Mouth Taping - adhesive irritation

[JPO]

I tape my mouth and it works for me long term. I use 3M micropore. However, the adhesive has begun to severely irritate my skin around my mouth to the point where I can no longer use tape. I've tried different kinds of tape and other methods and masks and taping with my nasal pillows and bipap is the only method that works for me. I'm looking for suggestions on other tapes or methods to tape my mouth shut at night.

Thanks,

John

[GumbyCT]

Have you tried the 2" painters tape?

Or the Advanced Search feature to get even more ideas?
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[JPO]

Painters tape - I tried it just once, not long enough for a good test. It seemed pretty rough. Apparently it doesn't bother you?

[ozij]

Is that chemical irritation, or mechanical as in "ouch, I should have been more gentle when pulling it off"?

I'm allergic to bandaid adhesive, I used 3M Micropore Hypoalergenice for 4 years -- and ever now and then the corner of my mouth got irritated because I pulled the tape off too roughly.

I now use a Hybrid mask -- because taping (not the tape itself) no longer works for me.

[rested gal]

JPO, I read a post by Birdshell about using Milk of Magnesia to lessen irritation when removing tape. She said to smear a light coat of Milk of Magnesia around the mouth/lips, let it dry, then apply whatever tape you prefer. The tape holds well to the dried coating of MoM and is easier to remove in the morning. The MoM may help heal any existing irritation, too.

I haven't had to try the MoM trick, but sounds like a good idea.

If I forget and hastily pull the tape outward during removal, I occasionally get a slight skin irritation, just as ozij described.

Pushing down firmly on tape against the skin and rolling the tape backwards slowwwwllllyyyyyyy while pressing it against the skin is the removal method least likely to cause irritation for me.

[chunkyfrog]

I have made my own little custom template out of a fast food lid to cut a boomerang shape (my size yap) out of 1-1/2" blue 3M painters tape.
I then stick the tape shape to my palm and peel it off until the desired amount of tack is left. (trial and error) So far, it just sticks well enough to work, but not enough to hurt me. Of course, not everyone can tolerate the cheap stuff. I have also done this trick with the Micropore tape, Something I learned in drafting class, so we could use cheap masking tape instead of pricey drafting tape. --If you're old enough, some of that ancient wisdom comes back. Face washing can remove skin oil, which is there to protect us. I learned that the hard way. No more mustache on Grandma!

[Raj]

I'm surprised that more people haven't complained of this problem. If it is indeed the adhesive bothering you and the MoM application doesn't help, I suspect it's crucial to remove all traces of adhesive in the morning, perhaps even rubbing the area with alcohol after washing. Then apply whatever soothing ointment works best for you to give your skin a chance to recover until you re-tape. Unfortunately, it's tissue damaging to use hydrocortisone long term, but you could try it for a few days to get the allergy to subside.

[ozij]

Baby oil removes the remaining adhesive better - and is kinder to your skin.
O.

[JPO]

Thanks for all the suggestions. The irritation is chemical not physical. I remove the tape gently. Two spots will begin to show irritation, and as I continue to use the tape, they become worse each morning, deeper and could cause scarring I believe if not treated. I treat them with anti biotic and they heal in a couple of days. I actually got by for a few years by using two-inch adhesive pads as a base on each side of my mouth and then the micropore tape on top that but that too started to cause irritation. I was determined to solve the problem but I had to give up.

I'll try the MoM method tonight and let you know in a few days how it's going.

Thanks again to everyone.

John

[Raj]

Ozij, baby oil is certainly kinder to the skin and would work well for removing visible traces of adhesive, but I doubt it would be effective for removing chemical residue. In fact, I suspect it would trap residue in the pores, interfering with the self-cleaning mechanism of sweating.

GPO, I hope you can solve this problem soon; I don't usually do well without taping. Have you tried waterproof tape, which may have a different adhesive?

[ozij]

I see your point, raj. What about baby oil, then alchohol to clean the oil then a soothing ointment?

O.

[Gerald]

JPO...

A couple of nights ago, my wife and I discovered that we were completely out of our Blue 3M painter's tape.

I had some 3M Micropore tape....and we used it.

The Micropore was very uncomfortable as I removed it. The 3M Blue painter's tape is much more comfortable during removal. It has never left any residue...or caused any irritation during about 2-years of use.

I recommend #2080 3M Blue 2" Delicate Release Painter's Tape from Lowe's. It's the best I can find.....along with being the best value.

G

[elena88]

Sorry to hear you are having a problem..


I use SUPERBAND all purpose sports tape

" hypallergenic, non-irritating to skin, minimal adhesive residue, resists tearing.. "

its latex free, and I got it at the 99 cent store, it works great for me, and I have dermographism, so Im sensitive to things on my skin too.

[DreamStalker]

I use an ACE bandage ... no sticky icky irritatingly yucky mucky mess for me.

Normally, duct tape is good for any use. However, I strongly discourage the use of duct tape for addressing mouth leaks. There may be adverse leak side effects besides air.

[JPO]

Yeah, that looks like me in my more extreme experiments. I'll try the Superband and the blue tape. I'll also experiment with the Ace bandage. I see potential there.