Summer brings its own set of problems. Rashes and excess sweat are some of the most common problems during the season. This means that you will have to be more careful about menstrual hygiene, which is vital year-round. There are certain things that you need to keep in mind to take extra care of your intimate hygiene. HealthWire spoke to Gautam Kanodia, Managing Director of Hygiene Plus, to understand more about it. Excerpts:
Why does one need to be more careful in the summer during periods?
Menstruation is already a testing time for women, where they not only experience mood swings due to hormonal imbalance but also suffer from additional stress and body cramps. In addition, periods are also a time where taking extra hygienic care becomes important, else there are high chances of developing a vaginal infection. In summers, due to high temperature, the body produces a lot of sweat and during periods sometimes, there are high chances of developing rashes or itchiness in the intimate area if proper pad usage or care is ignored. In this situation, we highly recommend the use of eco and skin-friendly products, so that the chances of getting a rash reduce, for a comfortable period of days.
What are the things that one needs to keep in mind during the summer season?
As mentioned earlier as well it is important for every woman to take care of herself and maintain hygiene during the period days. One should put on a few basic healthy habits to practice to avoid developing the infection, such as
• Change pads every 3 to 4 hours, especially the first two days.
• Switch to biodegradable or cotton sanitary napkins or pads, as they are much softer and gentle on your skin, and the chances of developing the itchiness reduce, as compared to the regular pads.
• Do not use two pads at the same time, as they stick to your skin which can cause a rash due to less or no air pass.
• Wear breathable clothes made of cotton, especially the undergarments to feel comfortable and fresh
• Wash and dry the area every 4 hours
Are menstrual cups a better option than sanitary napkins?
Both products have their own pros and cons. But if compared with regular Sanitary pads, Biodegradable Pads and Menstrual Cups both are much better alternatives. Although women might be much more comfortable using pads compared to menstrual cups as some might find the technique of using menstrual cups slightly complicated since one has to insert the cup into the vagina. Menstrual Cups and Biodegradable pads both are Eco-friendly as well as Skin-friendly the only difference that could effects their usage is people’s preferences. If someone is comfortable with using cups or pads they should go for it.
Are biodegradable pads safer than usual sanitary napkins?
Yes. Very much. Biodegradable pads are much safer than regular pads. The reason is pretty simple. The biodegradable pads are made out of resources that are procured naturally such as Jute, Cotton, Bamboo, starch, etc. Unlike the regular pads, biodegradable pads are chemical, paraben, and plastic free which reduces the chance of getting a rash or infection, the chances of which are otherwise higher using the plastic pads. These pads are also one of the most environmentally safer options as they start to decompose within the year of use, unlike the plastic pads which take years to decompose.
