Review: Best Tape For CGM Sensors

How to rock your CGM tape!

Keeping continuous glucose monitor (CGM) sensors stuck on properly can be something of a challenge. Showering, sweaty gym sessions, swimming and the general rough-and-tumble of daily life all conspire to help remove your costly CGM sensor from your body. But how best to keep them from working loose? Kinesio tape is a popular way of sticking down your CGM. It also comes in a wide selection of colours and patterns for those wishing to spice up their sensor. But is it any better than tape you might get from Boots for half the price?

CGM sensors consist of a fine sensor which is inserted just under the skin, and a larger transmitter above the skin. In the case of Dexcom G4 sensors, the whole device is about the size of a monkey nut, but unfortunately slightly more expensive. The sensor is stuck onto the skin with something a bit like Hypafix. Dexcom G4 sensors last seven days but sometimes they can work loose earlier than that. And if the device is dislodged before the seven days is up, this is £50 or so down the drain (this is either paid for by the patient or the NHS, but regardless of who pays, waste is still waste). Applying tape helps keep the sensor stuck to the skin, minimising wasted sensors.

I have rounded up the most popular Kinesio tapes and some cheaper alternatives, and put them through a side-by-side stick-off to see which ones perform the best, and what value for money they offer. The cheaper a tape is and the longer it lasts, the better value for money it is. Bonus points are awarded for cool colours or patterns.

The Contenders

Name	Price (5cm x 5m roll)	Available Colours
Hypafix	£2.99	White
Boots zinc oxide tape	£3.99	Tan
K-Active	£14.99	Tan, light blue, black, pink
Leukotape K	£6.20	Tan, light blue, black, pink, red
Kinetic Tape	£3.70	Tan, light blue, black, pink
Levotape	£4.74	Tan, light blue, black, pink, dark blue, green, red, white
Rock Tape	£11.40	Light blue, black, pink, dark blue, violet, white, 6 patterns

How they were tested

To make sure that all tapes underwent the same conditions, I wore all the tapes at the same time. No, I didn’t end up looking like a mummy. More like a patchwork quilt. I cut out squares of the tapes and stuck them to my skin, and then went about normal day-to-day activities until they eventually fell off. Normal day-to-day activities also included getting very strange looks when I was getting changed at the gym. Because the tape has to stick to areas of the original CGM sensor tape as well as the skin, I applied two pieces of each tape: one piece I stuck directly to my skin, and the other I stuck to a piece of Hypafix, which I then stuck to my skin. Hypafix is as close as I could get to sticking it to the CGM tape.

I prepared my skin by washing and drying thoroughly, then I applied a layer of Skin-Tac. This is a rosin-based solution which makes the skin slightly tacky and improves the adhesion of tape.

The photo below shows the tapes on test stuck to my skin. From left to right:
Hypafix, Boots zinc oxide, K-Active, Leukotape K, Kinetic Tape, Levotape, Rock Tape

Tip: let your partner know that you are doing this experiment in advance otherwise (s)he might think you have gone a bit weird.

The Results

So how did our tapes get on? There were a couple of anomalies as you will see – the large piece of Hypafix which had all the other bits of tape stuck to it fell of quite early on, but the smaller piece of Hypafix lasted the distance. Strange. Maybe the edge of the tape lifted and water got behind it? And the zinc oxide tape didn’t stick well to the Hypafix at all.

Day	Image	Notes
Day 1		Here we go, all samples nicely affixed. From left to right: Hypafix, Boots zinc oxide, K-Active, Leukotape K, Kinetic Tape, Levotape, Rock Tape
Day 2		Zinc oxide tape doesn’t stick to Hypafix very well!
Day 5		Zinc oxide tape has come off.
Day 6		All other tapes doing well.
Day 7		Kinetic Tape, Levotape and Rock Tape starting to curl up a little at the edges.
Day 8		Large strip of Hypafix starting to curl up at the edge.
Day 9		Kinetic Tape and Levotape looking very loose.
Day 10		Kinetic Tape and Levotape are off, large strip of Hypafix is looking loose too.
Day 12		Large strip of Hypafix has come off. Interestingly, small piece of Hypafix is still looking firmly attached.
Day 13		Rock Tape has come off.
Day 16		K-Active has come off.
Day 17		Leukotape K has come off.
Day 21		These guys are both hanging on for dear life.
Day 23		Experiment over – Hypafix and zinc oxide tape have come off.

Summary

And the winner is…Leukotape K. It’s not all about how long a tape will stay put – price and selection of colours is also important. I find that the tan or white coloured tapes look a bit medically – if i’m by the pool or on the beach then I prefer to use one of the brightly coloured tapes. OK, so this is not in the spirit of #ShowMeYourPump, but it makes me feel more comfortable. If crazy patterns and colours is your thing then check out Rock Tape – it’s expensive but the patterns are cool.

Here’s the final run-down of tapes from the controlled test. The lifespan refers to the number of days before the piece of tape fixed to the skin fell off, and the value for money is the lifespan divided by the cost (the longer it lasts, or the cheaper it is, the better value for money it is).

Name	Lifespan	Value for money	Notes	Overall Rating
Leukotape K	17	⭐ ⭐ ⭐	Lasts well, good value, reasonable selection of colours.	⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐
Kinetic Tape	10	⭐ ⭐ ⭐	Reasonable value for money. Limited colours.	⭐ ⭐ ⭐
Rock Tape	13	⭐	Poor value for money but great selection of cool colours and patterns.	⭐ ⭐ ⭐
Levotape	10	⭐ ⭐	Good selection of colours. Not good value for money.	⭐ ⭐
Hypafix	12/23	⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐	Small piece affixed very well, large piece came off early on. Limited colour choice. Looks a bit medical. Best value for money.	⭐ ⭐
K-Active	16	⭐	Lasts well, but poor value.	⭐ ⭐
Boots zinc oxide tape	5	⭐	Doesn’t stick well to Hypafix. Available in any colour as long as it’s tan. Poor value for money.	⭐

So what next?

I tried out a few tapes but since doing the experiment some fellow T1s have mentioned some other tapes to try – the Union Jack tape at the top of the page is H2O Rock Tape which not only looks very cool but also lasts a lot longer too. And I know some other T1s who have good success with other types of zinc oxide tape. I sense that a second experiment might be in order.

What’s your favourite tape for sticking down your CGM? Want me to test it side-by-side with the best ones here? Do your experiences completely contradict my experiment? Or do you have an even better solution?! I’d love to hear – let me know by posting a comment below!