I like restarts of my G6 and I go ocean swimmer for hours at a time weekly. So it became important to figure out how to keep a sensor on for an average of 25 days. I have been very successful in doing so by following a certain protocol. It is always coming up so I figured I would post what I did as when I first wore a G6 I even had trouble keeping it on the second day and taking a shower.
So this is what I do now, and this works great! I use the bottle not the wipes, and it lasts a long time.
Liberally apply Skin Tac to the adhesive part of the Dexcom sensor. Since it’s a liberal amount of Skin Tac I keep if off the middle marked section.
Wait for it to get tacky and then apply.
Smooth down the adhesive a few times and make sure it’s staying firmly down.
Liberally apply Skin Tac to the adhesive part of the Dexcom overpatch.
Wait for it to get tacky and apply. Do not peel off the top paper yet as that can disturb it adhering and smooth it down to make sure it’s firmly on.
Give it a good long time before peeling off the paper and popping in the transmitter, since both can disturb the adherence. I usually wait at least 30 minutes, you have to remember I’m putting on a heavier coat of Skin Tac and I want it to adhere.
Sometime after 10 days at some point I still have to use a Q tip with Skin Tac under the edges that sometimes start to come up on the overpatch, I like to keep the overpatch on securely because that’s the best barrier to keeping water from getting under the sensor adhesive. So a double layer to stop it from coming off.
I have to be particularly careful after a long swim and then getting into a longer shower when I’m home and washing my hair. I have to make sure the water doesn’t hit it too directly until it has a complete chance to dry after my swim. It’s at it’s most vulnerable with the direct impact of a shower stream when it’s still damp.
With so much skin tac, is it still easy to remove? I know for me when removing an omnipod, it sometimes feels like it will peel off my skin, too! It doesn’t, of course, TG!! I think your tip could be useful for pods, too, though. Thanks for the tip!
@Trying
I don’t have any issues pulling my Dexcom off of my arms with all the Skin Tac on it. Sometimes it’s more adhered than others. but most of the time my sensor is sort of ready to come off by the time I remove it. Unless I just touched it up with a Q tip and more SkinTac applied then I can tell the difference, but it’s still been fine.
I usually don’t have trouble with a pod coming off of my stomach, and a pod is only on for 3 days, so I don’t use Skin Tac there. My skin does protest pods being pulled off of my stomach some of the time. I can’t imagine using Skin Tac on more sensitive skin areas like a stomach for a pod because it’s only on for 3 days and it would be adhered really strongly, unless you use TacAway to remove it. But I have added Skin Tac when I put a pod on my legs otherwise I knock those off easy and that’s not been an issue…
Thanks. I also wear my pod on the stomach area but it can fall off while running with high humidity here. I think you might be right though, the stomach skin is more sensitive for skin tac. My recent pods have been pretty good, TG.
But not to your skin? I’ve always applied it to the skin where either Dexcom or Omnipod were to go.
My own protocol is:
Clean my skin with copious amounts of 95% ethanol (normally by spraying it onto my skin then wiping it off with a paper towel, several times).
Apply the pod or the cgm.
When I’m concerned that I might have problems with whatever happens next I use one of the overpatches. For the G7 (which has a minimal adhesive patch) I use a regular (bought on Amazon) overpatch, not the Dexcom one which I find impossible to use (to difficult to get on.)
When I’m ++concerned I go to skintac, although I’ve also used Adapt 7730 and Mastisol; they all seem to function the same way to me.
I’ve always assumed these things act broadly similarly to rubber solution but without the latex; rubber solution is applied to both surfaces, allowed to dry, then the surfaces are brought into contact at which point the adhesive (latex) on the two surfaces pretty much fuses into one.
@jbowler I do not apply Skin Tac to the skin directly. Exposed Skin Tac attracts dirt and it starts to get grimy looking, especially since I wear them longer. Trying to make sure the adhesive is completely covered with Skin Tac and then trying to only coat the skin area where it goes would be pretty hard, Applying it directly to the adhesive part means it stays nice and clean looking! One reason I never apply Skin Tac over the top of the adhesive either.
I really like the Dexcom overpatches. The only time I had trouble applying it was when I first tried to use it, I didn’t know better and I pulled off the part covering the adhesive and the paper cover, impossible to then apply. But I have found it as easy as any other patch pulling off the one side first and applying. Plus I didn’t use Skin Tac on the overpatch when I first tried it and the overpatch came off easily. Someone on a video suggested using adhesive on the overpatch too.
I have to use skintac just to keep my G6 on for 10 days.
I often have to touch it up before the 10 days is up.
This is why I stopped starting my sensors. So much hassle.
Oh, and I hate the overpatches. Feels like a large portion of my body is covered by them, and even with skintac, they seems to fail me earlier than if I didn’t use them in the first place.
Btw, I put skintac on the G6 and let tack up before putting it on. Once in a while I will put it on the skin as well, but I don’t seem to get that much more of a benefit, and get all the extra crud/build up where it wasn’t covered by the G6 itself.
No adhesive patch holds well at first contact. You have to smooth it over and over and over long after you think it has stuck. Then rub it all over again for a while. Works for bandaids, G6, Tegaderm or anything else stuck to your skin.
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I’ve been using opsite flexifix for years. It comes in a roll so I cut it into strips about an inch wide and basically use it as scotch tape. If it starts peeling up, I just trim off the loose parts with scissors and reapply.
Since I use the dexcom on top of a hydrocolloid dressing, the opsite is really the only thing holding it on at all. Works quite well for me.