Kara/Lee Scar kiss angelicalangie
1:48 am - 05/13/2012

Sanitary pad irritation
Ok the title does not even begin to describe this. I went back to using pads after 3 years of not needing anything (due to implanon). At first it was no issue. Then i used Always and i had mild irritation, but was ok. Then i picked up a new pack with scent, the scent was powerful enough to smell when opening the little package. I knew better, yeah I really did, but I didn't listen to my own misgivings and my normally sensitive skin has gone from irritated to raw.

I have ceased using pads, but i was wondering what i can do to ease and cure my skin problem. I have used warm compress and some rash cream so far.

Also cloth pads, where do i buy them? I am in England, and do they stain/ are they absorbant enough for heavy flows? What are your expriences? Do you get irritation whith them too?
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heatherpantss 13th-May-2012 12:57 am (UTC)
I am new to cloth, but from what I've experienced and read, they do not cause irritation. You can get them from etsy.com, or other sites if you google "cloth pads". I just think the shipping would be more unless you found a seller from England. They do not stain if you take care of them properly. There is a lot of info on this, I suggest you join the community cloth_pads. There are pads you can buy for heavy flows.

Edited at 2012-05-13 12:59 am (UTC)
angelicalangie 13th-May-2012 07:25 pm (UTC)
Thank you so much for the response. I am certainly looking up lots of places today, and what looks pricey at the outset is probably cheaper in the long run. Thank you for the heads up on the community.
theatreant 13th-May-2012 12:59 am (UTC)
I always buy black cloth pads because I find they don't show any staining whatsoever. I bought mine off Etsy; you could find a seller in your area on Etsy for 'em I'll bet! As far as the rash, coconut oil would probably work really well! It'll soothe the irritation and help heal it quickly.
angelicalangie 13th-May-2012 07:31 pm (UTC)
Think black! Thank you for that. I am going to have to have coconut oil on hand.
poppleshatesyou 13th-May-2012 01:34 am (UTC)
I find any disposable pad to be incredibly irritating, but scented disposable pads are notorious irritants. So sorry to hear you've crossed that horrible line from irritated to raw! Sitting on a frozen bag of veggies might provide some momentary/immediate relief.

The only time I've ever experienced irritation from cloth pads was from not rinsing the soap from them well enough. Beyond that I have never had a skin irritation issue. They can stain, but they don't always. Sometimes it has to do with how you clean them and sometimes, they just stain and it happens. You can also definitely find cloth pads that are abosbent enough for heavy flows. Some great places for cloth pad info are: cloth_pads, Eco Menses.com and Clothpads.wikidot.com. If you look through the tags in cloth_pads you'll find lots of information about cleaning, stains, etc.

As far as places to buy them, check out the profile page for the cloth_pads, Etsy and Feminine Wear. Definitely check out Feminine Wear in particular because they are located in the UK and you can buy several brands of cloth pads from one place. My personal top three favorite brands are: my own (C-Pop Commodities,) iKarly and YurtCraft. Though all of my personal suggestions are US based, but happy to ship to worldwide. So you might want to check out Feminine Wear first.
angelicalangie 13th-May-2012 07:35 pm (UTC)
I have decinitely been looking through the links you provided me with. Thank you ever so much.
reclaimingkatie 13th-May-2012 06:29 am (UTC)
Have you heard of penatin? It is a diaper rash cream (any should do...) It wont help long-term and definately reassessing what you use would be great, but for short term rash/irritation from pads, well penatin tops the cake :)

Good luck!!!
silvers_shadows 13th-May-2012 09:28 am (UTC)
(Not the OP) I don't think we have that in stores in the UK but I see it's available from UK based websites, I think as imports from Germany.
teacupcake89 13th-May-2012 12:51 pm (UTC)
Sudocrem or Bepanthen nappy rash cream might help :) I use Sudocrem for lots of skin/rash/cut ailments

also, free shipping in the UK from femininewear! which is where I got my menstrual cups from (maybe look at getting a cup and some cloth pads?) there's a great menstrual cup livejournal comm on here!:)
angelicalangie 13th-May-2012 07:49 pm (UTC)
I have used cups before (In particular the UK Mooncup) but, of late i have been having issues withmine and probably need a smaller one.
reclaimingkatie 13th-May-2012 01:53 pm (UTC)
Honestly, I think any diaper cream would work- because the effects are very similar- really nice to apply before bed (Wear pj bottoms you don't mind getting gross and greasy) then the next morning you should feel WAY better!
angelicalangie 13th-May-2012 07:46 pm (UTC)
I have been watching this conversation avidly and want to say thank (to all involved) i headed out for nappy rash cream this morning (always said pads reminded me oc wearing nappies - I was 11 at the time)
whataboutprom 13th-May-2012 03:46 pm (UTC)
Cloth pads are AMAZING! Definitely search through the tags on the cloth pads community, so you get a good idea of what to buy and how to take care of them. My favorite pads so far were made by YurtCraft, C-Pop Commodities, and Cozy Cloth on Etsy. Make sure you don't buy pads with cotton/cloth batting in them, as they will be fluffy and not absorb well. If you go with reputable sellers though, you'll have no problems. My number one piece of advice would be not to buy more than one or two pads from each seller at first. There is no way to know what will work for you until you try them.

If you don't like your first pad, don't give up! Cloth pads are really fun to use and feel SO much better than disposables.
axelified 13th-May-2012 05:32 pm (UTC)
The new Always scented pads also cause me raw irritation. I switched to Maxi pads by Always which were less of a problem for me, but I hate pads in general. I'm from England too but because I was bleeding non-stop I didn't feel that cloth pads would benefit me as I had to change pads 10 times a day. Hopefully you can find something though :)

For the irritation, sudocrem is pretty good.
angelicalangie 13th-May-2012 08:00 pm (UTC)
I can understand why you made that decision. I have just junked the pads, I refuse to pass it on to anyone else.

I bleed for around 6 days, the first 3 are heavy (or at least my version of it) so I thik cloth is probably a good idea.

Sudocreme, the stuff that gives that is a catch all for everything.

Thank you for responding.
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