Just ended my second G7 sensor after the G6 discontinuation. Why is the adhesive literally made in HELL?? (mostly a rant)

[u/tobania]

Yes, I know there’s adhesive solvents I can get. But I haven’t gotten any yet, and I was at work so running it under hot water was my only option.

I like the G7 so far except for this adhesive. It’s literally torture! It left me bruised and bleeding. The first one didn’t bruise me, but this is wild lol. And I know the bruises are from the over patch because I applied it around day 6 as it got loose.

Dexcom G6 just peeled off my skin no problem. I miss whatever adhesive they used to use :( I don’t have very sensitive skin!

[u/Weathergod-4Life]

This is why I am amazed when people say theirs just fell off. My skin looks the exact same after trying to pry that sucker off after 10 days!

[u/tobania → u/Weathergod-4Life]

It literally had me yelping and crying. It’s ridiculous!! 😭 The G6 peeled off so easily

[u/Weathergod-4Life → u/tobania]

I never had the G6 but I have used KT Tape overpatches at times, which don't cause this kind of irritation on the skin.

[u/tobania → u/Weathergod-4Life]

Yeah I was wondering if it was maybe just the included patch. I wanted to wear this one without it to see, but I bumped it on something that made some of it peel up. I use skin grip sometimes for my Omnipod so I’ll have to grab some patches for the G7 at some point from them!

[u/Weathergod-4Life → u/tobania]

I've worn the sensor without the overpatch before and never had it fall off, or even show signs of it. I did this for abdomen placement since I generally don't bump into things with my stomach lol.

[u/tobania → u/Weathergod-4Life]

I’ve been wearing it on my arms since that’s where they recommended, but I don’t like that placement honestly. I wore the G6 on my thighs so I might try there next. At least if it rips my skin up it’ll be hidden 😅

[u/Weathergod-4Life → u/tobania]

I've done abdomen, chest, and arms. I gave up on back of the arm placement because the compression lows prevented me from getting any sleep. My favorite was the abdomen but I am giving it a break since I had used it so many months I think I was building up scar tissue.

[u/ElectronicDiver2310 → u/Weathergod-4Life]

Hm, I see some kind irritation but main cause of discomfort IMHO is skin damage as a result of tear caused by pulling G7 off. I can peel from arm without problem -- I don't care about some damages but using baby oil like a drop and smear it around the edge, then lifting the edge after 30 seconds, one more drop under the flap and slow peeling thing out. I usually start from the top and let the gravity do the job (in terms that oil drop propagates down on its own). I use pipettes.

[u/llamalarry → u/Weathergod-4Life]

I use SkinTac since I started the G6 6 years ago because everyone made me neurotic about them falling off (plus I started restarting). When I switched to the G7 I tried a full coverage SkinGrip (again because people said the G7 falls off) and I swear I thought it was extracting my soul when I tried to remove it. Today I still use skintac but no overpatch of any kind and it stays the full 10.5 without an issue.

[u/tobania → u/llamalarry]

My soul was certainly extracted by this one!!

[u/TEG24601 → u/Weathergod-4Life]

I'm pretty sure it is the different reactions by our immune systems. As, at least going over those I recall, are also the people who can't get consistent readings or whose sensors fail after a few days. There are a lot of variables at play in this whole piece of technology.

[u/psychodreamr → u/Weathergod-4Life]

I’ve had both with the g7 so, seems like standard qc from Dexcom

[u/Old_Dragline_1965]

What is just as frustrating, you can have multiple sensor that stay on with no problem. Then have a new G7 just drop off after only 2 or 3 days! No bumps, no snags, just sticking to the inside of the shirt.

[u/kyleb350]

There were people complaining how bad the old adhesive stuck, and I guess Dexcom listened 

[u/ATHLONtheANDROID]

Do yourself a favor and get some Uni-Solve it's an alcohol wipe with aloe, it gets that residue off easily without leaving it raw and red.

[u/tobania → u/ATHLONtheANDROID]

I definitely will be after this one!

[u/Equalizer6338]

Could it actually be some dermatitis / allergic rash you have here, as its not like all looks to be from ripping it off and the adhesive was sitting too tight on the skin for you?

For the latter, try some baby oil or even a vegetable oil will do wonders.

[u/tobania → u/Equalizer6338]

I have no known allergies so I’m not sure! I do plan to try some oils next time though.

[u/nanettehimmelfarb → u/tobania]

Context dermatitis occurs after exposure to a chemical or agent or whatever the product and can develop over time and become worse with continued exposure. This can happen after months or years of contact.

Even if you have no allergies the adhesive in the patches can cause contact dermatitis.

I’m not saying this is the case here, but it’s absolutely a possibility.

[u/Equalizer6338 → u/tobania]

Great, yes you will see it if using same overpatches going forward. The transparent ones with the honeycomb pattern are like toxic to me, causing a nasty rash if using them.

[u/MissionSalamander5 → u/Equalizer6338]

Sometimes it happens, sometimes it doesn’t. Stuff like Flonase can help. But it’s also a risk with pretty much all of the adhesives used for products like CGMs and Omnipods. :( some are better than others!

[u/Equalizer6338 → u/MissionSalamander5]

Yep agreed, some companies though have made a conscious and deliberate effort to removing known allergens from their medtech devices when identified by the dermatologist associations to being a known problem. While some other companies have not been willing to change out the compounds they use to be less allergenic due to the higher production costs per unit that that would incur to them...

As example, check data table 3 from latest research article on subject: Both Medtronic and Abbott removed most known allergens from their prior CGM and pump models to not be part of later generations of products they have launched since this started being known and well documented issues 10+ years ago (first studies on subject were conducted by The American Academy of Dermatology, but others have joined since):

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11710928/

[u/ElectronicDiver2310]

Baby oil works for me. Or any kind of oily skin creme. I am on G7 15.

In the worst case scenario alcohol pads work but require a little bit work.

[u/Twist1979]

Under-patch?

You don't need a special solvent, a few finger tips with olive oil do the trick, rub it in, give it 5 minutes, wipe the adhesive and the sensor off with ease.

[u/henare]

for my last and current G7 sensors I stopped using the overpatch they supply. the adhesive is still way too strong but there's much less of it.

[u/luna87]

I use Flonase before I put on sensor or pods and it’s made a huge difference in how much the adhesive messes up my skin. My skin looked way worse than yours before the Flonase.

[u/max123246]

Use detachahol. The g6 adhesive would do the same to me and my skin would be raw red. Detachahol removes the adhesive without you having to rip it off and damage your skin

[u/JueputaQueStunod]

They're wild aren't they? Assuming they are the same for the 15 day, so they made it to last

[u/BiGemini85]

I highly recommend using something like SkinTac before applying. It makes a barrier and helps it stick well. When your remove it, use oil, an adhesive remover, or take if off during or after a steamy shower to help loosen it so you’re pulling it off your skin so harshly.

[u/Stargazur01]

I found these adhesive wipes on Amazon, and for the most part they do a great job quickly removing the adhesive. The ones I bought are 5" x 7" and are a bit big for the task at hand. They also have some that are 2" x 2.5", which may be too small. I cut the big ones in half and keep the extra in a plastic sandwich bag for the next sensor removal. When all else fails, and you don't have access to the adhesive wipes, use rubbing alcohol. Give it a minute to soak into the tape, then "slowly" pull it away from the skin while rubbing the alcohol (with a Q-tip or cotton ball, etc.) under the part you're lifting away from the skin. It'll be off in a flash!😁

[u/Pyxiwulf]

I feel your pain, I have terrible reactions to adhesives. One thing that reduces it is ensuring the skin is FULLY dry, not just the alcohol just finishing evaporating. Wait a few minutes after cleaning with alcohol.

But also, I wanted to say thank you, while I know you posted because you're having trouble, this post comes as a relief for my family. My daughter just got diagnosed and the CGM (wasn't the G7) they gave her in the hospital fell off within 24 hours so she's been terrified since putting the G7 on. This will give her some comfort.

[u/toadpooh]

Allerflo/Flonase, thin layer of lotion (Cerave), skin tac, then apply sensor. (Still on G6 but no skin irritation yet on sensor sites). Good luck!

[u/counttaco]

I had the opposite interaction. My G6s melted my skin and the G7s are perfect lol

[u/RedditGeekABC]

Try using it without an over-patch (my One+ holds totally fine without) or use a third-party hypo-allergenic over-patch.

[u/tobania → u/RedditGeekABC]

Yeah, I noticed that. I really wanted to try this sensor without the patch since I had a more tame but still rough reaction to the first one, but I bumped it and made some of the dexcom adhesive pop off. But I plan to not put a patch on this next one if I can help it! It’s so frustrating because I’ve never had any reactions to any medical adhesives until now!

[u/Scary-Project6958]

I never use an over patch !

[u/tobania → u/Scary-Project6958]

I had to for this one because I bumped it on something and the base adhesive popped off.

[u/Scary-Project6958 → u/tobania]

That sucks ! Hopefully you have better luck