The few months after an ostomy procedure is most definitely the hardest. Not only are you healing from a major surgery, but you are learning to navigate your new life with a stoma. You have to be careful of the type of foods you eat and how you move your body around. At least until you figure out and your body can handle. Then, you have to learn all about ostomy care and what is best for your type of stoma and your skin around your stoma.

There are so many options for ostomy care and the supplies needed to keep your stoma clean and healthy. Medicine and technology are advancing so quickly that new products are constantly coming out. While it is great to pick one type of skin barrier that really works for you, it is also good to be on the lookout for new advancements and new products.

First you have to know what type of ostomy you have. There are a few different options depending on your body’s needs. One type of ostomy is colostomy. This type makes an incision in your large bowel and then stool collects on an ostomy bag on your abdomen. Urostomies connect to the urinary tract to collect urine on the abdomen. Ilesotomies connect your small bowel to your outside pouch.

Skin barriers are important because they project the skin around your stoma. This is to keep your stoma and your bag clean and sealed. This part of your skin can easily get infected so it is important to keep it clean so the infection does not spread to your stoma. There are all different types of skin barriers. The most basic place to start are standard wear barriers. These barriers are great for semi-formed or formed stools. Another option would be an extended wear barrier. This is good for urine or liquid-like stool. This keeps you protected for longer periods of time as it is more leak proof.

Be sure to look out for what the bag is composed of. Some people cannot use certain types of bags because of what type of material was used to construct the bag. This is especially true for people with sensitive skin. It would even be beneficial to order a few packs of different types of skin barriers when you are first starting out. Don’t be afraid to try out new barriers even after you really like one. There might be an even better one that you just haven’t tried yet!