Anal Skincare for People With Accidental Bowel Leakage

For people who experience accidental bowel leakage, struggle to get clean after opening their bowels or who have frequent loose bowel movements, it is not unusual for the skin around their back passage or anus to become sore from time to time. This can result in itching, bleeding or weeping from the sore broken skin and if left untreated can become much worse. This can be very uncomfortable and distressing, but with a few simple steps you can prevent soreness from happening:

1. After each bowel movement wipe gently with a soft toilet paper. Use each sheet only once to prevent re-contaminating the area.
2. Damp cotton wool or wetting the dry wipes provided by your appliance delivery company can be much gentler than toilet paper, if your skin is already sore.
3. PH friendly wet wipes (also available from your appliance delivery company) or moist toilet tissue (un-fragranced) can also be useful. Be careful of using any perfumed products around your anus as these can cause irritation and make soreness worse.
4. Whenever possible, wash around the area after each bowel movement. There are simple portable ‘bidets’ readily available on line, which many people find useful. A small spray bottle can be useful when away from home.
5. Pat the area dry afterwards, never rub.
6. Avoid antiseptics or disinfectants as these can make the issue much worse.
7. Apply a simple barrier cream after washing – something like zinc and castor oil, Metanium or Sudocrem. Only use a small pea-sized amount and rub it into the area well rather than leaving a thick layer on top of the skin.
8. Try to avoid scratching or rubbing the area.
9. Wear loose cotton underwear and where possible (eg: at night), leave the area open to the air.
10. If your soreness is caused by accidental bowel leakage, speak to your healthcare professional about transanal irrigation or anal plugs/inserts.

If soreness persists contact your GP who can examine the area to see if a prescription cream or ointment may be more suitable.