skin breakdown

I had my gastric by-pass on Nov 23 and now the skin under my belly flap and under my left breast is breaking down(already) and I have at least another 150 to lose. Im using desitin powder but I wake up in the night scratching until there is blood. 

 Have any of you had this probem as you loose wht and do you know something that works that I can use to help?

Thanks, Suzette

Dear Suzette-

I haven't had surgery yet, but, I am a nurse.

Clean the areas of breakdown very well with a mild soap.  Dry well.  You might have to do this several times a day.

Sometimes applying deodorant to the area will help.  There are also some antibiotic powders that are helpful.  They do require a prescription, though.

As you know, we have very sensitive skin.  Look for powders without a scent.  You may become allergic to powders and soap.

Good luck and hang in there.  You are doing a really important thing.

 You can also try an antifungal cream- something on the mild side though.  It will help fend off bacteria and yeast in those areas.  Rub in well and then apply powder over it to help keep the area dry.  This has helped me with my "hangy" areas...

I also will excuse myself to the restroom if I get warm and perspire to cleanse the area.  I keep some unscented baby wipes with aloe in my purse at all times, so I can just pop in and quickly cleanse if I need to.  This has helped a great deal.

Hope this can be helpful to you as well.  

Sounds like a yeast infection and may need a prescription to clear it up. My mom had this problem and one of her nurses suggested cutting 4-6" wide strips from an old cotton t-shirt and lay them on the effected skin to help keep the area dry. Then they can just be swapped out with fresh ones when damp.

I had a hysterectomy a couple of years ago and had to keep my incision site clean and dry.  I got thin maxi pads, peeled off the sticky strip, folded the pad in half length-wise and stuck it under my belly flap!  It worked wonderfully! 

Maybe give this a try.  Let me know if it does.

Best wishes ~ Gracie

I have always had  a large chest and get skin breakdown on the underside.  I started using deoderant stick and it keeps all moisture out.  You'll have to wait until you are healed.  I also use it under my belly.

 I have to use Nystop powder (Rx)  at times. It is a pain what we go threw. I had the infections before wls as well as boils. The hair follicles in the stretched skin cause me big issues as well, they get infected easily. The powder keeps them dry and is antifungal. Wet rashes need dry treatment, dry rashes need wet treatment is what my dr told me. Some insurance I have heard will help w/ plastics due to all this being documented but was not the case for me. 
Shannon