Pad Rash: What causes it and how to avoid it?

DW (English)

Are sanitary napkins giving you rashes? Skin irritation from extended contact with sanitary pads is extremely common among women around the world. But it needn't be.

Transcript

00:00 Are sanitary pads giving you rashes?

00:03 You are not alone.

00:04 Women often get it after long skin-to-skin contact with, you guessed right, pads.

00:10 All of us as women have personally experienced that horrible synthetic rash.

00:16 The common symptoms include itchiness, reddening of skin, bumps, and sometimes even blisters

00:23 on the vulva.

00:24 So why do we get pad rash?

00:29 The reason is simple.

00:31 Most disposable pads in the market are not made from breathable materials.

00:35 Especially the back sheet of the pads, which prevent leakage, and the wings for wrapping

00:40 around the underwear, are made from materials like polyethylene or polypropylene, the same

00:46 materials that are in, for instance, plastic bottles.

00:50 Some were even shown to contain hazardous chemicals like toluene, xylene, methylene,

00:55 and phthalates, which may cause cancer and post-hormonal risks.

01:00 This makes what's called that time of the month even more uncomfortable.

01:05 The initial way to cure a pad rash would be just like how you cure your normal diaper

01:12 rash.

01:13 A good nappy cream would work wonders.

01:15 Here's the tricky part.

01:17 Most sanitary napkins are designed for the Western market.

01:21 These pads are unable to absorb lots of extra water left over after washing the groin area.

01:28 An average pad has the capacity to absorb 5-7 ml of fluids, about the same amount of

01:34 blood an average woman menstruates in an average day in her menstrual cycle.

01:39 However, this capacity doesn't even account for the sweat, much less excess water.

01:45 This would mean that women who use water to wash would have to change their pads more

01:49 frequently.

01:51 But where access to menstrual hygiene products is difficult, women actually wear pads longer.

01:57 This worsens the pad rash problem for women in the global South.

02:01 Globally, the best-known menstrual hygiene products are tampons and pads.

02:07 But they might not be the most used products or even the most accessible.

02:12 That's because of what experts call period poverty.

02:15 A large number of women with low income in North and South America struggle to afford

02:20 menstrual hygiene products.

02:22 Many resort to making pads out of old clothes, bed covers and curtains.

02:28 In many parts of Asia and Africa, menstruators use paper, old clothes, cotton or even leaves.

02:35 All of these alternatives come with their own sets of hygiene problems.

02:39 They had that single dirty menstrual cloth which they hung on to for years and years

02:45 and that harbors so much of bad blood physically, literally, because no matter how many times

02:52 you wash a cloth with blood, unless you wash it the proper way, disinfect it, put it through

02:58 bleach or put it in the correct temperature of water, the actual bacteria which is in

03:05 the blood doesn't die.

03:07 One might think using menstrual cups would be an obvious alternative.

03:12 A cup made of silicone that can last from 5 to 10 years.

03:16 It's a one-time investment, right?

03:19 But cultural stigmas against vaginally inserting menstrual hygiene products is a huge problem

03:25 in many parts of the world.

03:27 People are not comfortable enough to use a menstrual cup.

03:30 It's like, I can't be bothered with touching that pad because you're not comfortable with

03:35 yourself.

03:36 A menstrual cup is not going to tear your entire hymen like how the force of an act

03:45 of intercourse.

03:46 That concept needs to get across.

03:49 How do we achieve safe menstrual hygiene then?

03:52 Of course, sanitary napkins should be designed with better absorption capacity to accommodate

03:57 different hygiene practices.

04:00 But in our personal capacity, we can use sanitary napkins with fewer chemical irritants and

04:06 fragrances that can cause allergies.

04:09 You could also consider using reusable and affordable cloth pads.

04:13 They have fewer hazardous chemicals and are also a little better for the environment.

04:18 However, make sure to change these pads frequently to prevent moisture buildup.

04:23 Wash them thoroughly and dry them in the sun.

04:26 Loose-fitting underpants or cotton clothes can also help cut down on the friction and

04:30 build up of extra moisture.

04:32 There is no perfect solution.

04:34 But knowing the cause of the problem and potential alternatives might already make a difference

04:40 for some of us.

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