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Removing the clear surgical tape over the incisions?

I been trying to slowly peel off the tape and it hurts like hell!!!! This just may be the worse part of the surgery.

Any suggestions on how to get the tape off painlessly?

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It does suck! I used olive oil to help get it all off. That helped get some of it off on contact, but 24 hours later, the rest came off very easily.

I did it in the shower after about 5 minutes. Removing anything stuck with adhesive on your skin will be uncomfortable. Or have another person yank it of quickly lol get it over with!

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suggestions how to get tape off painlessly?

@@MickiinFL

my doc told me not to touch them til they were ready to fall off

i wasn't allowed a shower til the 2nd day PO

during the shower, it gradually got looser - but i wasn't supposed to pull it off

after a couple days, shower, they were "peeling"

i helped them along ;)

good luck

speedy recovery

kathy

  • Author

I guess I'll have to try the Olive Oil also. I was told I could remove the tape after a few days or when the incision started to dry up. The one thing that will NEVER happen is ripping it off at once for 5 times.

Why couldn't they just use gauze?? I'm afraid its going to open the sutures.

@@MickiinFL, if pulling the tape hurts all that much, why not leave it until it starts peeling off itself and try then?.. It's likely that gauze wasn't use instead of the tape because it would do nothing to help hold the edges of the incision together

@@proudgrammy, what you're describing makes me think that you, like I, had the individual plastic bits (can't recall what they're called) that are used in place of sutures. The OP's description suggests olde-time sutures covered with a single length of tape..

Edited by WLSResources/ClothingExch

What you're describing sounds like steri strips and they can do a real number on your skin. The best is to wait until they are basically falling off before helping them along. If you can't wait that long then in the shower is probably easiest. I had a terrible reaction to them once on my knee so have asked no to have them used during my surgery.

Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

Also....steri strips won't be used in place of sutures. (Just fyi)

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This is so weird to me. The day after surgery mine were taken off. I haven't covered them since. Just wore my binder. The only one giving me issues is my belly button. It was my surgeons team. I was wondering if they did the right thing but i didn't have any issues so i just went with it.

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Belly button? I don't have ANY incisions near my belly button. Crazy to me how we are all done differently. I would think there would be a medical standard procedure but guess not..

Michelle Rose

Spring TX 77373

Email: mr110726@gmail.com

  • Author

I have one near my belly button also Michelle. The other 4 are vertically lined up just below the boob line.

One can get these at the pharmacy.The sleevers that will still be going for surgery could ask the nurse for couple of them before they sleeve the hospital. Its a tiny pad like a swab...those they use to remove sticky bandages.

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I just left mine alone until they fell off. My scars look much better than the ones from my prior lap band surgery where I ripped it off right away. I wish I would have left those alone too because the old scars look much worse than just letting them heal and fall off in their own good time

I had clear surgical glue on my 5 incisions, which eventually wore off. My incisions are now tiny pink lines.

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