Incontinence Skin Care and Prevention Tips

Incontinence skin care can be an added challenge for caregivers.

There are a lot of misconceptions about incontinence, and one of the biggest is that all it involves is finding an absorbent product like an adult diaper to help catch leaks. This could not be further from the truth. In fact, in order to properly manage incontinence, skin care is an important consideration.

Why is skincare so important? When skin care is not considered as a part of incontinence management, redness, peeling, irritation, yeast infections, and great discomfort may result. This can result in not only the frustrating medical condition of loss of bladder or bowel control, but incredible discomfort, an added challenge for both caregivers and incontinent individuals.

The most important thing to remember are the three steps to healthy skin—clean, moisturize, and protect. In order to do so, you need to know what products to use, how often to change absorbent products, and more.

Because skincare is an important part of incontinence care, and an all too often overlooked aspect, consider the following tips for preventing and treating skin problems:

1. Choose products that have an absorbent core to whisk away moisture from the skin, and help to keep skin dry, even if there is urine or stool in the absorbent product. In addition, make sure to wear the right sized product and one designed to meet your absorbency needs. This will help to reduce leaking and chaffing. Consider ordering samples to find the best products for you. Samples can be ordered for just $3.49 shipping and handling. 

2. Clean the skin when changing your absorbent product. Too many people only clean the skin after a bowel movement, but the skin ought to be cleaned with a mild cleanser as a part of each change. Urine left on the skin can irritate skin.

3. Choose cleansing products that do not require rinsing, are fragrance free, and do not cause irritation or dryness.

4. Consider a moisturizing cream to keep skin moist, avoid products that use alcohol. Many also include ingredients that act as a skin sealant or moisture barrier to protect skin between changes.

5. Change often so as not to sit in soiled absorbent products. Briefs should be changed 8 times in a 24-hour period, or more.

If you have trouble with skin health, consider contacting a product specialist to discuss the best products and absorbent options for your specific needs. Call 800-985-1353 M-F 9-4 CST to talk to one of our all-female team who have each been a caregiver to a loved one. Since this is their only business, they know incontinence products inside and out, and want to help you.

There are a lot of products, as well as suggestions that can help to keep skin healthy while using incontinence products. Learn more about Incontinence Skin Care.


Help support this ad free blog by answering several questions about caregiving here. It will take just two minutes. 

Call us. We're here to help.

About The CareGiver Partnership. The CareGiver Partnership helps caregivers and their loved ones with answers to their caregiving questions, including information about home health care products and supplies, from our Wisconsin-based team of Product Specialists who are all current or former caregivers. The company’s Web site provides the largest online library of resources on subjects most important to caregivers — from arthritis to assisted living, and Parkinson’s to prostate cancer — as well as access to more than 3,000 home care products for incontinence, skin care, mobility, home safety and daily living aids. The CareGiver Partnership was founded in 2004 by Lynn Wilson of Neenah, Wisc. Visithttp://www.caregiverpartnership.com to learn more or call 1-800-985-1353.

Tweet