Caring for My Skin and Stoma

Skin Health

Taking care of the skin around your tracheostomy site is an important part of your daily routine. Skin can be irritated by mucus, moisture, dressings, medications, pressure from the tube, or treatments like radiation therapy. Damaged skin is more vulnerable to infections and can be painful and difficult to treat.

Keeping your skin clean and dry is crucial to reduce the risk of infection, irritation, and skin breakdown. Follow your healthcare team's instructions on which supplies to use, how to clean, and how often, as these will depend on your condition, tracheostomy incision, and type of tube.

2. Maintain clean and dry skin

Clean your skin with the recommended agent such as drinkable water, sterile water, saline, mild soap, or a disposable cleansing towel. Use moistened swabs or gauze pads to remove dried mucus and clean hard to reach areas like under the neck flange, neck band, or at the stoma site. Pat the area dry with a gauze pad, clean washcloth, or let it air dry. Skin barrier wipes or creams can be applied after cleaning to add a protective layer on the skin. Clean the skin regularly, which in general is daily, or more often based on your skin condition and mucus production.

3. Inspect for any changes:

Check the skin around your tracheostoma, including under the tube, neck flange, ties, neckbands, or dressings. Use a large mirror with good lighting or a handheld mirror for hard to see areas like the back of your neck. A caregiver can assist in monitoring. Report any skin changes or concerns to your healthcare team.

4. Change dressings

Change dressings as advised by your healthcare provider or manufacturer, generally once or twice daily or when contaminated, wet, or saturated with body fluids. Remove wet or saturated dressings promptly to reduce skin breakdown.

5. Follow skin treatment guidance

For skin treatments, use moisturizers to prevent dryness or prescribed creams for irritation or wound healing as advised. Avoid irritants or getting powders or creams on the tracheostomy tube or in the stoma, and only use those recommended by your medical team.

6. Secure your tube

Secure the tracheostomy tube properly with a neckband to minimize tube movement which can exert pressure on the skin, potentially causing areas of breakdown.

7. Manage secretions

Mucus or moisture on the skin can cause irritation, which may lead to breakdown and infection. Remove mucus promptly. Manage secretions with suctioning or coughing, maintain humidification with devices such as an HME, use inhaled medications as directed, and continue following the treatment plan to address the underlying cause.

8. Seek medical attention

Detecting skin issues early allows for prompt treatment. Report signs of infection or skin breakdown to your healthcare provider, such as increased redness, swelling, warmth, pain, hardening of the skin, open sores, wounds, a foul smell, or unusual drainage from the tracheostomy site.

Tracheostomy Care Tips

How-to videos that provide you with detailed instructions on using and managing our devices through a step-by-step approach.