am also struggling with libre. I had been using Dexcom5 for a few years and then insurance change said nope but here is a Libre14. I have managed to keep a dozen or so sensors on for the duration but have lost countless others. I’ve used skin tac, all types of breathable dressing for under and over the sensor. No luck with keeping the adhesive patch that is part of sensors to stay stuck and water proof. Water always ends up under the lifted edges and the cgm goes wonky.
I think I’ll try the liquid SkinTac.
May I just say that I never had this kind of issue with Dexcom. I could get 3 weeks out of one sensor.