Can you relate to any of these comments?
"This tape had great reviews, but it doesn't work on my son. Nothing does."
"This tape worked for me last week, but now I can't get it to stay on for a day, they must have changed the material."
"Any tape that stays RUINS my skin. Or am I just allergic to everything?"
***The above pictures are ExpressionMed (far left) and two tapes from other companies. These come from some of our favorite bloggers: A Trail of Test Strips, Imgrum, and Smells Like Insulin.
Everyone's skin is different. Your skin can change based on the weather, your activity, what you eat, and more. Even if you use the same application procedure every time, you are not guaranteed to have the same results in longevity and ease of removal. The best thing ExpressionMed can do (and did do) is build you the perfect tape as a foundation for long wear and comfort and give you advice to manage any skin situation. Here is what you need to know:
1) Always pull off tape "like a command strip" stretching away from the center (lift out not up). Avoid ripping it off like a band-aid. Tape that is meant to stay on for weeks will be very stuck to your skin. Lifting straight up will lift your skin with it causing skin trauma, whereas stretching the tape will weaken the adhesion and remove the tape painlessly.
2) If your skin is particularly dry, or the weather is cold and dry, we recommend you exfoliate your skin more than usual. This will help eliminate the possibility of dead skin buildup that can stick to the tape and cause it to lift.
3) If you are particularly active, your weather is more humid, or you eat a lot of dairy, your skin may be oily and you should clean the area with rubbing alcohol and let dry before applying tape to prevent the oils from affecting the adhesion.
4) In any case, it is important to avoid touching the adhesive before application. This is where ExpressionMed’s 3-part backing is very useful. Remove only the middle section while holding the outer pieces with your hands as you apply the tape. Once the center is placed, carefully remove the other two pieces of backing. Gently rub down on the tape like you would to secure a stamp on an envelope to ensure quality adhesion.
5) Lastly, we do not recommend skin tac or any supplemental adhesives with ExpressionMed tape. We found that it can actually decrease wear time because the adhesive leaves residue that isn't as good as our backing in terms of longevity. However, if the tips above do not help you, we recommend using skin tac on the edges of your tape. Outline the tape with a "ring" of skin tac instead of filling in the whole oval. This will minimize residue.
We hoped this helped! Comment on this post or email hello@expressionmed.com if you have any other tips and tricks!
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