Like many ostomates, I’ve struggled with trying to find the right adhesive remover for me. I’ve found that as much as I like the Convatec wafers, they leave quite a bit of residue behind that needs extra care to remove. The Hollister Cera-plus wafers are much better for me, but I’ve had to adapt for those, too. What helps for me is when I’m taking a shower on wafer-changing days, I lift the edge of my wafer and literally wash underneath it. Usually the main portion of the wafer around my stoma will continue to stay stuck and not fall off. I use soap on the skin that’s exposed under the lifted outer-edge of the wafer and wash it off under the shower.  I can often feel the adhesive come off and it feels so good to feel the clean skin after.

After my shower, I follow up with the Smith and Nelson Remover Wipes around my stoma, and the Sensi-Care Adhesive Releaser to release the wafer completely from my stoma (remember, I have a retracted stoma, so my convex wafer won’t often just pull off). I’ve tried several remover wipes, but just love the Smith and Nelson brand because they are quite wet, yet clean off easily with a damp cloth and dry with no residue. The Sensi-Care releaser is, in my opinion, the best on the market for spraying the main portion of your wafer — using it makes your wafer just fall off. I also use either one of these to clean my fingers after using my sticky barrier wipe.

There are many types of adhesive removers on the market, so another one may work better for you. Also, I believe men would have greater needs, due to the the challenge of extra hair growth around their stomas. A good place to get reviews is from Eric at veganostomy.ca. Eric has done an incredible job of reviewing a variety of products and I rely on his reviews before purchasing anything new.