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October 19, 2022
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If you struggle with incontinence, you’re not alone. Incontinence affects almost 25 million Americans, including nearly half of seniors. Fortunately, you can minimize incontinence's impact by using adult diapers.
Despite the stereotype of adult diapers as bulky, obvious, and embarrassing undergarments, adult diapers are not what they used to be; many have a sleek, clothing-like appearance. Based on my knowledge as a caregiver, I’ve come up with a list of my favorite adult diapers.
Cost: $13 for a bag of 15 diapers
Depend — an industry pioneer — has been selling adult incontinence products for nearly four decades. While Depend’s original 1980s diapers were rather bulky and not very discreet, the company now designs and sells highly-rated adult diapers that feel and look almost like regular underwear.
Depend’s FitFlex offers women a soft, comfortable material that moves with you, built-in odor control, extra-strong absorption, and moisture-wicking to prevent skin irritation. Moreover, these form-fitting adult diapers have improved style with a new blush color and three feminine designs.
Cost: $8.99 for a bag of 12
For less than $0.75 per unit, Olana Discreet Underwear offers maximum leak security and skin protection for pull-up adult diaper users. Perfect for average to plus-sized older adults, Olana offers three waist circumference sizes: medium (34-44 inches), large (44-58 inches), and extra-large (58-68 inches).
When the diaper’s high-capacity core meets incontinence, the fluid is quickly channeled and locked away, ensuring an experience free of odor, leaks, and skin irritation. A contoured, discreet fit preserves your dignity, and its high-rise style combined with unique barrier cuffs fit snugly around the legs, providing added protection against leaks. Finally, tearaway side panels make for easy and clean removal while its soft, breathable cloth offers an extra layer of odor prevention and comfort.
Cost: $22.50 for a bag of 18
Tranquility Premium Overnight Absorbent Underwear is a favorite for a number of my former clients, as it provides them with leak-free nights and uninterrupted sleep. This convenient pull-on diaper offers heavy absorption and protects from urine and fecal leakage up to 34 ounces. That’s larger than a large fountain drink at most convenience stores.
Available in six sizes, from an extra small (17-inch waist) to an 80-inch waist, these nighttime adult diapers fit most seniors. Tearable side seams make removing the diaper simple for caregivers and individuals with mobility issues easier. Diapers are equipped with Tranquility’s Peach Mat guarantee, which promises customers clean and dry skin, odor elimination, neutral pH, and minimal bacterial growth.
If you’d prefer to try Tranquility Premium Overnight Absorbent Underwear before splurging on an entire pack, free samples are available to prospective customers on the brand’s website.
Cost: $12.89 for a bag of 17
Based on my clients’ history as well as online reviews, it’s clear that Always Discreet Underwear has earned the loyalty of its adult diaper customers. This is likely because of the product’s Heavy Leak protection function, which subtly protects, traps, and locks away all the wetness and odor. Always Discreet serves as both daytime and overnight protection for moderate urinary incontinence.
Despite its impressive absorption ability, the disposable Always Discreet is almost entirely invisible under your clothing. It conveniently covers you from the back up to the front. Available in sizes small to 2XL, the diaper fits your form, keeping your curves visible. Just for women, the diaper comes in three feminine designs.
Cost: $12 for a bag of 12
One of Depend’s newest products — Real Fit Incontinence Briefs — is designed just for men.
Best for those with moderate to heavy urinary incontinence, Real Fit briefs offer maximum leakage protection without impeding your active lifestyle. Its breathable, cotton-like fabric enables the material to move with you, allowing you to still go out and enjoy your everyday work, hobbies, and lifestyle.
Inside, Real Fit diapers have a CleanFresh layer that locks away odor and wetness to keep you dry all day. Along the outside edges, a waistband and all-around leg elastics provide added protection against leakage. Available in two sizes, small/medium and large/extra-large, Depend Real Fit diapers accommodate users with a 28-50-inch waist measurement.
Latex, lotion, and fragrance-free Depend Real Fit diapers are void of most common skin irritants, keeping you comfortable and clean.
When looking for the best adult incontinence product, you'll have to choose between pull-ups and diapers with tabs. Pull-ups are worn like underwear, and most have side seams that allow the pull-up to be quickly removed without causing a mess.
On the other hand, adult briefs with tabs are similar to standard diapers and are frequently used by caretakers who change the diapers of bedridden or mostly immobile patients. A diaper with tabs eliminates the need for a caregiver to remove a patient's pants to change their diaper. Tab closure diapers are also easier for caregivers to manage because they can be opened and closed again if the diaper is not soiled when opened, while pull-ups cannot be re-closed once the side seams have been torn.
In most circumstances, tab-closure diapers are more absorbent than pull-ups and have a thicker back sheet for better odor control, especially for bowel incontinence. They can also be tightened and loosened more than a pull-up. In contrast, pull-ups are ordinarily used by seniors who are more mobile/active and are frequently considered more dignifying because they are most similar to conventional underwear.
Adult diapers must be the correct size and fit to avoid problems such as leaks, rashes, and infections. While diapers with tabs have more room for adjustment, you'll need to follow sizing charts for pull-ups. Most often, these focus on waist circumference measurements. It will likely still require some trial and error to fit the diaper that fits best, as each has leg holes that are sized differently.
Fit matters, too. Some adult diapers sit at the hip, more like underwear, while others vary from mid to high rise. So again, you'll need to consider which height is most comfortable for you or your loved one and whether that preferred height works for the user without any leakage.
Finally, there are different diaper products for men and women. For example, diapers designed for females usually have additional layers of absorbent material near the bottom of their diapers while men's products tend to add extra material in the front crotch area. Diapers meant to be unisex often have extra material in both areas, which is effective but also makes the diaper bulkier and less comfortable.
A person with moderate urine leakage requires two to four disposable diapers per day. At this rate, adult diapers can quickly become a pricey necessity. As such, you’ll want to look for diapers that cost about $1 per diaper. This price is about average.
Absorbency is a top and arguably, the number one quality you should consider when selecting adult diapers. It’s critical you select a diaper with an absorbency level that reflects the typical severity of your incontinence. In addition, effective absorbency is important to skin health and the prevention of odor and leakage.
There are four standard levels of adult diaper absorbency.
While you may be able to get by with a lower absorption capacity product, it will not last as long as one that matches your incontinence level. This would necessitate changing the diapers much more frequently, most likely at inconvenient times. If you're not sure which absorption level diapers you need, consult the websites of the diaper brands you’re interested in or speak with your primary care nurse or doctor.
There’s no way around it. Incontinence stinks –– literally and figuratively. It's urinary and fecal waste from the human body after all, and neither is a preferred aroma. In fact, they can emit harmful vapors. Fortunately, in addition to steps you can take personally to reduce incontinence odor, one of the easiest methods to minimize the foul scent is to purposefully purchase diapers with odor-reducing components. Most adult diapers that include these agents usually label their packaging with phrases such as “odor guard, ”moisture-wicking,” or “locks away odor.”
While each odor reducer may function slightly differently, many include elements responsible for neutralizing pH or urine. Be careful never to purchase an adult diaper with perfume or fragrance included. These can irritate the skin and may introduce you to chemicals that are harmful to your body in other ways.
Another important step you can take to prevent incontinence is to select cloth-like diapers These are designed from fabric-like materials and ensure plenty of airflow. As a result, the risk of your body or adult diaper emitting unpleasant odors due to incontinence is much lower, preventing issues like skin rashes and urinary tract infections.
Before you start searching for adult diapers, you need to consider when you or your loved one may need adult diapers. If you need adult diapers full time, you may need a diaper you can use during the day as well as an overnight one. Since you have less control at night (and often nighttime incontinence is heavier), diapers explicitly labeled for overnight use are more absorbent.
Of course, the more absorption power a diaper has, the more it tends to cost. That said, some people find that the adult incontinence products they use during the day work just as well overnight. If you use a pull-up diaper during the daytime, but multiple brands of overnight pull-ups have let you down, you may want to consider a diaper with tabs solely for overnight use, as they have a more custom fit and are more absorbent.
Diaper rash affects people of all ages, not just children. Adult diaper rash, sometimes called adult diaper dermatitis, develops when urine or feces irritate the skin as a result of incontinence while wearing adult diapers. To avoid adult diaper rash, simply practice the following tips:
To learn more about caregiving strategies, check out our helpful guides:
Most often, customers purchase adult diapers from various supermarkets or online from their preferred brand. You can also buy adult diapers from most stand-alone pharmacies.
Brands’ absorption rates vary for adult diapers but hold approximately 20-40 ounces of fluid on average.
Many adult diapers are meant for coed use. Others are designed specifically for men.
There are adult diapers designed specifically for men that are available in many brands. You can even find unique options for specific body types, styles, and design presences.
Adult diapers are also commonly referred to as incontinence briefs.
Diapers with tabs are usually most effective for bowel incontinence. While a percentage of your choice may simply come down to personal preference, the following brands are most often recommended options for managing bowel incontinence: Prevail, DryDirect, Abri-San, LivDry, Tranquility, MoliCare, and TENA.