The face is probably the hardest area to care for while in the halo. While the brace has nice sheep skin padding it, the head piece has hard, scratchy vinyl that sticks to the cheeks and jaw line. I have to actually separate Abby's skin from the material, and it is very painful. Several areas of her chin have bled and scanned over from being stuck too hard.
I've learned that I need to separate the skin from the vinyl twice a day in order to keep it under control. The one time I didn't do it in the morning, it was horrendous that night. She hates when I do it and I sometimes need someone to hold her down, but it is so much better if I keep to the schedule.
Each time that I separate the skin, I also use a stoma powder to dry up the moisture and help the skin not to stick so much. The brand we use is Karaya powder. This does help. We started out without it and I see a noticeable difference since we have been using it 2x a day. You can buy it on Amazon (you can buy anything on Amazon!!), but try to get it from the hospital if you can.
When I wash the face and down along the jaw line, I always go back over it with a dry cloth to get as much moisture out as possible. Use a thin cloth (we use the paper towels the hospital gives us) so that you can really get down in the crack. It's not fun, but it's necessary!! Trust me!
Comments