Skin Tac is an adhesive barrier that helps keep things stuck to your skin. I’ve been a fan for a long time. It does a great job adding some extra stick to the adhesive on my CGM sensor.
It comes in in a bottle of liquid with a spongy applicator or in individual wipes. I usually use the bottled liquid, but the wipes are nice for traveling or emergency backup.
The opposite is also available. TacAway. For when you need to unstick what you’ve stuck. I don’t need TacAway often, but when I do, I appreciate how neatly it cleans up the mess. Skin Tac doesn’t just wash away with soap and water. It’s the weirdest feeling. I can wash like crazy, but as soon as I dry the water away, I’m sticky again. With the extra magic of TacAway, the stick is gone like it was never there.
My latest lesson on paying attention to details
I put the new CGM sensor on, but something didn’t work right. After a quick call to technical support, I took the failed sensor off and started preparing to put another on.
My fingers were sticky from peeling off the failed sensor adhesive and Skin Tac reinforcement that was only minutes old. This is a perfect example of when TacAway comes in handy. So I grab a wipe, rip it open, and start wiping away all of the stick. I wipe the area on my stomach where the sensor was and then wipe my fingertips where they were sticky.
As I’m getting organized to apply a new sensor, something doesn’t feel right. Now more of my hand is sticky, not just my fingers, and so are the fingertips on my other hand.
Maybe I grabbed an old TacAway wipe? Have you ever tore open a really old alcohol wipe that had dried out? I thought maybe that was the case with the TacAway wipe I used.
So I grabbed another packet, tore it open, and started wiping away again. I really went at it this time. I wiped up and down each individual finger on my right hand. I made sure to get between all of my fingers extra good. And I wiped around my fingertips on my other hand.
But it didn’t help. Things got even worse – I got more sticky and in more places! Everything I touched got sticky, too! What is happening?
Do you have any guesses?
I was using the wrong packet! I thought I was opening TacAway, the magic adhesive removal wipe, but instead, I opened Skin Tac, the sticky stuff, and thoroughly coated myself with it. Twice!
What a goof.
I cleaned up fine once I had the right stuff and got the new CGM sensor in without any problems soon after.
This story is a good reminder to me about how easy it is to make simple mistakes with our diabetes routines. It also reminds me of the time I spilled a bottle of the liquid Skin Tac into my diabetes supply drawer. I’m actually not sure where that buffet table is today, but wherever it is, I’m pretty sure there’s still evidence of that sticky mess in the top middle drawer.
Speaking of sticky messes, did I ever tell you about using toupee glue to keep sensors on?