Sanitary towels and panty liners are designed to catch the menstrual blood where it emerges from the body - and hold it there. That is why most products are equipped with a moisture-proof plastic film. This film acts as a barrier between the absorbent insert and your laundry. But is it also breathable?
Many women have an ambivalent relationship to their monthly bleeding: on the one hand, everything should go as naturally and naturally as possible, on the other hand it is simply an uncomfortable time. Monthly hygiene products promise to be able to spend the "days" as everyday as possible. Various hygiene products should not only keep the laundry clean, but also give you a pleasantly dry and carefree feeling.
For this purpose, sanitary towels and panty liners are provided with a plastic film that is impermeable to liquids. At the same time, this plastic layer also ensures that the climate "downstairs" remains uncomfortably moist and warm. Liquid and heat build up, your skin can no longer breathe. In order to still give you a pleasantly clean and dry feeling, most manufacturers of monthly hygiene place a second, net-like layer made of plastic on the top of the sanitary towels and panty liners. This layer prevents the moist, absorbent interior of the hygiene products from coming into contact with your skin and is intended to make the sanitary towels and panty liners breathable. In addition, sanitary towels and panty liners can be mixed with fragrances that are supposed to cover up odors. The skin often reacts to this mix of chemicals with rashes, irritations or infections.
If the climate in your pants is humid and warm, the microorganisms naturally occurring on your skin multiply to an extent that can lead to allergic reactions or cause infections. This is why many women experience itching during or shortly after their menstrual period each month, may need treatment for fungal infections or, in particularly bad cases, bacterial infections. Even if the manufacturers of many hygiene products promise: "Dense" pads and panty liners are never breathable. Because breathable would mean that the moist, warm, i.e. liquid-containing air can escape from your body unhindered. Menstrual blood escapes where humidity combs through.
Breathable hygiene articles are still available. Sanitary towels and panty liners made of fabric, mostly cotton or bourette silk, absorb menstrual blood just as well as the disposable products made of cellulose, paper, cotton fibers and superabsorbents. The sustainable sanitary napkins consist of several layers of fabric that are firmly sewn together at the edges. With a push button you attach the wings of the bandages to each other so that they do not slip in the slip. Cotton and silk are breathable, so the climate in the genital area remains healthy even during your period. However, these insoles have to be changed more often than single-use products, and you wash them over and over again. They are reusable. They are more bulky under tight clothing than conventional sanitary towels, and if the clothing is really tight, the blood can also press through.
A few manufacturers of sanitary napkins have now recognized the need for breathable products for menstrual hygiene. the sanitary towels and panty liners are equipped with special foils on the underside that actually allow the air to circulate. However, moisture also pushes through - so the products are not completely "tight". If you wear loose clothing and change the insoles regularly (i.e. more often), these products can be a viable alternative to sanitary towels and reusable panty liners, at least when you are out and about. However, these breathable pads and panty liners are not plastic-free either and can still trigger allergic reactions.
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