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By Dr. Michael R. Harrington, MD
Last Updated Apr 24, 2026
Men's Health · Bladder & Prostate
3 Reasons Why Doctors Are Telling Men To Stop Wearing Adult Pads
For years, men with urinary leaks had only one option: disposable pads. And those very pads often became the real source of their suffering. The chafing, the smell, the shame of buying them. Things have changed. A discreet revolution is giving men their lives back. I'll share the solution I trust most at the end of this article.
If you're a man over 50 dealing with leaks, read this before you buy another pack of TENA Men or Attends.
— Reason 01 —
Pads smell. And the smell is bacterial.
Most men assume the odour from disposable pads comes from urine itself. It doesn't. After two to three hours of wear, the warm, occlusive environment created by the pad promotes the growth of urease-producing bacteria, which break down urea and release ammonia. The smell you and others detect isn't waste, it's a bacterial reaction occurring directly on the skin. This is why no amount of changing pads or deodorant can neutralise it for long. The disposable pad doesn't mask the problem. It creates it.
— Reason 02 —
Pads cause permanent skin damage.
Dermatologists have a name for the rash adult pad users develop: Incontinence-Associated Dermatitis, or IAD. The plastic backing prevents airflow. Acidic urine sits against the skin. Friction does the rest. The result is chronic redness, raw patches, and in serious cases, open wounds that won't heal as long as the pad is worn. Studies show that 40% of long-term adult pad users develop IAD within six months. Most learn to live with it because they don't realise the pad is the cause.
— Reason 03 —
Pads actually make incontinence worse.
This is a point rarely discussed, and yet it is essential. When a man wears a disposable pad continuously, his pelvic floor gradually stops working. The brain eventually registers that retention is no longer necessary: the pad handles everything. Within twelve to eighteen months, what began as light leakage frequently progresses to moderate, and sometimes heavy, leakage. The pad hasn't protected your body. It has trained it to leak more. This is precisely why recommendations are now shifting toward modern absorbent underwear, which keeps the pelvic muscles actively engaged.
What I now recommend
The shift toward absorbent underwear
The clinical consensus has been moving in one direction for some time now: away from disposable pads and toward modern absorbent underwear. The reasoning is straightforward. Underwear keeps the pelvic floor engaged, allows the skin to breathe, and, perhaps most importantly, preserves the patient's sense of normalcy, which has measurable effects on recovery and long-term adherence.
Among the products currently on the market, the one I have seen produce the most consistent results in my own practice is a brand called Orykas.
What makes them clinically interesting is the choice of bamboo fibre rather than synthetic blends. Bamboo is naturally antibacterial and hypoallergenic, which significantly reduces the dermatitis cases I used to see constantly with disposable users. The absorbent core is properly engineered, up to 300 ml, and the cut is genuinely indistinguishable from a regular boxer, which matters more than people realise. A man who feels he is wearing real underwear behaves like a man who is wearing real underwear: he stays active, he stays social, he stays himself. And that, in my experience, is what makes the difference between managing a condition and recovering from it.
GET BACK TO FEELING LIKE YOURSELF
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