What kind of tape to use?

Mouth tapers, I am very sorry to be joining your ranks, as I hate the thought of taping my mouth, but the chin straps I got from the DME do not look like they will work and will only annoy me. So, I'm going to try both and choose the lesser of the two evils.

What tape is the best to use, keeping in mind skin irritation/marks on face, efficacy, etc.?

Thanks!

Hi SU,

I use the 3M Medipore cloth tape. Works well for me. I can get big rolls of 3" wide at my local pharmacy. Many here use the blue painter's tape found at many stores in the hardware section as well as cloth medical tape.

Allen

3M Surgical Hypoallergenic.

Has to be take off carefully - but Hypoallergenic it is.

After trying a chin strap without success, I tried blue painters tape that I had on hand(seems like an odd thing to do) last night. The tape seemed to work OK and it was not as bad as I thought it might be.

I got better numbers this morning that with my FF mask I had been trying.

SU....

After experimenting with a bunch of different tapes, I prefer 3M #2080 Blue 2" Delicate Release painter's Tape from Lowe's paint department. I use a strip about 10" long, fold the ends down for removal handles, and apply from the center.... outwards. During removal, I pull PARALLEL to the surface of my face....not at 90-degrees....so that I get a very comfortable release.

Because the adhesive is very gentle, I use a band of "panty-hose-tights" over the tape...and around the back of my neck...to add a little extra sealing pressure.

I can find nothing better. It beats the heck out of the discomfort of a full-face mask Using this system, I can concentrate on a good seal between my Headrest nasal connection...using Lansenoh lanolin for comfort and seal. I've been taping for a couple of years now.

My system is VERY comfortable....and my AHI stays below 1.0.

Gerald

I use 3 M blue painter's tape ("multisurface"). It works great. Unless I do alot of slobbering, it stays secure all night. I take it off slowly, and it never irritates my skin. I love it!
I think you just get used to taping. The only thing I don't like is if I sneeze or cough. ouch! Oh......and if the phone rings. I've been thinking about working on ventriloquism, thinking that might help me be able to talk with the tape on!
Good luck to you.

I use the 3M micropore tape, the 1" wide one i think. One strip across the mouth fully covering the lips and part of my cheek, i fold both sides over into little tabs to help take them off in the morning. I put some chapstick on first (lips only otherwise the tape doesn't stick), stick the tape to the top of my hand first to get rid of a bit of the stickiness, and then fold the lips in slightly and put the tape on. While I'm falling asleep I may need to smooth the tape down because i tend to yawn and it slightly dislodges the tape (I'm an expert at yawning through my nose ). In the morning I poke a hole through the tape between my lips so i can breathe normally and then put some cream make-up remover on the tape and let it soak in a few mintues, to help remove the tape without ripping my skin off. I haven't tried the blue tape , don't plan to.

echo wrote: In the morning I poke a hole through the tape between my lips so i can breathe normally and then put some cream make-up remover on the tape and let it soak in a few mintues, to help remove the tape without ripping my skin off.

You put the make up remover on which side of the tape? I don't think I've seen cream make up remover.

I just lather the makeup remover on top of the tape and let it soak in, in the morning when I wake up. Not sure what you mean, which side? The exposed side

I use "Nivea Visage Extra Gentle Eye Make-Up Remover" but I did a search and I think it's a European product. I'm sure there's something similar in the US. Others have suggested milk of magnesia... I think anything that contains enough fat/lipids to dissolve the sticky stuff in the tape would be sufficient. Some people can tolerate just taking the tape off just like that, but my skin is really sensitive, so I need the stuff.

OK...I'm going to try this tonight. Why do I feel like Hannibal Lecter?!

glad you're finally taking the plunge . let us know how it goes !

I use two strips of one inch 3M paper tape, about 3 inches long. I place them vertically from just under my nose down to my chin. this allows me to still be able to sip water through a straw to keep my mouth from drying out.

echo wrote:I use the 3M micropore tape, the 1" wide one i think

physicsbob wrote:I place them vertically from just under my nose down to my chin. this allows me

Me too...
The reason why I also tape vertically is to keep the tape away from the corners of my lips.
I drool and I find that if I cover my lips completely, I get sores in the corners where the drool and
tape gets in contact.

I use the sports tape (1.5" wide) I get at Walmart in pharmacy section. It's not hypoallergenic but never have any problems. I guess it's designed to be on skin for a while, sports injuries, etc. Sticks well, great width and can tear or cut strip depending on time/patience at night. Easy, painless to remove. If I'm wrong about safety of the adhesive long term, please advise (that is my concern with painter's tape in addition to it's very light adhesive). Duck tape gives best feel re perfect seal and actually removes easily and can be reused a few times (good if you take off a few times, phone, water, bit more Ambien, etc.) but industrial adhesive makes me nervous long term.

echo wrote: glad you're finally taking the plunge . let us know how it goes !

Well, I ran into a couple of issues... One is that my ears were popping with the pressure that I couldn't release through my mouth (and actually one ear hurts a tiny bit today). Another is that I couldn't cough or burp, the latter being an issue as I started developing a bit of aerophagia even before I was completely asleep. The third issue is that the Easy Life mask seems to come pretty far down toward my lip, so I think it was hitting the tape, making sealing more difficult. The fourth issue was that it irritated my skin a little in the removal. But, that said, I did manage to sleep like that for 3+ hours, at which time I took off the tape (ouch) and the Easy Life mask, which left a mark on my nose and depressions in my face (these disappeared by morning, but I don't know how long they would be apparent to others if I'd gotten up for the day that way, nor do I know if the cumulative effect on the nose will be a problem...that remains to be seen). But all that said, psychologically it was less disturbing to me than I thought it would be, and compared to the itchy chin straps, I think I'll try this again. Maybe I'll try the Milk of Magnesia on the mouth technique...