Absorbent article and method for maintaining or improving skin health

Abstract

Disclosed is a method for maintaining and / or improving skin health in the area of a wearer covered by an absorbent article. The absorbent article includes a vapor permeable backsheet, a liquid pervious topsheet positioned in facing relation with the backsheet, an absorbent core located between the backsheet and the topsheet. The absorbent article also includes skin care compositions thereon for maintaining and / or improving skin health.

Description

[0001] This is a divisional application claiming the benefit of co-pending U.S. application Ser. No. 08 / 926,532, filed on Sep. 10, 1997 by Elder et al.[0002] This application relates to a method for maintaining or improving skin health in wearers of absorbent articles such as diapers, training pants, adult incontinence devices, feminine hygiene products, and the like. More particularly, the application relates to a method comprising the repeated use of absorbent articles that deliver a composition to the wearer's skin, so as to provide a skin protective barrier and / or a therapeutic benefit.[0003] Many types of disposable absorbent products, such as diapers, are available that have a high capacity for absorbing urine and other body exudates. Disposable products of this type generally comprise some sort of liquid-pervious topsheet material, an absorbent core, and a liquid-impervious backsheet material. Although these types of absorbent structures may be highly efficient for the absorp...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0022] As used herein, the term "maintained" skin health means to preserve the natural state of healthy skin. The term "improved" skin health refers to a reduction in the extent of adverse skin effects. These terms describe skin health in the area covered by absorbent articles. It will be recognized that the methods of the present invention may both maintain and improve skin health in different regions of an individual wearer.

[0263] Prepare a calibration standard of known concentration by accurately weighing (.+-.0.1 mg) 10.+-.1 mg of the stearyl alcohol into a 100 ml volumetric flask. Record the weight of stearyl alcohol used. Add the internal standard / extraction solvent to the flask and mix to dissolve. Fill to volume and mix well. When not being used, this container should be kept tightly capped to prevent evaporation of solvent. This solution will be used to determine the relative response of the stearyl alcohol to the 1-hexadecanol internal standard for calibration of the instrument.

Problems solved by technology

Although these types of absorbent structures may be highly efficient for the absorption of liquids, it is well recognized that long-term wear of such structures may lead to skin which is compromised in terms of being over hydrated or exposed to skin irritants commonly found in body exudates.

Articles disclosed by this patent have serious drawbacks.

Namely, unless the capsules are ruptured by applying pressure prior to using the diaper or the bandage, the skin-care substance contained in the capsules is either not delivered at all or is delivered non-uniformly leaving some areas of skin uncoated.

A major disadvantage of the diapers disclosed in the Duncan et al. reference is that the hydrophobic and oleophobic topsheets are slow in promoting transfer of urine to the underlying absorbent cores.

While the prior art describes articles designed to deliver compositions to provide skin care benefits, the prior art has failed to describe a regimen which results in maintained or improved skin health in regions of the wearer's body covered by absorbent articles, where the regimen does not require intervention from the caregiver in the form of manual application of skin care compositions.

That is, the prior art has not recognized the importance of the repeated use of absorbent articles that automatically deliver sufficient levels of a composition to the wearer's skin that allows the maintenance or improvement of skin health in the region of the wearer covered by the absorbent article.

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