You either love or despise hot weather! It can, however, cause issues if you have an ostomy.

Hot weather can and does cause issues in ostomy care, but everyone is different and is affected to varying degrees.

Knowing how to deal with hot weather with an ostomy and how you may need to modify your daily routine is extremely beneficial and allows you to feel more in control. Continue reading for some tips from Vera SA, a leading provider of ostomy underwear, on how to make the heat bearable!

What aspects of ostomy life are affected by hot weather?

Storage for ostomy supplies

Hot weather can have an impact on your ostomy bags and accessories. Because heat can cause the adhesive to melt, it will be less effective on skin. Always keep your ostomy supplies in a cool area of the house, such as a bathroom that doesn’t get much sunlight or a bathroom cupboard.

How frequently do you change your bag?

The heat can also influence how frequently you need to change your bag. This is due to a number of factors, including increased sweating. This is also related to taking more ostomy supplies than usual on vacation, especially if you are flying to a hot climate.

Also, if you know you’ll be changing your bag more frequently in hotter weather, it might be worth ordering a larger normal ostomy supplies delivery.

There are some products available to help with sweating around your stoma site, which nicely leads us into another of our blogs, ostomy skin problems.

The peristomal skin

The skin around your ostomy and under your ostomy bag baseplate is referred to as peristomal skin.

Hot weather can cause rashes, skin irritation, increased perspiration, and the nagging temptation to itch (as much as we know it sucks! It can aggravate the situation and lead to additional skin problems!)

Calamine lotion, for example, can be applied thinly to the affected skin, left for a few minutes, and then patted off so your skin is dry enough to put on a new ostomy bag.

Coloplast Brava Powder, available from Coloplast South Africa, is used to absorb moisture from the peristomal skin in order to reduce skin irritation and improve the adhesive efficiency of your ostomy bag.

Clothing options

Wearing light and loose clothing can help reduce perspiration around your ostomy, but it doesn’t always give you the confidence you need or match your desired style.

Vera SA ostomy underwear for men and women is sweat-wicking, so they keep your skin cool and dry.

You’ll love the VERA SA line, which proves that having a stoma doesn’t mean you can’t be confident.

What you drink and how much you drink

Staying hydrated is important for all of us, but probably more so for ostomates.

An adult’s ileostomy output ranges between 800ml and 1200ml. High ileostomy output occurs when you pass more than 1500ml in a 24-hour period. High ileostomy output increases the risk of dehydration, so it is critical to monitor output and know when to intervene.

How long do you spend in the sun?

You can still enjoy the sun with your ostomy, but you must be aware of your limits and the precautions to take to avoid dehydration, among other things. Using sun cream with a high SPF is essential, but keep in mind that this can also affect the adhesive of your bag.

When applying sun cream, keep your ostomy bag and surrounding skin at a safe distance because the oil and moisture can have a negative impact on adhesion and even prevent your ostomy bag from sticking at all.

Sunstroke can also be caused by sitting in the sun for too long, so take frequent breaks in the shade.