Guide: Prevent CGM Skin Irritation with Underpatches

If your skin reacts to the adhesive on your CGM, then you’re not alone. The good news is that there’s a simple and cost-effective solution so you can enjoy a comfortable and stylish CGM experience: underpatches. Find out how they work and why they are the right solution for you.

What does an allergic reaction to the CGM look like?

Allergic reactions (or hypersensitivity) are as common as they are uncomfortable. Most reactions happen very quickly (usually within minutes). You might have noticed any of:

Very itchy break outs

• Reddening of the skin around the sensor (even resembling burns)
• Swelling
• Blistering
• Soreness
• Rashes
• Eczema
• Hives

Sometimes, the reaction is delayed – by even up to a few days.

Why am I having an allergic reaction to my CGM?

What you’re experiencing is an “abnormal reaction” - involving your immune system - to a chemical that is actually harmless. Most commonly, the allergen your body is reacting to is the adhesive used to attach your CGM (An allergen is the substance causing the allergic reaction).

Often, our bodies will react to a foreign allergen like pet hair, dust, grit, or any other sort of debris. Simply put, this can confuse our immune system into reacting to the CGM as well; this is a common trigger for those who suddenly start reacting “out of the blue”.

Will the CGM skin irritation stop on its own?

Unfortunately, the reactions won’t just go away. Once you’ve become hypersensitive to the chemical in the adhesive, your skin will always react to it. Your reactions may also become worse and appear more quickly. Your immune system is now irreversibly primed to respond to that allergen every time it appears.

You need to find ways to avoid the allergen. It might be worth asking your T1D healthcare team to conduct patch testing to identify if there are any specific adhesives you can tolerate.

How will underpatches help prevent skin irritation?

The only way to truly eliminate the allergic reaction is by creating a barrier between your skin and the allergen – in this case, the adhesive on your CGM. Underpatches serve to do just this: protecting your skin from the adhesive.

When you’re wearing an underpatch, your skin is physically blocked against contact with the allergen on your CGM adhesive. This prevents the immune response from starting, thus preventing irritation.

4 simple steps to using Underpatches against skin irritation:

Protect your skin with one of our certified-hypoallergenic underpatches as a layer between your skin and your CGM. Follow these steps and enjoy your CGM, reaction-free. 

1. Prepare the area: clean well with gentle soap and water, then dry thoroughly. Make sure the skin is absolutely bone-dry.
2. Apply one of Type One Style’s gentle but durable underpatche, and peel out the central hole.
3. Line your CGM applicator up with the black line around the underpatch, then fire the filament through the hole in the middle of the underpatch.
4. Finally, apply one of Type One Style’s standard patches over the top for extra security.

 6 essentials facts about our underpatches 

1. Made from non-sensitising, medically safe fabric with ISO accreditation.
2. They have proven breathability: they have an extremely high moisture vapour transfer rate (MVTR).
3. You can count on them for safe and strong adhesion as the adhesive specially engineered for long-term wear.
4. Four-way stretch for maximum comfort and long-lasting (21+ days wear time).
5. Our Underpatches are sweat-proof, water-proof, and fray-proof.
6. Easy to apply: large thick backing for quick and easy one-handed application.

If you have any questions, please contact our T1D support team at support@typeonestyle.com.

If you’d like to try our underpatches, you can order a free one with code SAFE here 😊