Extending the Life of Your CGM Adhesives

In 2015, Meghan Sharkus had a vision: she wanted to instill confidence in people with diabetes. Meghan started ExpressionMed to keep CGMs on longer and more comfortably; to provide personalization options so that devices represent the wearer and not the disease they live with; and to spark positive conversations about wearable devices, instead of judgemental commentary. What started as a gift for a friend in high school turned into a company that helps families in every state and over 65 countries worldwide.

Recently, ExpressionMed collaborated with DMP. DMP (The Diabetes Management Platform) is a diabetes community app focused on providing those living with diabetes with community support as well as professional advice. This collaboration consisted of a signature DMP design tape, as well as a promotional contest. This contest had users of DMP submit a design, where one winner’s design would be selected to inspire a CGM tape. This design is scheduled to be released in their 2021 lineup. ExpressionMed is dedicated to providing CGM wearers with CGM tapes that are breathable and durable. They want to help CGM wearers get the most out of their devices and this is a priority when it comes to creating their tapes.

Recently, Meghan joined the DMP livestream to discuss ways to get the most wear out of your CGM devices. Read on to learn more about how to increase the longevity of your tapes and why ExpressionMed tapes are the preferred adhesive tape to use!

Meghan’s Four Tips to Extending the Life of Your CGM Tapes

  1. Lifting leads to loss

When it comes to extending the life of your tapes, it’s important to be on the lookout for lifting. When adhesives begin to lift, it results in water and dust getting under the tapes. As a result, the adhesive begins to lift even more, leading to sooner replacement. ExpressionMed tapes move with the skin to minimize the chances of this occurring. Meghan recommends that when you are applying your adhesives, be sure to put a bit of heat and pressure on the edges to prevent lifting and increase the longevity of your adhesives. If you do find that they are lifting, Meghan recommends cutting off the piece that is lifting if it is small or use Skin Tac to secure it down.

  1. Exfoliate

When preparing a site for your CGM, Meghan recommends exfoliating beforehand. This is because of the natural shedding process of your skin. With the average skin cycle lasting 28 days, forgetting to  prep the skin beforehand could result in the adhesive unsticking prematurely due to the shedding process. By exfoliating you ensure that the skin cells are new, which will minimize the chances of the tape unsticking before your CGM device is set to be replaced.

  1. Avoid Irritants

While this may seem like an obvious thing, one of the major complaints from CGM device wearers is irritation. Some of the culprits of these irritations may be what you are using to prep the site, as well as the adhesive itself. Meghan states that although rubbing alcohol is a great disinfectant, for some it can cause irritation as it removes the healthy oils on your skin. She recommends that if you do find your skin becoming irritated; opt for using an unscented soap instead to prepare your skin.  Another culprit is adhesives themselves. Some adhesives use ingredients such as tree resins which can cause an allergic reaction for some. She warns that just because it says “hypoallergenic” doesn’t mean it is, and that this term is more of an advertising term rather than an accurate representation.

  1. Choose Materials Wisely

Lastly, Meghan advises CGM wearers to choose materials wisely. As mentioned in the previous point, some CGM tapes can result in irritation due to allergic reactions. In addition, some are ill equipped to meet the demands of being worn for multiple days at a time. Search for breathable material that works with your skin. ExpressionMed tapes are made out of high quality material that is not only breathable, but does not use ingredients such as tree resins which can cause allergic reactions . Rather they use adhesive ingredients which are deemed biocompatible. What biocompatible means is that the material has properties which make it compatible with the human body, limiting the chance of experiencing things like allergic reactions.

In short, by following these tips you can extend the life of CGM adhesives which in turn will allow you to wear your CGM device for its specified period. ExpressionMed tapes are recommended as they are breathable, biocompatible, and move with the skin to avoid lifting which can compromise the stickiness of the adhesive. To learn more about ExpressionMed, visit their website at https://expressionmed.com/.

ExpressionMed currently is running a promotion in which you can receive a free DMP tape with the purchase of any CGM tape. Simply visit bit.ly/DMPcollab to find our tapes and use the promo code DMP2020 at checkout for a free DMP tape with a $4 or more purchase! What started off as a vision to incite confidence, has revolutionized the way CGM tapes are made. Customers will need to add the tape they are purchasing AND the DMP collaboration tape to their cart in order for the discount code to be applied correctly. 1 use per customer applies and cannot be combined with any other offer.

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