Where do you guys buy skin tac ? And does it come as a liquid or wipes ? Thanks !
what is it?
You can get it at American Diabetes Wholesale - that’s where I get everything. I know it comes as a wipe, but I think some people have bought it as a liquid.
Skin Tac liquid is avalible from allegro medical…
They dont seem to have the wipes…
Or you can order it direct…(the wipes, the liquid, or their remover (i prefer unisolve)
http://www.torbot.com/
Also if you want to try Skintac and your in the states, theres a place for a sample order of the wipes…
Where could I get samples ? Weve have tried IV prep wipes, IV 3000, and Opsite Flexifix and are still looking for something to keep the sensor on better !!
Torbots website… (They are located in Cranston, RI BTW)
Erkia knows all this, but I’ll repeat it for GoCeltics:
I don’t need to use it anymore, but my preference for Mastisol was always the small liquid bottle. Opening the bottle and dripping a couple of drops onto a Q-Tip, moistening just the end was the best way to rub it into failing Dexcom pad edges. The other alternatives tend to “go all over the place”.
With Mastisol, you need to let it dry almost completely before you push the pad against your skin. If you push it down while it’s still wet, it ABSOLUTELY WON’T WORK. (The Q-Tip also allowed me to roll the pad edge a bit outwards and away from skin, allowing this drying to occur.)
For initial use, Skin-Tac is a better choice. But for patching the edges which begin to fail, Mastisol is A+. Both need a chemical remover to clean up your skin afterwards-- like Jake, I found “Unisolve” and “Remove” pads to work really well for both adhesives. (I never noticed any difference between the two, although Smith+Nephew says that one is “more gentle” than the other.)
Remember to let wipe-on products dry up before you push the Dexcom down? For all of them, you need to let the alcohol and other “carrier fluid” VOC’s evaporate BEFORE !!! you press the pad down. If you don’t, it makes things worse by damaging the adhesive in the Dexcom pad too.
(Although, from your list, I see that you haven’t used a liquid “adhesive helper” yet. Only pads and I.V. Prep, which is worse than useless.) I.V. Prep is only a disinfectant/cleaner wipe, it does NOT help adhesives. (And as a disinfectant, it’s not much good – it’s alcohol, and if you want a disinfectant, you should use PVI instead.)
To make adhesive pads work better, the one which you want is Skin-Prep (not I.V. Prep.) If you try it, be sure to dry it with hairdryer until you see it turn “shiny” with little, almost microscopic, cracks. Since I started using this product, I haven’t touched my Mastisol bottle :)))
Turn the hair dryer upwards into the wiped area, with heat. This helps to prevent gravity from making the runny liquid “flow down”, away from the top and into the bottom of the site. You want the layer to be equally thick, all around. You need to have the hairdryer already running when you wipe, because the “flowing downwards” problem begins instantly, and mostly occurs during the first 1/2 second. (I wipe with one hand, while holding the hairdryer with the other - I simply tilt it upwards into the “target area” the instant after I’ve taken the wipe away.)
I do use a one-inch wide strip of FlexiFix across the top of the pad, covering the horizontal edge all the way across. (That’s where my Dexcom pads always failed first.) I use Skin-Prep underneath both areas.
Thanks everyone for the great tips and help ! samples ordered !