Panty liners are like the pad’s baby sister, very small and thin. Many women use them to stop underwear from staining, for vaginal discharge, for urinary incontinence or just to keep fresh. Many of us are using them… but are we using them correctly?
I was curious to find out and asked a few persons on twitter with a tweet that said:
Can panty liners be worn all day everyday?
— Vaccinate Children 5 And Up (@thelaymansdr) January 8, 2019
I got varied responses which led me to wonder how do we actually use these things.
I bought a pack from my local supermarket and checked to see if it came with instructions for use…
Basically it didn’t.
So how do we use panty liners?
To answer the question in my tweet, panty liners should not be worn all day everyday. It’s not the issue of wearing them everyday that’s the real problem, it’s how they’re worn. Women have different reasons to wear them, so your reason and my reason might be different.
Here are some reasons for panty liner use:
- heavy discharge
- prevent staining of underwear
- urinary incontinence
- very light period
- irregular spotting
Using panty liners incorrectly can lead to yeast infections and a nasty rash on your vulva (the outside of the vagina) because of irritation from the panty liner.
Here is a guide to wearing panty liners:
Decide if you need to wear a panty liner that day.
Based on the reasons above you can decide how often you need to wear a liner. Some of us may only need it during certain parts of our cycle, some of us may have reason for everyday use. If it is that you just feel fresher if you have one, then that’s okay as well.
Choose the right panty liner.
Stay away as much as possible from scented liners as those can cause irritation to the vulva. Stick with those that are unscented and made from, the natural fibre, cotton.
Know when to change it.
Point blank you cannot go more than a day, and if you’re sleeping in one you must change it before bedtime. As a general rule change the panty liner whenever it feels moist or simply every 4 hours- which ever is sooner.
Keep down there dry.
The key to prevent infections is to keep your private area as dry as possible, this will decrease the risk of irritation and yeast infections.
There it is! A few tips on how to properly use a panty liner.
Did I miss anything? Let me know in the comments below!
Samantha C. Johnson.
All photos are mine.
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