Cutaneous and sensory effects of two types of sanitary pads with different surfaces in the Shanghai, Chinese population

Abstract

Background: Regional differences in practices, ethnicity, and climate may influence the skin compatibility of sanitary pads. Although several clinical trials have been performed in North America, Mexico, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, and Africa, there is no clinical study reported for Asia.Objective: The purpose of this study was to examine the skin compatibility of two types of modern sanitary pads in Chinese women along with a dermatological assessment and their satisfaction and preference.Materials and methods: The self-feeling and safety of a new sanitary pad with a non-woven top specially-shaped surface sheet was tested and compared with a conventional sanitary pad with a perforated film top sheet. The subjects studied were 22 Chinese women (age: 20–50 years) with a history of mild and occasional sanitary pad dermatitis residing in Shanghai. One subject wished to discontinue the trial for personal reasons, thus 21 subjects completed the trial. These subjects were randomly assigned to two types of sanitary pads, and used one type during their next menstrual period, and another type during their following menstrual period. After each menstrual period, a dermatologist examined the objective and subjective skin symptoms and determined a score. The subjects were asked to rate their level of satisfaction with respect to overall usability, softness, stickiness, dryness, and absorbency, and to choose which pad they had preferred.Results: No adverse effect was observed for either type of pad. Edema, erythema, burning, and stinging were not obvious symptoms for either type of pad. For itching, 30–65% of the subjects scored slight or mild for both types of pads. A comprehensive evaluation showed that several symptoms were observed on both type of pads at slight and mild levels, but minimal and insignificant differences were found between them. The majority of subjects were highly satisfied with both types, but preferred the new sanitary pad with a non-woven specially-shaped surface top sheet for its softness and absorbency.Conclusion: Our results indicate that both types of sanitary pads were tolerated well by Chinese women, thereby providing an important extension of earlier studies.