If you’ve used an insulin pump or continuous glucose monitor (CGM) for any amount of time then you’ve probably wondered how to remove the pump and CGM adhesive glue from your skin.

pump marks dex marks type 1 diabetes before

Pump marks & CGM marks are the bane of my existence.

Okay, maybe that’s a bit dramatic.

But I think we can all agree that they are a nuisance.

What Are Our Options?

There are a couple skin-glue removal products out there like Uni-Solve which aside from the vague ingredient of “fragrance”, has very clean ingredients, all of which rate a score of 1 on EWG.

How to Naturally Remove Pump & CGM Adhesive Glue from Skin Unisolve Ingredients and EWG Rating

TacAway made by SkinTac is another product that removes pump and CGM adhesive glue from skin. It’s basically just rubbing alcohol with a handful of suspect ingredients.

How to Naturally Remove Pump & CGM Adhesive Glue from Skin Tac Away Ingredients and EWG Rating

What Are Our Natural Options?

Of course you probably already know that pump and CGM adhesive glue doesn’t just come off your skin in the shower.
So what does work?

I tried 4 different products that i had in my house:

  • Coconut Oil
  • Vinegar
  • Shampoo
  • Rubbing Alcohol

I rubbed a corner with each for 20 seconds and here were the results…

pump marks dex marks type 1 diabetes before  pump marks dex marks type 1 diabetes after

The Natural Winner: Coconut Oil!

The clear winner is Coconut Oil. Coconut oil was able to remove the pump and CGM adhesive glue from my skin the best.

2nd place: Alcohol Swab (this is basically TacAway)

3rd place: Shampoo

Last place: Vinegar

5 Comments

  1. Nicole April 27, 2017 at 3:33 pm - Reply

    OMGGGGGGGG yaaas! I look like a leopard with all my sticky marks haha. I’ve just been scrubbing them off with my loofa which my skin hates. Next site change I’ll try coconut oil. I think my skin will like that better.

    • T1D Living April 28, 2017 at 1:20 pm - Reply

      I think you’ll love it!

  2. Larry October 3, 2018 at 9:03 pm - Reply

    strickland7979@gmail.com… The spot where the needle goes in … How can I remove it….

  3. Cathy Berman December 31, 2018 at 12:06 pm - Reply

    I am wondering what I do differently because I do not get these marks. I use an IV Prep wipe to add adhesive to my skin prior to sticking on an infusion set so maybe that makes the difference. It creates a surface for the infusion set adhesive to stick to.

    The important thing that goes along with using an IV Prep wipe, is that when I remove my infusion set, I always do it when my skin is dry, never after coming out of a shower because after getting wet, the adhesive holding the infusion set in place seems to become extra strong. If I remove it then, it leaves a round red mark that lasts for hours.

  4. DIY Bedazzled Omnipod | T1D Living May 1, 2023 at 10:24 am - Reply

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