Healthy Skin Secrets

10 Tips for Preventing and Relieving Irritation Due to Incontinence

By Lisa A. Goldstein

If you're one of the millions of adult Americans who experience transient incontinence (incontinence that lasts only for a short time) or chronic (long-lasting) urinary incontinence, there's a high likelihood it has taken its toll on your skin. If you have fecal incontinence, your skin is also likely to be affected. Because incontinence can sometimes lead to irritation and other skin conditions, good skin care is especially important.

"Think about how your skin feels and looks after being in water for a prolonged period of time," says Dr. Kathie Hullfish, head of the Division of Urogynecology and Pelvic Reconstructive Medicine at the University of Virginia Health System. According to Dr. Hullfish, incontinence can affect the skin by causing local irritation such as pain or itching. Severe irritation can result in skin breakdown and subsequent skin infection.

Chemicals in urine and feces – mainly ammonia – can cause contact dermatitis, furthering skin breakdown, says Dr. Joseph Novi, director of urogynecology and reconstructive pelvic surgery at Riverside Methodist Hospital in Columbus, Ohio. Additionally, compromised skin loses its natural protective barrier and is at higher risk for overgrowth of bacteria and yeast. Certain people are even more susceptible to skin breakdown, including those who spend a lot of time in a wheelchair or bed, according to the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

So how can you find relief from skin irritation, or, even better, prevent it from happening at all? One obvious way to combat this problem is to change absorbent products frequently and air dry as much as possible, says Dr. Hullfish. She suggests using non-irritating absorbent products – not toilet paper or paper towels.