Incontinence Products

Advancements in Incontinence Products – As you can imagine, because incontinence products are throw away or disposable items, they can easily have a negative impact on the environment.  Several brand name manufacturers have developed environmentally safe practices and procedures in order to reduce any negative impact their products have on the environment.  I’m personally very impressed with the actions that Tena has taken in the redesigning of their products for the purpose of reducing negative impacts on the environment. For example, Tena has developed their own high standards of production to ensure their incontinence products are made from materials that are both safe and environmentally sound.  Other companies that I researched have also taken positive action to improve their incontinence products over the past several years.  Therefore, it’s very important to keep in mind that incontinence products have dramatically changed over the recent past.  Today, incontinence products are not only environmentally friendly, but they are much improved and much more effective because of the new technologies that have been applied to the manufacturing processes being used to produce incontinence products. Today’s blog will cover the three most important technological advancements made in the manufacturing of incontinence products and how these advancements have improved the products you are shopping for.

Micro beads – When discussing technological advancements, one cannot ignore the inclusion of micro beads to incontinence products.  Tena is a leader in using super absorbent micro beads in their products.  Persons using incontinence products containing micro beads are assured that their skin will be protected from urine leakage because the micro beads not only immediately absorb the urine, but also locks it in and prevents it from coming in contact with the skin.  These super absorbent micro beads used in Tena products can, in essence, absorb and lock in 100 times their weight in liquid ensuring moisture is kept away from the skin for ultimate dryness and comfort.

Odor Protection – Within recent years, several technological advancements have been made to ensure that incontinence products not only absorbs urine but also are capable of eliminating embarrassing urine odor.  In some cases, urine can have a rather strong odor of ammonia.  By incorporating inert compounds into the core of the incontinence pads or briefs, the odor forming constituents of urine are neutralized, thereby eliminating odor.  Some products do a much better job in eliminating urine odors than others.  Again, my research indicates that Tena’s Advanced Odor Protection is very effective in eliminating odors…it’s pH-balanced and designed to reduce the growth of bacteria, thereby eliminating odors.  While on this subject, I encourage you to read a point I made in a previous blog about being sure that you don’t cut back on drinking liquids.  In that blog, I strongly suggested that you regulate your drinking habits so that you drink sufficient amounts of water on a daily basis for the purpose of avoiding the urine from becoming concentrated, which can result in irritation of the bladder and a more pronounced urge to empty the bladder.

Wicking liquid away from the skin – The wicking effect is something that is very important when comparing incontinence products.  Technological advancements have been made in the development of materials that are capable of drawing liquid “away” from the skin and up into the surface of the fabric.  The best incontinence products are those that are most effective in wicking away leaked urine from the skin.  By wicking fluids away from the body surfaces quickly, the skin is kept dry and comfortable.  This is especially important when we are talking about the elderly, in which cases, the integrity of the skin is compromised and, therefore, more susceptible to breakdown when in contact with urine. 

To summarize – What one should be looking for in choosing the best incontinence products are the following properties:

• A product that has excellent liquid absorption capabilities.
• A product that can not only absorb liquid, but can lock or encase the liquid so that it is not available to irritate the skin.
• A product that can effectively neutralize urine odor.
• A product that has fast action wicking properties to keep the skin dry and comfortable.

At times, finding the right incontinence product may be a trial and error process, however, when well informed with the correct information, better choices can be made.  It’s the purpose of this blog to keep my readers well informed so that better choices can always be made.  One more point, when you are comparing different brands, you should always thoroughly read the labeling found on the packages…and, by all means, don’t hesitate to ask questions of a knowledgeable sales associate.

My next blog will cover how to interpret labels on incontinence products.

Follow our blog and be Happy!

[optinrev-inline-optin]