MXPA99005171A

MXPA99005171A - Absorbent articles having cuffs with skin care composition disposed thereon.

Info

Publication number: MXPA99005171A
Application number: MXPA99005171A
Authority: MX
Inventors: Graves Spalding Vanrijsw Laura
Original assignee: Procter & Gamble
Priority date: 1996-12-03
Filing date: 1997-12-03
Publication date: 2002-07-02
Also published as: CO4910110A1; MY120713A; KR20000069286A; NO992679L; HUP0003235A3; CZ297044B6; HUP0003235A2; JP2002509457A; NO992679D0; CN1121241C; HU225516B1; CZ199499A3; EP0967949A2; CN1251534A; BR9713681A; TR199901797T2; JP3768245B2; IL130231A0

Abstract

An absorbent article, such as a diaper, containing cuffs with a skin care composition disposed thereon. The skin care composition disposed on the cuffs is transferable to the wearer's skin by normal contact and/or wearer motion and/or body heat. The skin care compositions disclosed in the present invention are selected to maintain and/or improve the skin health of the wearer upon transfer during use, for example, to provide a skin protective barrier or a therapeutic benefit; to minimize the abrasion between the cuffs and skin in the area where the cuffs contact the wearer's skin, resulting in less skin irritation; to improve BM clean up on the skin, or to improve the barrier properties of the cuffs.

Description

ABSORBENT ARTICLES THAT HAVE DOUBLES WITH COMPOSITION FOR THE CARE OF THE SKIN ARRANGED ABOVE THEM The present application is a continuation in part of the application serial number 08 / 766,386, filed on December 3, 1996; and is a continuation in part of the application serial number 08 / 884,069 filed on June 27, 1997, which is a continuation of the application serial number 08 / 345,159, filed on November 28, 1994, now patent of the United States No. 5,463,588; and is a continuation in part of the application serial number 08 / 908,852 filed on August 8, 1997.

TECHNICAL FIELD The present application relates to absorbent articles such as diapers, training pants, adult incontinence devices, sanitary napkins, feminine garments and the like, which have folds, including elastic leg cuffs. More particularly, the present invention relates to absorbent articles having a skin care composition disposed on the folds or the folds and the top sheet which is transferable to the wearer's skin by normal contact and / or movement of the skin. use and / or body heat. The skin care compositions disclosed in the present invention are selected to maintain and / or improve the health of the user's skin upon transfer during use, for example, to provide a protective skin barrier or therapeutic benefit; to minimize abrasion between the folds and the skin in the area where the folds are in contact with the user's skin, resulting in less marked red or less skin irritation; to improve the cleaning of stool on the skin, or to improve the barrier properties of the folds. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The main function of absorbent articles such as disposable and truss incontinence diapers and undergarments, is to absorb and contain exudates from the body. These items are thus intended to prevent body exudates from staining, wetting or otherwise contaminating clothing or other items, such as sheets, that come into contact with the wearer, the most common mode of failure of these products occurs when the body exudates leak out from the spaces between the article and the user's leg or the user's waist toward the adjacent garment, because these are not immediately absorbed within the article and the absorbent article is not capable of sustaining a good fit in the user in such a way that spaces are created that allow the exudates to drain or flow out of the article. For example, the urine tends to be deposited on the upper sheet in jets, such that the urine migrates towards the spaces between the article and the user where these can come into contact with the garments or other articles and be absorbed by these articles. Additionally, watered fecal matter that is not readily absorbed by the absorbent article tends to "float" on the liquid receiving surface and induces its path by passing spaces in the article in the user's legs or waist. Contemporary disposable diapers have a top sheet, a back sheet, an absorbent core, and one or more folds, typically elastic folds, positioned to be in contact with the user's legs and / or waist. These elastic folds prove effective generally by avoiding capillary action and overflow from the diaper loaded with fluid to the garment that contacts the edges of the diaper in which the elasticized folds present a barrier between the edge of the diaper and the clothing that is in contact, and generally in addition, they provide a packing action around the user's legs or waist to maintain a seal around the leg or waist and minimize separation or cupping. Nevertheless, because the forces generated by the elastic members are concentrated along a narrow area resulting in localized high pressures, these elastic bends have an increased tendency to nick and mark the wearer's skin. These effects on the skin are particularly acute for products used by infants and incontinent older adults due to the delicacy of their skin and their sensitivity to even slight pressure or rubbing actions. These effects on the skin are even more acute due to the occlusion of the skin caused by these products. The occlusion of the skin by the diaper, can potently lead to excessive hydration of the skin. As a result, excess hydrated skin is more susceptible to damage to abrasion due to friction caused by normal user movements and contact with elastic folds. It is also generally known that excess hydrated skin is more susceptible to skin diseases, including diaper rash, erythema, heat rash, abrasion, pressure marks, and loss of skin barrier. The reduced efficiency of the barrier for excessively hydrated, scraped skin can also cause an increase in the rash through the diaper. (21 CFR 333.503 defines the diaper rash as "an inflammatory condition of the skin in the diaper area (perineum, buttocks, lower abdomen, and inner thighs) caused by one or more of the following factors: moisture, occlusion , excoriation, continuous contact of urine or feces or both or mechanical or chemical irritation. ") To address the interests of skin diseases associated with diapers of use and other absorbent articles, the caregiver or the user often applies protective and / or therapeutic products of the skin to the buttocks, genital organs, anus and / or other regions before placing the absorbent article on the user. This procedure usually involves the caregiver applying the skin's protective product to their hands, and then spreading it over the user's skin. In order to eliminate the need for this wasteful, dirty, time consuming and easily forgotten procedure, there have been attempts to prepare absorbent articles containing a skin care substance on the top sheet of the article. A substance that has been applied as a lotion to diaper products to impart a protective, comforting coating is mineral oil. Mineral oil (also known as liquid petrolatum) is a mixture of several liquid hydrocarbons obtained by distilling the high boiling fractions (ie, 300 ° to 390 ° C) in the oil. The mineral oil is liquid at room temperature, that is, from 20 ° to 25 ° C. As a result, mineral oil is relatively fluid and mobile when applied to diapers. Because the oil is fluid and mobile at ambient temperatures, it does not tend to remain localized on the surface of the diaper, but rather migrates into the diaper. Accordingly, relatively high levels of mineral oil need to be applied to the diaper to provide the desired protective or therapeutic coating benefits. This leads not only to the increased costs for these treated diaper products, but to other detrimental effects as well, including the decreased absorbency of the underlying absorbent core. Even without increasing its level, the tendency of the mineral oil to migrate once it is applied has other harmful effects. For example, the applied mineral oil can be transferred to, into, and through the packaging or wrapping material for the product of the treated diaper. This may create the need for barrier-type packages or wrapping films to prevent dipping or other leakage of the mineral oil from the diaper product. U.S. Patent No. 3,489,148 to Duncan et al. Teaches a baby diaper comprising a hydrophobic and oleophobic top sheet, wherein a part of the top sheet is coated with a discontinuous film of oleaginous material.

A major disadvantage of the diapers disclosed in the Duncan and others reference is that the hydrophobic and oleophobic top sheets are slow to promote the transfer of urine to the underlying absorbent cores. In addition to the migration problems encountered by the placement of the liquid compositions on the top sheet, the prior art has failed to recognize the detriments in skin care caused by the use of the folds, nor in a way to treat the folds. in such a way that the skin care compositions disposed thereon remain on the fold and transfer to the wearer's skin in an effective amount to provide the benefit of skin care. The prior art has also failed to recognize that the treatment of a top sheet of the article alone does not nsarily transfer the composition to all critical regions of the user's skin. In this way, it would be desirable to provide an absorbent article having folds wherein a skin care composition is disposed over the folds to provide the benefits of skin care, particularly in the regions of the skin in contact with the skin. user during use. The composition for skin care must be transferable to the wearer's skin to provide these benefits to the skin, as well as not to inhibit the functionality of the fold in the product. Accordingly, it would be desirable to provide diaper products or other absorbent articles having one or more folds with a skin care composition disposed thereon that: (1) have the desirable therapeutic or protective coating benefits; and / or (2) do not require relatively high levels of skin care compositions that are liquid at room temperature (e.g., mineral oil), and / or (3) do not adversely affect the absorbency of the product. diaper; and / or (4) do not require special wrapping materials or barrier materials for packaging.

Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to provide a diaper or an absorbent article having one or more folds with a skin care composition disposed thereon, wherein at least a part of the composition is transferable to the skin of the wearer to provide the desirable skin care benefits, including less skin irritation, less red marking, therapeutic benefits including reduced erythema and / or rash caused by the diaper, and / or reduce the adherence of fa to the skin, improving the ease of cleaning them. It is another object of the present invention to improve the containment / barrier function of the folds when the hydrophobic skin care compositions are used. These and other objects are obtained using the present invention, as will be readily apparent from reading the following disclosure: BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to an absorbent article, such as a disposable diaper, having one or more folds with a skin care composition disposed thereon (applied or migratable towards) the body surface of the folds. Importantly, the skin care compositions useful herein are easily transferable to the wearer's skin by means of normal contact, body movement and / or body heat. By transferring to the skin, the skin care composition provides the desirable therapeutic and / or protective coating benefits resulting in reduced red marking, erythema, diaper rash, skin irritation, and / or reduction of the adhesion of the f to the skin of the user, improving in this way the ease of cleaning the stool. Where hydrophobic skin care compositions are used, the skin care compositions described herein can also increase the containment / barrier properties of the folds, thus improving their protection against leakage. This hydrophobic skin care composition particularly allows for flexibility in folds designs using nonwovens providing an alternate method to achieve the desired barrier / containment properties. This can lead to reduced material costs. As used herein, the term "fold" includes leg folds that include barrier folds, packing folds, combinations and variations thereof.; transverse barriers and bags / separators, side panels; as well as waist folds including waist flaps, waistbands, waist covers, and waistbands / unit waist covers; and combinations of all or some of these folds. Importantly, the skin care compositions described herein provide a protective and / or therapeutic benefit in transferring to the user's skin, including reducing erythema and / or rash on the diaper. The skin care composition can also act to minimize abrasion between the folds and the skin, in the area where the folds are in contact with the wearer's skin, resulting in less red marking and / or skin irritation. Additionally, the protective coating on the wearer's skin can reduce the adherence of faeces to the skin, thereby improving the ease of cleaning the stool. As will be discussed below, the skin care compositions useful in the present invention preferably have a melting profile such that they are relatively immobile and localized on the folds at room temperature, are transferable to the user at body temperature, and they are not yet completely liquid under extreme storage conditions. In such modalities, less skin care composition is needed to impart the desired skin care benefits. In addition, special barrier or wrapping materials may be unnecessary when packaging the treated products of the present invention. In a preferred embodiment, an absorbent article of the present invention will comprise a skin care composition disposed on (applied or migrable towards) the folds and the top sheet. Applicants have discovered that these preferred articles increase the transfer of the composition to the wearer's skin, resulting in the increased therapeutic and / or protective benefits discussed herein. In this regard, the increased transfer will be performed as the increased coverage of the skin (i.e., skin area) and / or the amount of the composition transferred to a given area of the skin.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Figure 1 is a plan view of one embodiment of the disposable diaper of the present invention having portions cut away to reveal the underlying structure. Figure 2 is a fragmentary sectional view taken along section line 2-2 of Figure 1. Figure 3 is a fragmentary sectional view taken along section line 3-3 of the Figure 1. Figure 4 is a perspective view of an absorbent article in the form of a disposable diaper in accordance with the present invention. Figure 5 is a schematic representation illustrating a preferred process for applying the composition of the present invention to the diaper barrier folds.

Figure 6 is a schematic representation illustrating an alternate process for applying the composition of the present invention to the diaper barrier folds. Figure 7 is a fragmentary sectional view of an alternate embodiment of the present invention. Figure 8 is a cross-sectional view of a further alternate embodiment of the present invention. Figure 9 is a plan view of yet another alternate embodiment of the present invention. Figure 10 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view of yet another embodiment of the present invention. Figure 11 is a fragmentary coronal view showing a sanitary napkin of the present invention and a panty in place in a wearer.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION As used herein, the term "comprising" means that the various components, ingredients or steps, may be employed together in practicing the present invention, therefore, the term "comprising" encompasses the most restrictive terms "consisting of essentially "and" consisting of ". As used herein, the term "skin care composition" refers to any composition comprising one or more agents which, when transferred from an article to a user's skin, provides a therapeutic benefit and / or protector of the skin. The representative materials are discussed in detail below. All percentages, ratios and proportions used here are by weight unless otherwise specified.

A. Absorbent Article As used herein, the term "absorbent article" refers to devices that absorb and contain body exudates, and more specifically refers to devices that are placed against a user's skin to absorb and contain the various exudates discharged from the body. The term "disposable" is used herein to describe absorbent articles that are not intended to be washed or otherwise restored or reused as an absorbent article after a single use. Examples of disposable absorbent articles include products for female hygiene such as sanitary panties, sanitary napkins and panty liners; diapers incontinence products such as underwear or underwear; diaper bras; diaper inserts; fit diapers and training pants; and similar. Disposable absorbent articles typically comprise a chassis comprising an outer cover layer comprising a liquid pervious top sheet, a liquid impermeable back sheet attached to the top sheet, and an absorbent core enclosed within the outer cover layer, preferably being placed between the top sheet and the back sheet. Disposable absorbent articles and their components, including the topsheet, the backsheet, the absorbent core, and any of the individual layers of these components, have two major surfaces (a first surface and a second surface) generally designated a body surface and a garment surface. As used herein, "body surface" (also referred to as the surface that is in contact with the body or surface that is in contact with the skin), means that surface of the article or component that is intended to be used towards or adjacent to the body of the user, while the "garment surface" is on the opposite side that faces away from the wearer and is oriented towards the wearer's undergarments when uses the disposable absorbent article. The following description generally discusses the absorbent core materials of the topsheet and the backsheet that are useful in the disposable absorbent articles. It should be understood that this general description applies to these components of the specific absorbent articles shown in Figures 1 to 4 and described below, in addition to those of other disposable absorbent articles, which are generally described herein. In general, the absorbent core is capable of absorbing and retaining liquids (e.g., menses, urine, and / or other body exudates). The absorbent core is preferably compressible, conformable and non-irritating to the wearer's skin. The absorbent core can be manufactured in a wide variety of sizes and shapes (eg, rectangular, hourglass, oval, T-shaped, dog bone, asymmetric, etc.). In addition to the absorbent composites of the present invention, the absorbent core can include any of a wide variety of liquid absorbent materials commonly used in absorbent articles, such as crushed wood pulp, which is generally referred to as an air filter. Examples of other absorbent materials suitable for use within the absorbent core include accreted cellulose wadding, meltblown polymers, including coform; chemically hardened modified or crosslinked cellulosic fibers, synthetic fibers such as pleated polyester fibers, peat moss; tissue, including tissue wraps and tissue laminates; absorbent foams; absorbent sponges; superabsorbent polymers; gelling absorbent materials; or any equivalent material or combinations of materials, or mixtures thereof.

The configuration and construction of the absorbent core can also be varied (for example, the absorbent core can have zones of varying gauge, and / or have a profile to be thicker in the center, hydrophilic gradients; gradients of the absorbent composite of the present invention, superabsorbent gradients, or areas of lower average basis weight and lower average density, eg, acquisition zones, or may comprise one or more layers or structures). However, the total absorbent capacity of the absorbent core can be compatible with the design load and intended use of the absorbent article. In addition, the size and absorbent capacity of the absorbent core can be varied to encompass different uses such as diapers, incontinence pads, pantiliners, regular sanitary napkins, and nighttime sanitary napkins, and to suit users ranging from infants to adults. The absorbent core may include other absorbent components that are often used in the absorbent articles, for example, a dust-off layer, an acquisition or capillary action layer (wave handling layer), or a secondary top sheet to increase the user comfort. The topsheet is preferably docile, soft-feeling, and non-irritating to the wearer's skin. In addition, the top sheet is permeable to liquid, at least in certain regions, allowing liquids (eg, menstruation and / or urine) to easily penetrate through its thickness: A suitable top sheet can be manufactured from a wide range of materials such as woven and non-woven materials (e.g., a non-woven web of fibers), including nonwoven materials with openings; polymeric materials such as thermoplastic films formed with openings; plastic films with openings and hydroformed thermoplastic films; porous foams; cross-linked foams; crosslinked thermoplastic films; and thermoplastic canvases. Suitable woven and nonwoven materials may be composed of natural fibers (e.g., wood or cotton fibers), synthetic fibers (e.g., polymer fibers, such as polyester, polypropylene or polyethylene fibers), two-component fibers , or from a combination of natural and synthetic fibers. When the top sheet comprises a nonwoven web, the web can be manufactured by a large number of known techniques. For example, the weft can be spun bonded, carded, wet-laid, melt-blown, hydroentangled, hydroformed, hydro-perforated, combinations of the above, or the like. The backsheet is preferably impervious to liquids (eg, menstruation and / or urine), at least in the crotch region of the absorbent article, and is preferably manufactured from a thin plastic film, although others may also be used. flexible materials impervious to liquid. As used herein, the term "flexible" refers to materials that are docile and that will readily conform to the contour and general shape of the human body. The backsheet prevents the exudates absorbed and contained within the absorbent core from wetting the articles that are in contact with the absorbent article, such as sheets, pants, pajamas and undergarments. The backsheet can thus comprise a woven or non-woven material, polymeric films such as polyethylene or polypropylene thermoplastic films, or composite materials such as a coated non-woven material or a non-woven film-coated material. A suitable backsheet is a polyethylene film having a thickness of from about 0.012 mm to about 0.051 mm. Exemplary polyethylene films are manufactured by Clopay Corporation of Cincinnati, Ohio, under the designation P18-1401 and by Tredegar Film Products of Terre Haute, Indiana, under the designation XP-39385. The backsheet is preferably embossed and / or finished without gloss to provide a more fabric-like appearance. In addition, the backsheet can allow the vapors of the absorbent core to escape (ie, the backsheet is breathable), while still preventing the exudates from passing through the backsheet. (An example of a breathable backsheet suitable for use herein is disclosed in U.S. Patent No. 5,571,096"Absorbent article having breathable side panels", issued to Dobrin, Davis and Weirich on November 5, 1996, whose patent is incorporated herein by reference). The size of the backsheet is dictated by the size of the absorbent core and the exact design of the selected absorbent article. The backsheet and the topsheet are positioned adjacent to the garment surface and to the body surface, respectively, of the absorbent core. The absorbent core is preferably attached to the topsheet, the backsheet, or both in any manner as known by attachment means, such as those well known in the art. However, embodiments of the present invention are contemplated wherein parts of the entire absorbent core are disengaged from either the top sheet, the back sheet, or both. The backsheet and / or the top sheet can be secured to the absorbent core or to each other, by a continuous uniform adhesive layer, a patterned adhesive layer, or an array of separate lines, spirals or dots of adhesives. The adhesives that have been found to be satisfactory are manufactured by H.B. Fuller Company of St. Paul Minnesota, under the designation HL-1258 or H-2031. The joining members preferably will comprise an open-pattern network of filaments of adhesives as disclosed in U.S. Patent No. 4,573,986, issued to Mientola et al., March 4, 1986, and which is incorporated herein by reference. . An exemplary attachment or binding means of an open-filament pattern network comprises several lines of adhesive filaments twisted in a spiral pattern as illustrated by the apparatus and method shown in United States Patent No. 3,911,173. issued to Sprague, Jr. on October 7, 1975, United States Patent No. 4,785,996 issued to Zwieker et al. on November 22, 1978; and U.S. Patent No. 4,842,666 issued to Werenicz on June 27, 1989. Each of these patents is incorporated herein by reference. Alternatively, the joining means may comprise heat bonds, pressure joints, ultrasonic joints, mechanical dynamic joints, or any other suitable joining means or combinations of these joining means as are known in the art. A preferred disposable absorbent article in which "treated folds" can be used ("treated folds" being used herein to designate the folds that one or more skin care compositions disposed thereon) of the present invention It is a diaper. As used herein, the term "diaper" refers to an absorbent article generally worn by infants and incontinent persons that is worn around the wearer's lower torso. In other words, the term "diaper" includes baby diapers, training pants, adult incontinence devices, etc. The present invention is also applicable to other types of disposable products such as sanitary napkins and pantiliners containing folds. Figure 1 is a plan view of a preferred embodiment of the diaper 20 of the present invention in its flat, non-contracted state (ie, with the contraction induced by the elastic, pulled outward), with parts of the structure that are cut to show more clearly the construction of the diaper 20 and with the part of the diaper 20 that is in contact with the wearer (the body surface) facing the viewer. The diaper 20 is shown in Figure 1 to have a waist front region 22, a waist rear region 24, a crotch region 26, and a periphery that is defined by the outer edges of the diaper which the longitudinal edges are designated 30 and the end edges are designated 32. The diaper 20 additionally has a lateral centerline which is designated 34 and a longitudinal centerline designated 36. The diaper comprises a chassis comprising (i) an outer cover layer comprising a liquid-permeable upper sheet 38 and a liquid-impermeable back sheet 42; and (ii) an absorbent core 44 having side edges 46; a fastening system preferably comprising a pair of tape tab fasteners 54 and a tie member 55; packing folds 56 each comprising a side flap 58 and elastic fin members 60; barrier folds 62 comprising a barrier fold member 63 having a proximal edge 64, a distal edge 66, and ends 74; and separation means such as the elastic separation member 76 to separate the distant shore Q 66 of the upper sheet 40. The diaper 20 further comprises closure members 78 for securing the ends 74 of each barrier fold 62. Although the diaper components can be assembled in a variety of well-known configurations, it is described generally a preferred diaper configuration in U.S. Patent No. 4,965,278 issued to Lawson on September 22, 1987, and whose The patent is incorporated herein by reference. Figure 1 shows a preferred embodiment of the diaper 20, in which the topsheet 38 and the backsheet 42 are coextensive and have length and width dimensions generally greater than those of the absorbent core 44., the topsheet 38 is bonded with and superimposed on the upper sheet 42 to thereby form the periphery of the diaper 20. The diaper 20 has front and rear waist regions 22 and 24 respectively extending from the extreme edges 32 of the periphery of the diaper 20 to the midline 34 of the diaper 20. The waist regions comprise those portions of the diaper 20, which when worn, provide the wearer's waist, the crotch region 26 is that part of the diaper 20 between the waist regions and comprises that portion of the diaper 5 20, which, when used, is placed between the user's legs and covers the user's lower torso. As shown in Figure 1, a skin care composition 72 is disposed on each barrier fold 72. The skin care composition 72 is preferably disposed on the body surface of the barrier fold of such a skin. form that the composition for skin care, can easily transfer to the user's skin during use. In the embodiment shown, the skin care composition 72 is disposed adjacent the distant edge 66, preferably, at least in the crotch region 26. More preferably, the skin care composition is disposed on the skin. far edge 66. The barrier fold 62 most preferably comprises one or more other skin care composition strips 72 disposed thereon. In the embodiment shown, the skin care composition 72 is disposed on only one segment of the barrier fold 62. For certain skin care compositions, it is preferred to avoid the application of the composition for the care of the skin. skin to the parts of the barrier fold adjacent to the ends of the elastic separation members for 15 ensure that there is no movement or elastic slip resulting from the interaction of the skin care composition and the adhesive. As shown in Figure 1, in a preferred embodiment the skin care composition 72 is not disposed adjacent the end of the elastic spacing member 76 in the front waist region (although it may also alternatively not be disposed adjacent the end). in the region Back waist 20 (Alternatively, an adhesive compatible with the skin care composition can be used, such that the placement of the skin care composition on the fold with respect to the ends of the skin is not restricted. The elastic separation members As discussed herein, the composition for skin care can be applied alternately to the garment surface of the barrier fold and 25 allows it to "transfer through," to the surface of the body to increase the hydrophobic capacity of the barrier folds, as well as to be arranged on the body surface to provide the benefits of skin care. In addition, the skin care composition can be applied to other parts of the barrier fold, to the entire barrier fold, to the elastic separation members, or to any other component of the barrier fold. The composition for skin care can also be arranged in any pattern, including discontinuous or continuous patterns, or in any quantity as described hereinafter. The diaper 20 is shown in Figure 2 to have a garment surface 86, and a body surface 84 opposite the garment surface 86., the body surface 84 of the diaper 20 comprises that portion of the diaper 20 that is placed adjacent to the diaper 20. to the user's body during use (i.e., the body surface 84 is generally formed by at least a portion of the topsheet 38 and other components that can be attached to the topsheet 38. The pledge surface 86 comprises that portion of the diaper 20 that is placed away from the wearer's body (i.e., the garment surface 86, is generally formed by at least a portion of the backsheet 42 and other components that can be attached to the backsheet 42). 2 is a fragmentary sectional view taken along line 2-2 of Figure 1, and depicts the construction of the diaper in the rear waist region 24 of the diaper 20. (It should be understood that the construction of the diaper in the r The frontal waist region 22 is identical to the construction in the posterior waist region 24). The absorbent core comprises an absorbent layer 48 which is shown as being completely enveloped by layers of tissue, 50 and 52. The absorbent core 44 is disposed between the topsheet 38 and the backsheet 42, both the topsheet 38 and the backsheet 42 extend beyond the lateral edge 46 of the absorbent core 44 to define the side flap 58. The juxtaposed areas of the topsheet 38 and the backsheet 42 are preferably secured together by a fin attachment member 88 such as an adhesive . In a preferred embodiment, the elastic fin members do not extend towards the rear waist region 24 such that the packing fold 56 is not formed in this region. The barrier fold 62 is shown as being a separate element, a member of the barrier fold 63, secured to the top sheet 38.; the proximal edge 64 being formed by securing the element to the upper sheet 38 by the proximal securing member 92. The garment surface 68 of the barrier fold 62 (also referred to herein as the inward surface of the barrier fold), is the body surface 40 is secured by the closure members 78. Therefore, the distant edge 76 is closed (ie, it is not spaced away from the body surface 40). It should be noted that the elastic separation member is not disposed in this region because the distant edge 76 is not designed to separate away from the body surface 40 in these waist regions. Therefore, the barrier fold 62 is not open or ready to limit the flow of body exudates in this region. The skin care composition is preferably not disposed over the barrier fold in the posterior waist region in this particular embodiment. Figure 3 is a fragmentary sectional view taken along line 3-3 of Figure 1 and depicting the construction of the diaper in the crotch region 26 as it is formed before being applied to the wearer (i.e. the diaper 20 is subjected to elastic contraction). The absorbent core 44 comprises the absorbent layer 48 which is shown to be completely enveloped by the tissue layers 50 and 52. The absorbent core 44 is disposed between the topsheet 38 and the topsheet 42; both the topsheet 38 and the backsheet 42 extend beyond the side edge 46 of the absorbent core 44 to define the side flap 58. The juxtaposed areas of the topsheet 38 and the backsheet 42 are preferably secured together by a member fastener 88 such as an adhesive. The topsheet 38 and the backsheet 42 also enclose the elastic fin members 60 adjacent the longitudinal edge 30. The elastic fin members 60 are secured in the side flap 58 formed by the topsheet and a backsheet preferably by the bottoms. elastic locking members 90. The elastically shrinkable packing fold 56 is thus formed by the side flap 58 and the elastic fin members 60. The packing fold has a body surface 57 facing the wearer's skin when the diaper is worn , and a garment surface 59 opposite the body surface 57. The barrier fold 62 is shown as being formed by securing a separate element, the barrier fold member 63, to the top sheet 38 preferably between the elastic members of the barrier. flap 60 and the lateral edge 46 of the absorbent core 44. The proximal edge 64 of the barrier fold 62 is formed by securing the fold member of the fold. barrier 63 to the upper sheet 38 by the proximal securing member 92. The elastic separating member 76 is encased in a tunnel which is formed when one end of the barrier fold member 63 is bent back on itself; the elastic separation member 76 being secured in the tunnel by the elastic fastening members 94. The distant edge 76 of the barrier fold is separated away from the body surface 40 by the action of elastic contraction or compression of the elastic members. of separation 76. The barrier fold 62 is shown as being ready to restrain, contain and retain body exudates until the diaper 20 is removed from the wearer. The skin care composition 72 is shown in Figure 3 as being disposed on the body surface 70 of the barrier fold (the barrier fold element 63) such that the composition for the care of the skin can be transferred. the skin 73 towards the wearer's skin during use. The diapers of the present invention can have a number of well-known configurations, with the absorbent cores thereof being adapted to the present invention. The exemplary configurations are generally described in U.S. Patent No. 3,860,003 issued to Buell on January 14, 1975; U.S. Patent No. 5,151,092 issued to Buell et al. on September 29, 1992; U.S. Patent No. 5,580,411 issued to Nease et al. On December 13, 1996; U.S. Patent No. 5,569,232, issued to Roe et al.

October 29, 1996; and U.S. Patent No. 5,569,234 issued to Buell et al. on October 29, 1996. Each of these patents is incorporated herein by reference. The diaper chassis shown in the drawings as comprising the main body portion, (restraint assembly) of the diaper. The chassis comprises at least one absorbent core, and preferably an outer cover layer comprising the top sheet and the back sheet. When the absorbent article comprises a separate fastener and liner, the chassis generally comprises the fastener and the liner (i.e., the chassis comprises one or more layers of material to define the fastener while the liner comprises an absorbent composite such as a top sheet, back sheet and absorbent core). For the unitary absorbent articles, the chassis comprises the main structure of the diaper with other features added to form the composite structure of the diaper; in this way, the diaper frame comprises the top sheet, the back sheet, and the absorbent core. A top sheet 38 that is particularly suitable for use in the diaper 20 is carded and thermally bonded by means well known to those skilled in the art of fabrics. A top sheet satisfactory for the present invention comprises short length polypropylene fibers having a denier of about 2.2. As used herein, the term "short length fibers" refers to those fibers having a length of at least about 16.9 mm. Preferably, the topsheet has a basis weight of about 14 to about 25 grams per square meter. 2 A suitable top sheet is manufactured by Veratec, Ine, a division of Walpole, Mass, under the designation P-8. A preferred alternate top sheet is a ply spunbonded non-woven web of 22 grams per square meter of basis weight as available from Fiberweb North America, Ine of Simpsonville, SC, under the designation 9694. The topsheet 38 of the diaper 20 is preferably made of a hydrophilic material to promote the rapid transfer of liquids (eg, urine), through the top sheet. If the top sheet of a hydrophobic material is made, preferably at least the body surface of the top sheet or a portion thereof, is treated to make it hydrophilic, so that liquids will transfer through the top sheet more quickly. This decreases the likelihood that the body exudates will flow out of the top sheet instead of being drawn through the top sheet and absorbed by the absorbent core. The top sheet can be made hydrophilic by treating it with a surfactant. Suitable methods for treating the topsheet with a surfactant include spraying the top sheet material with the surfactant and immersing the material within the surfactant. A more detailed discussion of this treatment and hydrophilic capacity is contained in U.S. Patent No. 4,988,344 entitled "Absorbent article with multilayer absorbent layers", issued to Reisinig et al. On January 29, 1991, and patent No. 4,988,345 entitled "Absorbent articles with fast-absorbing absorbent cores", issued to Reising on January 29, 1991., each of which is incorporated herein by reference. In a particularly preferred embodiment as described herein, the topsheet of the absorbent article will also have a skin care composition disposed thereon. Representative treated upper sheets are described in U.S. Patent No. 5,643,588"Diaper having a top sheet with lotion", issued to Roe, Bakes & Warner on July 1, 1997; and in U.S. Patent No. 5,635,191"Diaper having a top sheet with lotion containing a polysiloxane emollient", issued to Roe & amp;; Mackey on June 3, 1997, each of which is incorporated here by reference. Methods of delivering a skin care composition through the repeated use of the absorbent articles having these treated topsheets are described in U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 08 / 926,532 (P &G Case 6823) "A method to maintain or improve the health of the skin" Eider et al., Filed September 10, 1997; U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 08 / 926,533 (P & G Case 6822) "A method for improving the condition of the skin", Van Rijswijck et al., filed September 10, 1997; and United States Patent Application No. 08 / 908,852 (P &G Case 5494 CR), "Diaper Having a Top Sheet With Lotion," Roe et al., filed August 8, 1997, each of which it is incorporated here by reference. As discussed herein, a skin care composition disposed on both the folds and the top sheet will facilitate the transportation of the skin care composition to a greater amount of the skin, in terms of surface area, in relation to the treatment of only the folds. In addition, the application to both components may allow the delivery of larger amounts of the skin care composition to a given region of the user and / or the delivery of different formulations of the skin care compositions for different benefits of the skin. the skin. In a preferred embodiment of a diaper as described herein, the backsheet 42 has a modified hourglass shape extending beyond the absorbent core around the total periphery of the diaper. The backsheet is preferably a soft, fabric-like weft laminate, comprising a selectively perforated formed polymeric film and a nonwoven web. This breathable backsheet is more fully described in U.S. Patent No. 5,571,096 issued to Dobrin et al. On November 15, 1996, the patent of which is incorporated herein by reference. The absorbent core 44 may assume any size or shape that is compatible with the diaper 20. A preferred embodiment of the diaper 20 has an asymmetric, modified T-shaped absorbent core 44 having ears in the first waist region but a generally rectangular in the second waist region. Exemplary absorbent structures for use as the absorbent core of the present invention which have achieved wide acceptance and commercial success are described in U.S. Patent No. 4,610,678 entitled "High Density Absorbing Structures" issued to Weisma? and others on September 9, 1986; U.S. Patent No. 4,673,402 entitled "Absorbent Articles with Cores with Double Layers", issued to Wesiman et al. on June 16, 1987, U.S. Patent No. 4,88,231 entitled "Absorbent Core Having a Coating Dusting ", issued to Angstadt on December 19, 1989; European Patent Application 640 330, The Procter & Gamble Company, published on March 1, 1995; and U.S. Patent No. 4,834,735, entitled "High density absorbent members having acquisition zones of lower density and lower basis weight", issued to Alemany et al. on May 30, 1989. The absorbent core may also comprise the dual core system containing a core of acquisition / distribution of chemically hardened fibers placed on an absorbent storage core as detailed in U.S. Patent No. 5,234,423 entitled "Absorbing article with characteristic elastic waist and increased absorbency", issued to Alemay et al. on August 10, 1993; and in U.S. Patent No. 5,147,345"High Efficiency Absorbent Articles for Incontinence Management", issued to Young LaVon and Taylor on September 15, 1992. All of these patents are incorporated herein by reference.

In a preferred embodiment, the diaper 20 comprises folds each comprising leg folds 62 and / or packing folds 56 to provide improved containment of liquids and other exudates from the body. The folds provide improved containment of liquids and other exudates from the body, and can be constructed in a number of different configurations. The diaper 20 can also comprise folds comprising an elastic waist feature (not shown) and / or elasticized side panels (not shown) to provide a greater contour fit and more effective application of the diaper 20. These folds can also be treated with a composition for skin care. Each leg fold can comprise several different modalities to reduce leakage of body exudates in the leg regions. (The leg fold may be and is sometimes also referred to as leg bands, side flaps, barrier folds, elastic leg cuffs, packing folds, or elastic folds). U.S. Patent No. 3,860,003 incorporated herein by reference, discloses a disposable diaper that provides a collapsible leg opening having a side flap and one or more elastic members to provide an elasticized leg fold (packing fold). U.S. Patent No. 4,909,803 entitled "Disposable Absorbent Article Having Elasticized Fins", issued to Aziz et al. On March 20, 1990, and incorporated herein by reference, discloses a disposable diaper having "upright" elasticated fins. (barrier folds), to improve the containment of the leg regions. U.S. Patent No. 4,695,278 entitled "Absorbent Article Having Double Folds", issued to Lawson on March 22, 1987, and incorporated herein by reference, discloses a disposable diaper, having double folds that include a packing fold. and a barrier fold. Although each elasticated leg fold can be configured to be similar to any of the leg bands, side flaps, barrier folds or elastic folds described above, it is preferred that the elasticated leg fold comprises leg barrier folds 62 and packing folds 56 as described in detail below. Each barrier fold 62 is a flexible member having a proximal edge 64, a distant edge 66, a garment surface 68 (also referred to herein as the inward surface), and a body surface 70 (also referred to herein as the surface outwards). The garment surface 68 is oriented towards the interior of the diaper and the body surface 70 is oriented towards the wearer's skin when the diaper is being worn. The barrier fold 62 can be manufactured from a wide range of materials such as polypropylene, polyester, rayon, nylon, foams, non-woven plastic films, formed films, and foams or elastic films. A number of manufacturing techniques can be used to make the barrier fold. For example, the barrier fold 62 may be non-woven, woven, bonded, meltblown and spun and bonded, carded, coated, similarly laminated. A particularly preferred barrier fold comprises a polypropylene material that does not contain a finish or surfactant to make it impermeable to liquid. A non-woven material of exemplary polypropylene fiber is manufactured by Crown Zellerbach Company as Celestra. A particularly preferred nonwoven material is a carded nonwoven web as available from PGI of Landisville, New Jersey, under the designation 67700. Alternatively, the material may be a non-woven web supplied by Corovin GmbH of Peine, Germany, under the designation MD300A. In addition, because of the hydrophobic skin care compositions used in the present invention, the barrier fold can be made from hydrophilic material and have a skin care composition disposed thereon to increase its barrier properties. As shown in Figures 1 and 3, the barrier fold 62, and more particularly the proximal edge 64, is disposed inwardly of the longitudinal side edge 30 of the diaper, adjacent to and preferably inward of the packing fold 56. The term "inward" is defined as the direction toward the central line (34 or 36, respectively) of the diaper that is parallel to the respective edge of the diaper 20 along which the particular packing girdle 56 is disposed. The barrier fold 62 is disposed adjacent the packing fold 56 to provide a more effective double restriction against the flow of exudates. The barrier fold 62 is preferably inward of the packing fold 56 such that the exudates, especially the faecal watery material which is not readily absorbed and tends to float along the body surface 40 of the top sheet, will be in contact with the barrier fold 62 before it can be in contact with the packing fold 56. The barrier fold 62 is more preferably disposed between the elastic flap member 60 of the packing fold 56 and the longitudinal centerline 36 of the diaper 20. More preferably the barrier fold 62 is disposed between the fin elastic member 60 and the side edge 46 of the absorbent core 44 in the crotch region 26 of the diaper 20. The proximal edge 64 and the distant edge 66 are in a spaced relation to each other and define the width of the barrier fold 62. The proximal and distant edges 64 and 66, respectively, may be in a relationship n parallel, not parallel, rectilinear, or curvilinear. In addition, the barrier fold 62 can have a variety of different cross-sectional areas including, circular, square, rectangular or any other shape as shown in Figure 3. Preferably, the proximal edge 64 is separated from the distant edge 66 in a parallel and rectilinear relationship to provide a barrier fold that has uniform widths. A preferred embodiment of the diaper 20 shown in Figures 2 and 3 is provided with the barrier fold 62 attached to the top sheet 38. The term "attached" includes any means for attaching the barrier fold 62 to the diaper 20, and includes embodiments wherein the barrier fold 62 is a separate element having the proximal edge 64 directly or indirectly attached to the top sheet 38 (ie, integral), or embodiments wherein the barrier fold 62 is made from the same element or material as the top sheet 38 such that the proximal edge 64 is a continuous and undivided element of the top (i.e., unitary) sheet. The barrier fold 62 may alternatively be attached to the side flap 58, the backsheet 42, the absorbent core 44, the topsheet 38 or any combination of these or other diaper elements. 20. In the preferred diaper 20, the barrier folds 62 are integral with the top sheet 38. The integral barrier fold 62 is preferably formed by a single strip of material which is secured to the top sheet by the adhesive 92, being the distant edge 66 formed by bending one end of the material back on itself. The distal edge 66 is preferably disposed inwardly of the proximal edge 64 to present a more effective barrier against the flow of the exudates. The distant edges 66 are held inwardly by the proximal edges 64 by the closure members 78 to obviate their inversion. Although the distant edges 66 can be arranged alternately and in other positions relative to the proximal edges 64, these positions are not preferred. Distant edge 66 is preferably not secured to any other element in at least crotch region 26 of diaper 20, such that it can be separated away from the body surface 40 of the topsheet 38. The distal edge 76 is preferably spaced away from the body surface 40 to increase the containment of the article. As used herein, "separate" includes the embodiment wherein the distant edges 66 may assume one or more positions relative to the body surface 40, sometimes including assuming a position adjacent to the body surface 40 of the upper sheet 38. The distance between the distant edge 66 to the body surface 40 of the upper sheet 38 is measured along a line drawn from the distant edge 66 to the nearest part of the upper sheet 38 when the Distant bank 66 to be separated away from the topsheet as far as possible (ie, in the elastically contracted position). In addition, of the barrier folds, the leg folds of the present invention preferably further comprise packing folds 56. The packing folds 56 are disposed adjacent the periphery 28 of the diaper 20, preferably along each longitudinal edge 30 of such that the packing folds 56 tend to pull and retain the diaper 20 against the user's legs.

Although the packing folds 56 may comprise any of several means as are well known in the diaper art, a gusset folding construction preferably comprises a flexible side flap 58 and an elastic flap member 60, as described in detail in FIG. U.S. Patent No. 3,860,003 issued to Buell on January 14, 1975; and incorporated here by reference.

In addition, a method and apparatus suitable for making a disposable diaper having elastically shrinkable packing folds 56 is described in U.S. Patent No. 4,081,301 entitled "Method and apparatus for continuously attaching stretched elastic strands, discrete to predetermined portions. isolated from disposable absorbent articles ", which was issued to KB Buell on March 28, 1978 and whose patent is incorporated herein by reference. The side flap 58 must be highly flexible and thus contractable, such that the elastic fin members 60 can contract the side flap 58 to provide a packing fold 56 around the user's legs or waist. The side flaps 58 are preferably that part of the diaper 20 between the periphery 28 and the edges of the absorbent core 44. Thus, in a preferred embodiment of the present invention as shown in Figure 1, the side flaps 58 are formed of an extension of the backsheet 42 and of the topsheet 38 from and along the lateral edges 46 of the absorbent core 44 of the diaper 20 in at least the crotch region 26. Alternatively, as described in the US Pat. No. 3,860,003, the side flap may be a separate member attached to the chassis (top sheet, backsheet and / or absorbent core) or one of the components of the side flap may be a separate member. The elastic fin members 60 are preferably operatively bonded (secured) to the lateral fins 58 in an elastically contractible condition, such that in a normally unrestricted configuration, the elastic fin members 50 will effectively contract or collect the lateral fins. 58. The elastic fin members 60 can be secured to the lateral fins 58 in an elastically contractible condition in at least two ways. For example, the elastic fin members 60 can be stretched and secured to the lateral fins 58 while the lateral fins 58 are in an uncontracted condition. Alternatively, the side flaps 58 can be contracted, for example, by folding them and the elastic flap members 60 secured to the contracted wings 58 while the elastic flap members 60 are in their non-relaxed or undrawn condition. The packing bends can alternatively comprise a number of different elastically extensible structures such as elastic nonwoven webs or foams; stretch laminates as described in U.S. Patent No. 5,151,092 issued to Buell et al. on September 29, 1992, incorporated herein by reference; and film frames in the form of structural elastic (SELF) as described in U.S. Patent No. 5,518,801 issued to Chappell et al. on May 21, 1996, and incorporated herein by reference. In the embodiment shown in Figure 1, the elastic flap members 60 essentially extend the total length of the side flaps 58. in the crotch region 26 of the diaper 20. Alternatively, the elastic members 60 can extend the total length of the flap. diaper 20, or any other suitable length to provide a packing fold. The length of the elastic fin members is dictated by the design of the diaper. In the diaper 20 of Figure 3, the elastic flap members 60 are associated with the side flaps 58 securing them to the side flaps 58 with the elastic tie members 90. The elastic tie members 90 must be flexible and of sufficient adhesion to retaining the elastic fin member in its stretched condition. The elastic joint member 90 of the present are preferably drops of glue made from thermal fusion adhesives as sold by ATO Findley Incorporated, Wauwatosa, Wis, like Findley 2511 or Findley H9254. It is recognized that traditional adhesives may not be compatible with skin care compositions. Specifically, some of the skin care compositions can degrade the integrity of the adhesive bonds resulting in sufficient elastic slip and / or poor bond. An adhesive that has been found especially effective in preventing slippage of the elastics when a skin care composition is applied thereto is Findley H9254. A more detailed description of the manner in which elastic flap members 60 can be placed and secured to diaper 20 can be found in U.S. Patent No. 4,253,461, issued to Strickland and Visscher on March 3, 1981 and in U.S. Patent No. 4,081, 301 issued to Buell on March 28, 1978, both of which are incorporated herein by reference. An elastic fin member 60 that has been found to be suitable is an elastic yarn made from natural rubber as available from the Easthampton Rubber Thread Company of Stewart, Va., Under the trademark L-1900 Rubber Compound. Other suitable fin elastic members 60 may be made from natural rubber, such as the elastic tape sold under the Fulfex 9211 trademark by Fulflex Company of Scotland, N.C. An exemplary elastic member is a Lycra yarn as available from DuPont Co. of Waynesboro, Virginia, under the designation lycra-XA T-151. The elastic fin member 60 may also comprise any heat-shrinkable elastic material as is well known in the art. Other elastic fin members 60 may comprise a wide variety of materials as are well known in the art, including eiastomeric films, polyurethane films, elastomeric foams and formed elastic canvases. In addition, the elastic fin members can adopt a multitude of configurations. For example, the width of the elastic fin members 60 can be varied from about 0.25 mm to about 25 mm or more; the elastic fin members 60 may comprise a single strand of elastic material may comprise several parallel or non-parallel strands of elastic material or the elastic members 60 may be rectilinear or curvilinear. Still further, the elastic fin members 60 can be secured to the diaper 20 in any of several ways that are well known in the art. For example, the elastic fin members 60 can be ultrasonically bonded, sealed with heat / pressure on the diaper 20 using a variety of bonding patterns, or the elastic members 60 can simply be glued to the diaper 20. The fold can also comprise a characteristic elasticized waistband, such as an elasticized waistband (not shown) that can be constructed in a number of different configurations, including those described in U.S. Patent No. 4,515,595 issued to Kievit et al. on May 7, 985; U.S. Patent No. 5,026,364 issued to Robertson on June 25, 1991; and the previously referenced United States Patent No. 5,151,092 issued to Buell et al. on September 29, 1992, each of these references being hereby incorporated by reference, wherein a composition for skin care is disposed. about her. The fold can further comprise elasticized side panels that can be constructed in a number of configurations, wherein a skin care composition is disposed thereon. Examples of diapers with elasticized side panels are disclosed in U.S. Patent No. 4,857,067 issued to Wood et al. On August 15, 1989; U.S. Patent No. 4,381, 781, issued to Sciaraffa et al. on May 3, 1983, U.S. Patent No. 4,983,753 issued to Van Gompel et al. on July 3, 1990; and in U.S. Patent No. 5,151,092, issued to Buell on September 29, 1992; U.S. Patent No. 5,580,411 issued to Naese et al. on December 3, 1996; U.S. Patent No. 5,669,897 issued to LaVon et al. on September 23, 1997; and in United States Patent No. 5,569,232 issued to Roe et al. on October 29, 1996; each of which are incorporated herein by reference. The folds embodiments of the present invention may also include bags for receiving and containing waste, separators that provide voids for waste, barriers to limit movement of the waste in the article, compartments or voids that accept and contain the waste materials deposited in the article. the diaper, and the like or any of combinations thereof wherein a skin care composition is disposed thereon. Examples of the bags and separators for use in the absorbent products are described in U.S. Patent No. 5,514,121 issued to Roe et al. On May 7, 1996, entitled "Diaper having pulsating separators"; U.S. Patent No. 5,171,236 issued to Dreier et al. on December 15, 1992, entitled "Disposable absorbent article having core spacers"; U.S. Patent No. 5,397,318 issued to Dreier on March 14, 1995, entitled "Absorbent Article Having a Bag Fold", U.S. Patent No. 5,540,671 issued to Dreier on July 30, 1996 entitled "Article absorbent that has a fold of bag with a vertex "; and request PCT No. WO 93/25172 published December 3, 1993, entitled "Separators for use in hygienic absorbent articles and disposable absorbent articles having these separators"; and in U.S. Patent No. 5,306,266 entitled "Flexible Separators for Use in Disposable Absorbent Articles", issued to Freeland on April 26, 1994. Examples of compartments or voids are disclosed in U.S. Patent No. 4,968,312 entitled "Diaper with disposable stool compartment", issued to Khan on November 6, 1990; U.S. Patent No. 4,990,147 entitled "Absorbent article with elastic lining for the insulation of waste material", issued to Freeland on February 5, 1991; U.S. Patent No. 5,062,840 entitled "Disposable diapers", issued to Holt et al. on November 5, 1991; and in U.S. Patent No. 5,269,755 entitled "Top sheets of three sections for disposable absorbent articles and disposable absorbent articles having these top sheets of three sections, issued to Freeland et al. on December 14, 1993. Examples of the Suitable transverse barriers are described in U.S. Patent No. 5,554,142 entitled "Absorbent article having multiple transverse partitions with effective height", issued September 10, 1996 in the name of Dreier et al., PCT patent WO 94/14395 entitled "Absorbent article having an upright transverse partition", published July 7, 1994 in the name of Freeland et al .; and U.S. Patent No. 5,653,703"Absorbent article having an upright, angular transverse partition", issued on 5 of August 1997 to Freeland et al. All of the references cited above are hereby incorporated by reference. subject systems 54 are disclosed in U.S. Patent No. 4,846,815 issued to Scripps on July 11, 1989; in U.S. Patent No. 4,894,060, issued to Nestegard on January 16, 1990; in U.S. Patent No. 4,946,527 issued to Battrell on August 7, 1990; U.S. Patent No. 3,848,594, issued Buell on November 19, 1974; in U.S. Patent No. B1 4,662,875, issued to Hirotsu et al. on May 5, 1987; and in U.S. Patent No. 5,151,092, issued to Buell and Ifj others on September 29, 1992; each of which is incorporated herein by reference.

A skin care composition may be disposed on one or more components of the restraint system to further increase the health of the skin. For example, a skin care composition as described herein, may be disposed on the tape tabs to facilitate the tape tab effects that rub against the skin.

Figure 4 is a perspective view of the diaper 20 in its elastically contracted position before being placed on the wearer. The topsheet 38 is shown as the surface that is in contact with the body of the diaper 20, the backsheet 42 being disposed away from the wearer's body. The packing folds 56 are shown to be gathered or contracted by the elastic fin members, (not shown in FIG. 20 Figure 4). The diaper 20 is shown as having two barrier folds 62 extending adjacent to and into the packing folds 56. The distant edges 66 are shown to be gathered and contracted by the elastic separation members (not shown), in the region of crotch. In addition, the ends 74 of the barrier fold 62 are secured in a closed manner to provide comfort to the user, to obviate 25 the inversion of the barrier folds, and for the easy application of the diaper. A skin care composition 72 is disposed on the body surface of (applied to the body surface or applied to be migrable towards the body surface of) each barrier fold 62 to be transferred to the wearer's skin for provide the benefits to the skin discussed here. The diaper 20 is applied to a user, placing the rear waist region 24 under the user's back, and pulling the rest of the diaper 20 between the user's legs in such a way that the front waist region 22 is placed across the front of the person. The ends of the tape tab fasteners 54 are then preferably secured to the outward facing areas of the diaper 20. In this manner, the barrier folds 62 must be disposed in the crotch region of the wearer and must provide the provisions and functions described here above. Once applied, the distant edges 66 of the barrier folds 62 extend through the groin areas and diverge upwardly along both of the user's buttocks. None of the barrier folds 62 surround the user's thighs. However, the packing folds 56 will surround the thighs and create a packing action against the thighs. The barrier folds 62 are in contact with the wearer's skin and transfer the skin care composition 72 thereto to provide some or all of the benefits described herein. The treated folds of the present invention are also useful in training or taping pants. The term "training pants", as used herein, refers to disposable garments having fixed sides which thus define a waist opening and fixed leg openings. The training pants are placed in place on the user by inserting the user's legs into the leg openings and sliding the training pants into position around the user's lower torso. Suitable training pants are disclosed in United States Patent No. 5,246,433, issued to Hasse et al. On September 21, 1993; U.S. Patent No. 4,940,464 issued to Van Gompel et al. on July 10, 1990; and in U.S. Patent No. 5,092,861 issued to Nomura et al. on March 3, 1992, each of which is incorporated herein by reference. The treated folds of the present invention are also applicable to absorbent articles that are a combination or "hybrids" of training pants and diapers (fitted or molded diapers) as described in U.S. Patent No. 5,569,234, " "Disposable Shingling Shorts" issued to Buell and Carlin on October 29, 1996, incorporated herein by reference. Another disposable absorbent article for which the treated folds of the present invention are useful are articles for incontinence. The term "incontinence article" refers to pads, undergarments (pads held in place by a suspension system of the same type, such as a belt, or the like), inserts for absorbent articles, capacity enhancers for articles absorbent, truss, bed pads, and the like regardless of whether they are used by adults or other incontinent persons. Suitable incontinence articles are described in U.S. Patent No. 4,253,461 issued to Strickland et al. On March 3, 1981; U.S. Patent No. 4,597,760 and 4,597,761 issued to Buell, the aforementioned U.S. Patent No. 4,704,115; U.S. Patent No. 4,909,802 issued to Ahr et al .; U.S. Patent No. 4,964,860 issued to Gipson et al. on October 23, 1990; and PCT Publication No. WO 92/11830, The Procter & Gamble Company, published on July 23, 1992; each of which are incorporated herein by reference. Figure 7 is a simplified fragmentary sectional view of an alternate construction of the preferred diaper of the present invention. The diaper 720 comprises a chassis and treated folds attached to the chassis. The chassis comprises (i) an outer covering layer comprising a portion of the upper sheet 38 and a portion of the back sheet 42, and (ii) the absorbent core 44. Each of the folds comprises a barrier fold 762 and a packing fold 756. The barrier fold 762 comprises a member separate from the barrier fold 763 having a fin portion 702 and a channel portion 704. The fin portion 702 is formed by securing portions of the barrier fold member 763 to the backsheet 42 adjacent the longitudinal edge 30 of the diaper by the fin attachment members 88, such as an adhesive; a leak-resistant seal being formed by the fin attachment members 88, the fin portion 68, and the backsheet 42 to provide protection against leakage of the liquids, capillary action along the upper edge 38 The flap portion 702 and the backsheet 42 define the lateral flap 758 of the packing fold 756 and enclose the flap elastic members 760. The flap elastic members 760 are secured in a lateral flap formed by the flap portion and the backsheet 758 by the elastic binding members 90. The packing fold 756 is thus formed by the lateral flap 758 and the elastic flap members 760. The channel portion 704 of the barrier fold 762 is contiguous with the portion of flap 702 and has a proximal edge 64 and a distant edge 66. The proximal edge 64 is preferably formed inward of the packing fold 756, more preferably between the edge to side 46 of the absorbent core and the elastic fin member 760, joining a segment of the barrier fold member 763 to the backsheet 42 by the proximal securing member 92 such as a mechanical / pressure joint to form a seal resistant to leaks along the proximal edge 64 to present a barrier to the capillary action of the liquid through the upper sheet 38 to prevent liquids from being absorbed under the barrier folds towards the edges of the diaper 20. The distant shore 66 is preferably disposed inwardly of the proximal edge 64 and is not secured to any underlying element of the diaper 20. As shown in Figure 7, the distant edge 66 is preferably formed by bending the end of the barrier fold member 763 back on itself and securing it to another segment of the barrier fold member by the distal connecting member 96 to form a tunnel. A separation means such as an elastic separation member 76 is enclosed within the tunnel; the elastic separation member 76 being secured in the barrier fold 762 by the elastic attachment members 94. (As an alternative embodiment, only the ends of the elastic separation member are secured to the barrier fold element to create an "elastic" of cord below, such that the middle segment of the elastic "floats" within the tunnel This cord elastic is described in greater detail in U.S. Patent No. 4,816,025 issued to Richardson on March 28, 1989, the patent of which is incorporated here by reference). The distal edge 66 is then separated away from the body surface 40 of the topsheet 38 by the action of gathering the elastic spacing member 77. In the embodiment shown, the topsheet 38 is positioned adjacent to the body surface of the core. absorbent 44 and extends beyond the side edge of the absorbent core 44, but terminating inward from the proximal edge 64. (Alternatively, the top sheet may extend outwardly beyond the proximal edge, but terminates inwardly of the proximal edge. outermost fin member 88 to obtain the benefits of the structure A more detailed description of the fold construction of this embodiment is described in U.S. Patent No. 4,795,454, "Absorbent Article Having Double Folds Resistant to leaks ", issued to Dragoo on January 3, 1989, whose patent is incorporated herein by reference.

The fin portion 702 is contiguous with the channel portion 704 and extends outwardly from the proximal edge 64 of the channel portion 704 toward the longitudinal edge 30, preferably toward the longitudinal edge 30, such that the side flap 758 is formed from the extension of the back sheet 42 and the flap portion 702. Although the flap portion 702 is preferably a continuous segment of the barrier fold member 763, the flap portion 702 can be formed in a different piece of material secured to the channel portion 704 of the barrier fold 762. In this manner, the fin portion 702 may have different physical properties, dimensions and characteristics than the channel portion 704. For example, the fin portion 702 need not be hydrophobic nor extend outward toward the longitudinal edge 30. In addition, each of the barrier folds 762 need not have a fin portion such that tot can be omitted Almente a portion of fin. However, the fin portion is preferably hydrophobic, docile, soft feeling and non-irritating to the user's skin since it is in contact with the user's legs when in use. An effective amount of a skin care composition is disposed on the fold to provide the benefits of skin care for the user. In order to carry out the supply of the skin care composition to the wearer's skin during use, it is preferred to arrange the skin care composition on the portions of the fold that will be in contact with the wearer's skin. In this way, the skin care composition can be disposed on both fold surfaces, a fold surface, or parts of either or both of the surfaces. In the embodiment shown in Figure 7, the skin care composition may be disposed on the flap portion 702, the channel portion 704, or both. If a skin care composition is provided on both of the fin portion and the channel portion, the formulation of the skin care composition disposed thereon need not be the same. In fact, each composition can cover skin care can have different formulations and properties to provide different benefits. For example, a first skin care composition which, for example, reduces the rash of the diaper may be disposed on the channel portion while a second skin care composition, which, for example, reduces irritation , and / or soothes the skin may be disposed on the fin portion. In the embodiment shown in Figure 7, a first skin care composition 72 is provided on the channel portion, preferably on its body surface; a second skin care composition 72 'is disposed on the fin portion, preferably on the body surface thereof; and a third skin care composition 72"is disposed on the top sheet, preferably on its body surface.The formulation of each skin care composition need not be the same, however, in this embodiment In particular, the formulation of each skin care composition is the same, Each skin care composition is arranged in an effective amount to transfer the skin care composition to the skin of the user. Figure 7, a skin care composition is preferably disposed in discrete portions of the fin portion and the channel portion.More preferably, the skin care composition is applied in one or more strips, more preferably the strip or strips are aligned with those areas that are located on the elastic fin members or the elastic separation members. of skin 72 is preferably applied to channel portion 704 on a wide strip (approximately 1.4 inches), extending from the distant shore 66 to the next shore 64). The length of this strip extends along a portion of the length of the elastic separation member 76 (approximately 11.75 inches long), such that the portion of the barrier fold element 763 adjacent the end of the elastic separation member. in the frontal waist region it does not have the skin care composition 52 disposed thereon (see, for example, Figure 1). A plurality of strips of the second care composition 72"are disposed on the flap portion 702. The skin care composition can be applied to the body surface 57 or the pledge surface 59 of the fold member of the skin. barrier 763. If the garment surface is applied, the skin care composition preferably acts as a hydrophobic coating to help block the flow of urine and feces through the barrier folds. for skin care such that it will migrate or transfer across the body surface of the barrier fold member to be transferable on the user's skin and provide the skin care benefits discussed herein. Skin care can also be arranged on the top sheet to provide a different benefit or the same benefit as that applied to the dob. Barrier System An example of a skin care composition for a topsheet is described in U.S. Patent No. 5,643,588 issued to Roe et al. on July 1, 1997, the patent of which is incorporated herein by reference. . Figure 8 is another alternative embodiment of a treated fold, particularly a breathable, treated, elastic leg fold of the present invention. As shown in Figure 8, diaper 820 comprises a chassis comprising an outer cover layer comprising an upper sheet 38, and a back sheet 42 and an absorbent core 44 enclosed within the outer cover layer, preferably between the sheet upper 38 and back sheet 42. Leg fold 856 comprises a side flap 858 and elastic members 860. Leg fold 856 is formed as a separate unit that attaches to the chassis. In this particular embodiment, the side flap 858 comprises two fold elements, a first fold element 802 attached to the top sheet 38 and extending laterally outwardly therefrom and a second fold element 804 attached to the top sheet 42 and that extends laterally outward from it. The first folding element 802 and the second folding element 804 enclose the elastic members 860, which are operably attached to either or both of the folding elements to form a packing fold. In the particular embodiment shown, each fold element is formed of a material that allows the passage of vapor (breathes) while it tends to retard the passage of liquid (permeable to air but impermeable to liquid), in this particular embodiment, the elements of bending each comprises a non-woven web, however, other breathable materials, including films formed with openings, may be used. A more detailed description of these leg bends is disclosed in U.S. Patent No. 4,636,207 issued to Buell on January 13, 1987, the patent of which is incorporated herein by reference. The skin care composition can be deduced on either the first fold element, the second fold element, or both. In a preferred embodiment as shown in FIG. 8, the skin care composition 872 is disposes on the first fold element 802, preferably on the body surface 802, such that the skin care composition 872 can be easily transferred to the user's skin, when the leg fold 856 is in contact with the user. The skin care composition is preferably applied to one or more strips, with the strip or more strips being preferably aligned with those areas that are located or that cover the elastic members. Alternatively, the skin care composition of the garment surface 808 of the first bending element 802 or the second bending element 804 can be applied and allowed to migrate or transfer through the materials to the skin surface. body 806 of first fold element 802, to provide the benefits of the skin care composition, as well as to provide a leg fold that has reduced leakage. In addition, the skin care composition can be applied to the elastic members and allowed to transfer through the body surface of the first bending element. (In an alternate mode, the second fold element can be replaced by extending the top sheet all the way to the edge of the diaper). Respirability (vapor permeability of the fold) increases the function of many of the skin care compositions used in the present invention, allowing the exchange of vapor within the diaper to reduce the relative humidity of the interior of the diaper. The excess relative humidity in the absorbent article between the user's skin and the article may interfere with the normal transport of the water vapor outward and inwardly of the skin. By providing a means for transporting this excess moisture (respirable folds), the drag force is reduced to excess hydration. This allows moisture adjacent to the skin to be removed from the diaper, thereby further increasing the health of the user's skin, above and above the reduction provided by the skin care composition of the present invention only. (Disposable absorbent articles that provide improved protection against overhydration of the skin because of a skin care composition disposed on the topsheet, improved skin aeration, as provided by the improved breathability, and the superior performance of liquid handling are disclosed in United States Patent Application Serial No. 08 / 926,556 (Case P &; G No. 6832Q) "Disposable absorbent article that provides a benefit for the conditioning of the skin" Eider et al., Filed September 10, 1997, which is incorporated herein by reference.

Figure 9 is a plan view of a further alternative embodiment of the present invention having separate side panel laminates, front side panels 902 and rear side panels 904 attached to the chassis (containment assembly). The extendable back side panels 904 have multidirectional stretch provided by a first side panel 906 and a second side panel 908 to provide the separate extension capacity along the waist and leg portions of the diaper 920. The side panels and the diaper they are more fully described in U.S. Patent No. 5,580,411"Waste-Free Methods for Making Side Panels of Absorbent Articles", issued to Nease et al. on December 3, 1996 and U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 08 / 115,048 entitled "Absorbent article with extensible side panels in multiple directions", filed on November 19, 1994 in the name of Robles et al., Which are incorporated herein by reference. The diaper 920 may have several treated folds and combinations thereof. The leg cuffs of the diaper 920 comprise the fold of packing 956 of the chassis (restraint assembly), and the leg cuffs 910 of the second side panels 908 and of the front side panels 902. The waist folds comprise the elastic waistband 912 of the chassis (restraint assembly) and of the waist edge 914 of the first side panels 906 and the front side panels 902. In this embodiment, a skin care composition can be applied to the side panels or to any part of the skin. the same, to the fold of packing or to the elastic waistband or to any combination of the previous ones. For example, a skin care composition can be applied to the elastic waistband and to a portion of the waist edge of each first side panel and the front side panel. A skin care composition can be provided on each leg fold, including a segment of the packing fold, the leg edge of the second side panel and the leg edge of the front side panel. The skin care composition can thus provide a therapeutic or protective coating to the user's legs, alternatively, different formulations of the skin care compositions can be arranged on any combination or all of these folds. . An additional skin care composition may also be disposed on the topsheet 38 as described herein. As shown in Figure 10, a first skin care composition 972 is disposed on the first side panel 906 on multiple strips, such as spirals, a second skin care composition 972 'is disposed on the second side. side panel 908 in multiple strips, such as spirals and a third skin care composition 972"on the front side panels 902 is arranged in multiple strips as spirals, each of the skin care compositions can be Same formulation or different formulations If the skin care compositions have different formulations, each particular skin care composition can be formulated to provide the benefits of unique skin care to different areas of the user. is a fragmented sectional view of a preferred alternating diaper construction of a treated fold disposed in the waist regions of the drapery 1. In particular, the drawings represent a waistband / waistband cover. An exemplary embodiment of this waistband / unitary waist cover is disclosed in U.S. Patent No. 5,026,364 issued to Robertson on June 25, 1991, the patent of which is incorporated herein by reference (it should be noted that the present invention is not is limited to the waistbands / unitary waistcoat, but also covers waistbands such as are shown in U.S. Patent No. 4,515,595 issued to Kievit &Osterhage on May 7, 1985, as well as waistcovers such as disclosed in U.S. Patent No. 4,738,677 issued to Foreman on April 19, 1988 and in U.S. Patent No. 4,743,246 issued to Lawson on May 10, 19888; each of these patents being incorporated herein by reference. The waistband cover 1002 is formed by a single piece of elastomeric material operably linked to the diaper 1020. The outer portion 1004 is operatively joined to the waist tab 1058 in an elastically contractible condition, adjacent to the end edge 32 of the diaper 1020 by a waistband securing member (not shown), such as ultrasonic joints, to form an elastic waistband 1056. The inner portion 1006 is continuous to the outer portion 1004 and has a proximal edge 1064 and a distal edge 1066. The proximal edge 1064 of the inner portion 1006 is formed inward of the end edge 32 of the diaper 1020, preferably between the waist edge 47 of the absorbent core 44 and the outward portion 1004, joining a segment of the inner portion 1006 to the waist flap 1058 (the topsheet 38), by a proximal joining member (not shown), such as an adhesive to form a n seal along the proximal edge 1064. The distant edge 1066 is disposed inward of the proximal edge 1064 and in the view shown, no underlying element of the diaper 1020 is preferably secured to the top sheet 38 of such so that portions of the inner portion 1006 may be spaced apart from the upper sheet 38 to form a waist cover 1066 (barrier fold). In the embodiment shown, a single piece of material serves as both the elastic waistband 1056 and the waist cover 1062 (barrier fold). This simple piece of material is referred to herein as a waistband / waistcoat 1002. The waistband increases the diaper fit around the wearer and retards leakage from this waist area while the waist cover restricts, contains body exudates. inside the diaper. However, it should be noted that separate elements can form both the waistband and waistband. In the embodiment shown, a skin care composition may be provided on the inner portion, the outer portion or both. In this way, a skin care composition can be applied on the waist cover or the waistband. The skin care composition is preferably applied to the body surface of the waistband / unitary waist cover to be in contact and transferred to the wearer's skin during use. As shown in Figure 10, a skin care composition 1072 is preferably disposed in one or more strips on the body surface 1070 of the waistband / unitary waistband 1002, more preferably adjacent to the far side 1066 of the waistband. the waist cover 1062 and in the waistband 1056. In order to increase the hydrophobic capacity of the waist cover and to provide a skin care composition transferable to the skin, the skin care composition can alternatively be applied to the garment surface and allow it to migrate or transfer across the body surface, thus providing a hydrophobic coating which helps retard the passage of the liquid while allowing the skin care composition to be easily transferred to the skin of the user. In addition, a different formulation of the composition for skin care can be applied to the internal portion vs. the external portion. Other disposable absorbent articles of the present invention are articles for feminine hygiene, such as sanitary napkins. Suitable feminine hygiene articles are disclosed in U.S. Patent No. 4,556,146 issued to Swanson et al. On December 3, 1985; U.S. Patent No. B1 4,589,876 issued to Van Tilburg on April 27, 1993; United States patent No. 4,687,478 issued to Van Tilburg on August 18, 1997; U.S. Patent No. 4,950,264 issued to Osborn III on August 21, 1990; U.S. Patent No. 5,009,653 issued to Osborn III on April 23, 1991; U.S. Patent No. 5,267,992, issued to Van Tilburg on December 7, 1993; U.S. Patent No. 5,389,094 issued to Lavash et al. on February 14, 1995; U.S. Patent No. 5,413,568 issued to Road et al. on May 9, 1995; U.S. Patent No. 5,460,623 issued to Emenaker et al. on October 24, 1995; U.S. Patent No. 5,489,283 issued to Van Tilburg on February 6, 1996; U.S. Patent No. 5,569,231 issued to Emenaker et al. on October 29, 1996; and in U.S. Patent No. 5,620,430, issued to Bamber on April 15, 1997; each of which is incorporated herein by reference. Figure 11 shows a fragmentary coronal view showing a sectioned sanitary napkin 1120 having a treated fold of the present invention placed in a pant 1102 in place on a wearer during use. A more detailed description of a sanitary napkin having a barrier fold is found in U.S. Patent No. 5,649,917 issued to Robert & Mancel on July 22, 1997, whose patent is incorporated herein by reference. As shown in Figure 11, the sanitary napkin 1120 comprises a central absorbent pad comprising an upper sheet 38, a back sheet 42, and an absorbent core 44 positioned between the upper sheet 38 and the back sheet 42; a flap 1104 (commercially referred to as "wings", or "flap"), extending from each longitudinal edge 1130 of the central absorbent pad, each flap 1104 having at least one flexible shaft, preferably a first axis of flexibility 1106 and a second axis of flexibility 1108 such that, in use, the elastic in the pant 1102 pushes the fins 1104 adjacent the second axis of flexibility 1108 tightly against the body resulting in a double-walled barrier to contain the menses; and a treated fold comprising a barrier fold 1162 (barrier means), having a proximal edge 1164 and a distant edge 1166, the proximal edge 1164 being attached to the towel (preferably in this mode to flap 1104), to contain the exudates of the body. A skin care composition 1172 is disposed on each barrier fold 1162 to provide the skin care benefits as described herein. Although the skin care composition can be applied to the entire fold, to one of the fold surfaces or to any of the parts thereof, in the embodiment shown, the skin care composition is applied. in one or more strips to a part of the body surface of the barrier fold 1162 preferably adjacent to the distant edge 1166. In addition, in the embodiment shown, a second skin care composition 1172"on each fin is also provided. 1104. A third skin care composition 1172"is disposed on the upper sheet 38. The second skin care composition 1172" disposed on the fins 1104 is preferably disposed over the portions of the fins that are in contact with each other. with the user during use, typically the parts of the fins adjacent the second axis of flexibility 1108. The second skin care composition 11720 'can be disposed between the first flexibility axis 1106, and second flexibility axis 1108 and / or between second flexibility axis 1108 and distant edge 1110 of the fin or both. The formulation of the skin care compositions applied to the barrier fold, the top sheet, and the fins may be different to provide different skin care benefits to different parts of the wearer's skin. In the embodiment shown, the skin care compositions that are disposed on the topsheet, the fins and the barrier folds have the same formulation.

B. Skin Care Composition Although the specific composition or compositions for skin care dered or dispensed (referred to herein as "skin care composition and" composition "in accordance with the present invention is an important factor In the performance of desirable skin effects, it is preferred that the skin care composition should provide a non-occlusive, protective function (e.g., a barrier relatively impermeable to liquid but permeable to vapor), to avoid overhydration. skin and skin exposure to materials contained in body exudates, a function of reducing abrasion to reduce skin irritation in areas where the folds are in contact with the skin of the user, or contain agents that der or surrender, either directly or indirectly, skin care benefits, for example, indirect benefits include n Improved removal of skin irritants such as feces or urine. The composition can be in a variety of forms including, but not limited to emulsions, lotions, creams, ointments, plasters, powders, suspensions, encapsulations, gels and the like. As used herein, the term "effective amount" of a skin care composition refers to an amount of a particular composition which, when applied or migrated toward ("disposed on") the body surface of a fold will be effective in reducing abrasion between the fold and in areas where the folds are in contact with the user's skin, providing a protective barrier and / or rendering or dering a skin care benefit when dered through the folds and / or reducing the adherence of faeces to the skin. Unless otherwise indicated, the description pertaining to the disposition of the skin care composition on the folds will be applicable to the compositions arranged on the topsheet, in these preferred embodiments. Of course, the effective amount of the composition disposed on the fold will depend to a certain extent on the particular skin care composition used. However, the amount of the skin care composition disposed on at least a portion of the body surface of the fold will preferably range from about 0.0078 mg / cm2 to about 12 mg / cm2, more preferably about 0.16 mg / cm2. at about 6 mg / cm2, still more preferably from about 0.06 mg / cm2 to about 4 mg / cm2. These ranges are by way of illustration only and the skilled artisan will recognize that the nature of the composition will dictate the level that must be disposed thereon to achieve the desired benefits of the skin, and that these levels are determinable by routine experimentation at the light of the present disclosure. Although the level of the skin care composition disposed on the folds is an important aspect of the present invention, more important is the amount of the composition transferred to the user's skin during the use of one or more of the treated folds. . Although the required level dered to the skin to provide the desired skin benefits will depend to some degree on the nature of the composition employed, applicants have found that relatively low levels can be dered while still providing the desired skin effects. This is especially true for preferred compositions, such as those described in the examples. Another benefit of the present invention is the controlled application of the skin care composition to release low but effective levels of the required composition. This is in contrast to the typically sporadic manual application of skin care agents, where caregivers / users often apply significantly higher levels of material than are needed. Excess manually added materials can adversely impact the fluid handling properties of the absorbent article, as a result of the transfer of the skin to the article. In fact, for certain materials, such as petrolatum, manually applied levels can actually result in an occlusive effect, thus compromising the skin. A benefit of the present invention is to provide a barrier to surface moisture while preventing occlusion of the skin (i.e., maintaining skin respirability). In this way, the present invention allows the transfer of the optimal levels of the composition to the skin to maintain and / or improve the health of the skin. With respect to the level of the skin care composition that is transferred to the user during the use of a treated absorbent article used over a period of about 3 hours (a typical daytime usage time), particularly for the care compositions of preferred skin such as those described in Example 1, it is preferred where at least about 0.0016 mg / cm2, more preferably at least about 0.0078 mg / cm2, still more preferably at least about 0.016 mg / cm2, of the composition is transferred to the skin over a period of use of three hours. Typically, the amount of the composition released by a treated article will be from about 0.0016 mg / cm2 to about 1.24 mg / cm2, more preferably from about 0.0078 mg / cm2 to about 0.93 mg / cm2, even more preferably from about 0.016 mg / cm2 at approximately 0.78 mg / cm2 over a period of use of three hours. It will be recognized that of the numerous materials useful in the skin care compositions released to the skin according to the present invention, those which have been considered safe and effective skin care agents are logical materials to be used here. These materials include the Category I assets defined by the Final Attempt Monograph on Products of Skin Protective Drugs for Human Use of the U.S. Federal Food and Drug Administration (FDA) (21 CFR § 347), which already includes: allantoin, aluminum hydroxide gel, calamine, cocoa butter, dimethicone, cod liver oil (in combination), glycerin, kaolin, petrolatum, lanolin, mineral oil, shark liver oil, white petrolatum, talc, topical starch, zinc acetate, zinc carbonate, zinc oxide, and the like. Other potentially useful materials are Category III assets as defined by the Final Attempt Monograph on Products of Skin Protective Drugs for Human Use of the U.S. Federal Food and Drug Administration (FDA) (21 CFR § 347), which already includes: live yeast cell derivatives, aldioxa, aluminum acetate, microporous cellulose, cholecalciferol, colloidal oatmeal, cysteine hydrochloride, dexpantanol, oil of balsam of Peru, protein hydrolysates, racemic methionine, sodium bicarbonate, Vitamin A, and the like. It will be recognized that one or more of these optional materials may be used in combination with other ingredients, such as those described herein. As will be discussed below, the skin care compositions useful in the present invention preferably, but not necessarily, have a melting profile such that they are relatively immobile and localized on the surface that is in contact with the user (surface body) of the fold at room temperature, at least a part of the composition will be transferable to the user at body temperature, and are not yet completely liquid under extreme storage conditions. Preferably, the compositions are easily transferable to the skin by means of normal contact, user movement, and / or body heat. Because the composition is preferably substantially immobilized on the surface that is in contact with the body of the folds, relatively low levels of the skin care composition are required to impart the desired skin care benefits. In addition, special barrier or wrapping materials may be unnecessary when packing articles useful in the present invention. In a preferred embodiment, the skin care compositions useful herein are solid, or more frequently semi-solid, at 20 ° C, ie at room temperature. By "semi-solid" it is implied that the composition has a typical relocation of pseudoplastic or plastic liquids. When no shear is applied, the compositions may have the appearance of a semi-solid but may be flowed as the shear rate increases. This is due to the fact that, while the composition contains mainly solid component it also includes some minor liquid components. Preferably, the compositions of the present invention have a low shear viscosity between about 1.0 x 10 centipoise and about 1.0 x 108 centipoise. More preferably, the viscosity under zero shear stress is between about 5.0 x 106 and about 5.0 x 107 centipoise. As used herein, the term "low shear viscosity viscosity" refers to a viscosity measured at very low shear rates (eg, 1.0 sec "1) using the plate and cone viscometer (a suitable instrument that available from TA Instruments of New Castle, DE, as the model number CSL 100.) A person of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that other means than components with high melting point can be used (as discussed below) to provide the comparable measured viscosities for these compositions comprising these media which are measured by extrapolating a viscosity versus shear rate diagram for these compositions for a shear rate of zero at a temperature of about 20 ° C. Preferred compositions are less semisolid at room temperature to minimize the migration of the composition. They have a final melting point (100% liquid) above the storage conditions of "total effort", potential that can be higher than 45 ° C (for example, store in Arizona, cargo truck in Florida, etc.). ). Specifically, the preferred compositions will have the following fusion profile: Most Preferred Preferred Interval Feature % liquid at temperature 2-50 3-25 atmosphere (20 ° C)% liquid at temperature 25-95 30-90 body (37 ° C) Final melting point (° C) > 38 > Four. Five By being solid or semi-solid at ambient temperatures, these preferred compositions do not have a tendency to flow and migrate to a significant degree towards undesirable locations of the absorbent article. This means that less composition is required for skin care to impart the desirable therapeutic, protective and / or conditioning benefits. To increase the immobility of the preferred compositions, the viscosity of the formulated compositions should be as high as possible to prevent them from flowing from the bend to the undesirable locations within the diaper. Unfortunately, in some instances, higher viscosities may inhibit the transfer of the composition to the user's skin or may be difficult to apply without processing problems. Therefore, an equilibrium must be achieved in such a way that the viscosities are sufficiently high to maintain compositions located on the body surface of the fold, but not so high to prevent transfer to the user's skin. The viscosities suitable for the compositions will typically range from about 1 to about 5000 centipoise, preferably from about 5 to about 300 centipoise, more preferably from about 5 to about 100 centipoise measured at 60 ° C, using a rotational viscometer (a suitable Lab viscometer). Line Instruments, Inc., of Meirose Park, IL, as Model 4537). The viscometer is operated at 60 rpm using a two-axis number. For compositions designed to provide a skin care benefit, a useful active ingredient in these compositions is one or more skin protectants or emollients. As used herein, the term "emollient" is a material that protects against moisture and irritation, softens, softens, softens, coats, lubricates, moisturizes, or cleanses the skin. (It will be recognized that several of the asset monographs listed above are "emollients" as that term is used herein.) In a preferred embodiment, these emollients will have a plastic or fluid consistency at room temperature, i.e., at 20 ° C. . Representative emollients useful in the present invention include, but are not limited to, emollients that are based on petroleum, fatty acids of sucrose ester; polyethylene glycol and its derivatives; humectants; type of fatty acid ester; type of polysiloxane; type of alkyl ethoxylates; fatty acid ester ethoxylates; type of fatty alcohol; type of polysiloxane; propylene glycol and its derivatives; glycerin and its derivatives; including glyceride, acetoglycerides and ethoxylated glycerides of C12-C28 fatty acids; triethylene glycol, and its derivatives; spermaceti and other waxes, fatty acids, and fatty alcohol ethers particularly those having 12 to 28 carbon atoms in their fat chain, such as stearic acid; propoxylated fatty alcohols; lanolin and its derivatives; Caolina and its derivatives; and any of the skin care agents of monographs listed above; or mixtures thereof. Suitable oil-based emollients include those hydrocarbons, or mixtures of hydrocarbons, having chain lengths of 16 to 32 carbon atoms. Oil-based hydrocarbons that have these chain lengths include oil in mineral water also known as "liquid petrolatum" and petrolatum (also known as "mineral wax," "petroleum jelly," and "mineral jelly." Mineral oil usually it refers to mixtures of lower viscosity of hydrocarbons having 16 to 20 carbon atoms Petrolatum usually refers to more viscous mixtures of hydrocarbons having 16 to 32 carbon atoms Petrolatum and mineral oil are emollients in particular Preferred for compositions of the present invention Suitable emollients of the fatty acid ester type include those derived from C12-C28 fatty acids, preferably saturated C16-C22 fatty acids, and short-chain monohydric alcohols preferably C C3). Representative examples of these esters include methyl palmitate, methyl stearate, isopropyl laurate, isopropyl myristate, isopropyl palmitate, ethylhexyl palmitatium and mixtures thereof. Suitable fatty acid ester emollients can also be derived from longer chain fatty alcohol esters (C12-C28, preferably C12-C16) and from shorter chain fatty acids, for example, lactic acid such as lauryl lactate and cetyl lactate. Suitable alkyl ethoxylates emollients include the C 12 -C 22 fatty alcohol ethoxylates having an average degree of ethoxylation of from about 2 to about 30. Preferably, the fatty alcohol ethoxylate emollient is selected from the group consisting of ethoxylate of lauryl, cetyl and stearyl, and mixtures thereof, having an average degree of ethoxylation ranging from about 2 to about 23. Representative examples of these alkyl ethoxylates include laureth-3 (a lauryl ethoxylate having a degree of of average ethoxylation of 3), laureth-23 (a lauryl ethoxylate having an average degree of ethoxylation of 23) ceteth-10 (a cetyl alcohol ethoxylate having an average degree of ethoxylation of 10) and steareth 10 (an ethoxylate of stearyl alcohol having an average degree of ethoxylation of 10). These alkyl ethoxylate emollients are typically used in combination with petroleum-based emollients, such as petrolatum, at a weight ratio of emollients of alkyl ethoxylate to oil-based emollient of from about 1: 1 to about 1: 5, preferably from about 1: 2 to about 1: 4. Suitable fatty alcohol emollients include the C12-C22 fatty alcohols, preferably C6-C18 fatty alcohols. Representative examples include cetyl alcohol, and stearyl alcohol, and mixtures thereof. These fatty alcohol emollients are typically used in combination with petroleum-based emollients, such as petrolatum at a weight ratio of fatty alcohol emollient to oil-based emollient of from about 1: 1 to about 1: 5, preferably about 1: 1 to approximately 1: 2. Other types of emollients suitable for use in the present invention include polysiloxane compounds. In general, polysiloxane materials suitable for use in the present invention, include those having the monomeric siloxane units of the following structure: R '-Si-O- wherein R, and R2 for each monomeric independent siloxane unit can each independently be hydrogen or any of alkyl, aryl, alkenyl, alkaryl, arachidyl, cycloalkyl, halogenated hydrocarbon, or other radical. Any of these radicals can be substituted or unsubstituted. The radicals R1 and R2 of any particular monomer unit may differ from the corresponding functionalities of the next contiguous monomer unit. Aditionally, the polysiloxane can be either a straight chain, a branched chain or have a cyclic structure. The radicals R1 and R2 can additionally independently be other hairless functionalities such as but not limited to siloxanes, polysiloxanes, silanes and polysilanes. The radicals R ^ and R2 may contain any of a variety of organic functionalities, including, for example, functionalities of alcohol, carboxylic acid, phenyl and amine. Exemplary alkyl radicals are methyl, ethyl, propyl, butyl, pentyl, hexyl, octyl, decyl, octadecyl and the like. Exemplary alkenyl radicals are vinyl, allyl, and the like. Exemplary aryl radicals are phenyl, diphenyl, naphthyl and the like. Exemplary alkaryl radicals are toyl, guyl, ethylphenyl and the like. Exemplary aralkyl radicals are benzyl, alpha-phenylethyl, beta-phenylethyl, alpha-phenyl-butyl and the like. Exemplary cycloalkyl radicals are cyclobutyl, cyclopentyl, cycloexoyl, and the like. Exemplary alkylated hydrocarbon radicals are chloromethyl, bromoethyl, tetrafluoroethyl, fluoroethyl, trifluoroethyl, trifluoromethyl, exafluoroxynyl, and the like. The viscosity of the useful polysiloxanes can vary as widely as the viscosity of the polysiloxanes in general varies while the polysiloxane is able to flow or can be made to be flowable for application to the absorbent article. This includes, but is not limited to viscosity as low as 5 centistokes (at 37 ° C as measured by a glass viscometer) at approximately 20,000,000 centistokes. Preferably, the polysiloxanes have a viscosity at 37 ° C ranging from about 5 to about 5,000 centistokes, more preferably from about 5 to about 2,000 centistokes, most preferably from about 100 to about 1000 centistokes. The high viscosity polysiloxanes which by themselves are resistant to flow can be deposited effectively on the absorbent articles by such methods as, for example, emulsifying the polysiloxane in the surfactant or providing the polysiloxane in solution with the aid of a solvent such as hexane, listed for exemplary purposes only. Particular methods for applying the polysiloxane emollients to the absorbent articles are discussed in more detail hereinafter. Preferred polysiloxane compounds for use in the present invention are disclosed in U.S. Patent No. 5,059,282 (Ampulski et al.), Issued October 22, 1991, which is incorporated herein by reference. Particularly preferred polysiloxane compounds for use as emollients in the compositions of the present invention include polymethylsiloxane compounds with functional phenyl (e.g. Dow Corning 556 cosmetic grade fluid: polyphenylmethylsiloxane), dimethicone compounds, and dimethicones functionalized with cetyl or stearyl such as Dow 2502 and Dow 2503 polysiloxane fluids, respectively. In addition, substitution with functional phenyl or alkyl groups can be effectively substituted with amino, carboxyl, hydroxyl, ether, polyether, aldehyde, acetone, amide, ester and thiol groups. Of these effective substituent groups, the family of groups containing phenyl, amino, alkyl, carboxyl and hydroxyl groups are more preferred than the others; and most preferred are groups with functional phenyl. Suitable wetting agents include glycerin, propylene glycol, sorbitol, trihydroxy stearin, and the like. When present, the amount of the emollient that can be included in the composition will depend on a variety of factors, including the particular emollient involved, the desired skin care benefits, other components in the composition, and the like. The composition may comprise from about 0 to about 100% by total weight, of the emollient. Preferably, the composition comprises from about 10 to about 95%, more preferably from about 20 to about 80%, and most preferably from about 40 to about 75%, by weight, of the emollient. Another optional, but especially key component of certain skin care compositions useful in the present invention is an agent capable of immobilizing the composition (including the emollient and / or other skin conditioning / protective agents) at the desired location within or about the treated fold. Because certain preferred emollients in the composition have a plastic or f consistency at 20 ° C, they tend to flow or migrate even when subjected to modest shear stress. When applied to a body surface or other location of a bend, especially in a molten or melted state, the emollient will not primarily remain inside or on the treated region. In contrast, the emollient will tend to migrate and flow into the unwanted regions of the absorbent article. Specifically, if the emollient migrates into the article, it may cause undesirable effects on the absorbency of the absorbent core due to the hydrophobic characteristics of many of the emollients and other skin conditioning agents used in useful compositions of the present invention. This also means that much more emollient has to be applied to the fold to achieve the desired benefits. Increasing the level of the emollient not only increases the cost, but also exacerbates the undesirable effect on core absorbency and unwanted transfer of the composition during processing / conversion of the treated folds. The immobilizing agent counteracts this tendency of the emollient to migrate or flow by keeping the emollient mainly located on the surface or in the region of the fold to which the composition is applied. It is believed that this is due, in part, to the fact that the immobilizing agent raises the melting point and / or viscosity of the composition above that of the emollient. Since the immobilizing agent is also preferably miscible with the emollient (or solubilized in the emollient with the aid of an appropriate emulsifier or dispersed therein), it entraps the emollient on the surface of the surface which is in contact with the user of the emollient. double or in the region to which it applies. It is also advantageous to "fix" the immobilizing agent on the surface that is in contact with the user or in the region of the fold to which it is applied. This can be achieved by using immobilization agents which quickly dispose (ie, solidify) over the application to the fold. In addition, external cooling of the bend treated through blowers, fans, cold rollers, etc., can accelerate the crystallization of the immobilization agent. In addition to being miscible with (or solubilized in) the emollient, the immobilizing agent will preferably have a melting profile that will provide a composition that is solid or semi-solid at room temperature. In this regard, the preferred immobilizing agents will have a melting point of at least about 35 ° C. This is such that the immobilization agent itself will not have a tendency to migrate or flow. Preferred immobilizing agents will have melting points of about 40 ° C. Typically, the immobilization agent will have a melting point on the scale from about 50 ° to about 150 ° C. When used, the immobilizing agents useful for the present invention can be selected from any of a group of agents, while the preferred properties of the skin care composition provide the benefits described herein. Preferred immobilizing agents will comprise a member selected from the group consisting of C14-C22 fatty alcohols, C12-C22 fatty acids and C12-C22 fatty alcohol ethoxylates having an average degree of ethoxylation ranging from 2 to about 30. , and mixtures thereof. Preferred immobilizing agents include C16-C18 fatty alcohols, more preferably selected from the group consisting of cetyl alcohol, stearyl alcohol, bene? N alcohol and mixtures thereof. (The linear structure of these materials can accelerate the solidification of the treated folds.) Mixtures of cetyl alcohol and stearyl alcohol are particularly preferred. Other preferred immobilizing agents include C16-C18 fatty acids, more preferably selected from the group consisting of palmitic acid, stearic acid, and mixtures thereof. Mixtures of palmitic acid and stearic acid are particularly preferred. Still other immobilizing agents include C 6 -C 8 fatty alcohol ethoxylates having an average degree of ethoxylation ranging from about 5 to about 20. Preferably, the fatty alcohols, the fatty acids are linear. Importantly, these preferred immobilizing agents such as the C 16 -C 8 fatty alcohols increase the rate of crystallization of the lotion causing the lotion to crystallize rapidly on the surface of the substrate. Other types of immobilizing agents that may be used herein include polyhydroxy fatty acid esters, polyhydroxy fatty acid amides, and mixtures thereof. Preferred amide esters will have 3 or more free hydroxy groups on the polyhydroxy moiety and are typically non-ionic in character. Because of the possible skin sensitivity of those who use folds to which the composition is applied, these esters and amides must also be relatively benign and non-irritating to the skin. The polyhydroxy fatty acid esters suitable for use in the present invention will have the formula: wherein R is a C5-C31 hydrocarbyl group preferably straight-chain C7-C19 alkyl or alkenyl, more preferably straight-chain C9-C7 alkyl or alkenyl, more preferably straight-chain Cn-C17 alkyl or alkenyl or mixtures thereof; and is a polyhydroxyhydrocarbyl moiety having a hydrocarbyl chain with at least two free hydroxyls directly connected to the chain, and n is at least 1. The Y groups can be derived from polyols such as glycerol, pentaerythritol; sugars such as refining, maltodextrose, galactose, sucrose, glucose, gylose, fructose, maltose, lactose, mannose and erythrose; sugar alcohols such as erythritol, gylitol, malitol, mannitol and sorbitol; and anhydrides of sugar alcohols such as sorbitan. A class of polyhydroxy fatty acid esters for use in the present invention comprises certain glyceryl monoesters, preferably the sorbitan esters of saturated C 16 -C 22 fatty acids. Because of the manner in which they are typically manufactured, these sorbitan esters usually comprise mixtures of mono-, di-, tri-, etc., esters. Representative examples of suitable sorbitan esters include sorbitan palmitates (eg, SPAN 40), sorbitan stearates (eg, SPAN 60), and sorbitan benefats, which comprise one or more versions of mono-, di- and triesters of these sorbitan esters, for example, sorbitan mono-, di- and tri-palmitate, sorbitan mono-, di- and tri-stearate, sorbitan mono-, di- and tri-behenate, as well as mono - mixed di- and tri-fatty acid esters of bait. Mixtures of different sorbitan esters, such as sorbitan palmitates with sorbitan stearates, can also be used. Particularly preferred sorbitan esters are sorbitan stearates, typically as a mixture of mono-, di- and tri-esters (plus some tetra-ester) such as SPAN 60, and sorbitan stearates sold under the trade name GLYCOMUL- S by Lonza, Inc. Although these sorbitan esters typically contain mixtures of mono-, di- and tri-esters, plus some tetra-ester, mono-, di- and tri-esters are generally the predominant species in these mixtures. Another class of polyhydroxy fatty acid esters for use in the present invention comprise certain glyceryl monoesters, preferably glyceryl monoesters of saturated C ?6-C22 fatty acids such as glycerol monostearate, glyceryl monopalmitate and glyceryl monobearate. Again, like sorbitan esters, glyceryl monoester mixtures will typically contain some di and tri-ester. However, these mixtures should predominantly contain glyceryl ester mono species to be useful in the present invention. Another class of polyhydroxy fatty acid esters suitable for use in the present invention may comprise certain fatty acid esters of sucrose, preferably the saturated fatty acid esters of C6- C22. The sucrose monster and diester are particularly preferred and include sucrose mono- and di-stearate and sucrose mono- and di-laurate. The polyhydroxy fatty acid amides suitable for use in the present invention will have the formula: O R ', II I R-- C-N-Z wherein R1 is H, hydrocarbyl of 0, -0, 2-hydroxyethyl, 2-hydroxypropyl, methoxyethyl, methoxypropyl or a mixture thereof, preferably C1-4 alkyl, methoxyethyl or methoxypropyl, more preferably C1 or C2 alkyl , or methoxypropyl, more preferably C1-alkyl (ie methyl) or methoxypropyl; and R2 is a C5-C31 hydrocarbyl group, preferably straight chain C7-C19 alkyl or alkenyl, more preferably, straight chain C9-C17 alkyl or alkenyl, most preferably straight chain C11-C17 alkyl or a mixture thereof; and Z is a polyhydroxyhydrocarbyl moiety having a linear hydrocarbyl chain with at least three hydroxyls directly connected to the chain. See U.S. Patent No. 5,174,927 (Honsa), issued December 29, 1992 (incorporated herein by reference), which discloses these polyhydroxy fatty acid amides, as well as their preparation. The Z portion will preferably be derived from a reduced sugar in a reductive amination reaction; more preferably glycityl. Suitable reduced sugars include glucose, fructose, maltose, lactose, galactose, mannose and gylose. High-shelled corn syrups, high fructose corn syrup, and high-maltose corn syrup can be used, as well as the individual sugars listed above. These corn syrups can produce mixtures of the sugar components for the Z portion. The Z portion will preferably be selected from the group consisting of CH2- (CH0H) n-CH20H, -CH (CH2OH) - [(CHOH) n -?] - CH2OH, -CH2OH-CH2- (CHOH) 2 (CHOR3) (CHOH) -CH2OH, wherein n is an integer from 3 to 5, and R3 is H or a cyclic or aliphatic monosaccharide. More preferably are the glycityls where n is 4 particularly -CH 2 - (CHOH) 4 -CH 2 OH. In the above formula R1 can be, for example N-methyl, N-ethyl, N-propyl, N-isopropyl, N-butyl, N-2-hydroxyethyl, N-methoxypropyl or N-2-hydroxypropyl. R2 can be selected to provide, for example, cocamides, stearamides, oleamides, lauramides, myristamides, capricamides, palmitamides, ceboamides, etc. The Z-portion can be 1-deoxyglucityl, 2-deoxifructitityl, 1-deoxylactyl, 1-doygalactityl, 1-deoxyanityl, 1-deoxymalototriotityl, etc. The most preferred polyhydroxy fatty acid amides have the general formula: Or R 1 OH II I R2- c-N- CH 2 - -CH-j-CH 2 -OH wherein R 1 is methyl or methoxypropyl; R2 is a straight chain alkyl or alkenyl group of C? RC? 7. These include N-lauryl-N-methyl glucamide N-lauryl-N-methoxypropyl glucamide, N-cocoyl-N-methyl glucamide, N-cocoyl-N-methoxypropyl glucamide, n-palmityl-N-methoxypropyl glucamide, N-ceboyl- N-methyl glucamide, or N-ceboyl-N-methoxypropyl glucamide. As previously indicated, some of the immobilizing agents require an emulsifier for solubilization in the emollient. This is particularly the case for certain of the glucamides such as N-alkyl-N-methoxypropyl glucamides having HLB values of at least 7. Suitable emulsifiers will typically include those having HLB values below about 7. In this respect , the sorbitan esters described above, such as sorbitan stearates, having HLB values of about 4.9 or less have been found to be useful in solubilizing these glucamide immobilizing agents in the petrolatum. Other suitable emulsifying agents include steareth-2 (polyethylene glycol ethers of stearyl alcohol which conform to the formula CH3 (CH2) 17 (OCH2CH2) nOH, where n has an average value of 2), sorbitan triestarate, isosorbide laurate and monostearate of glyceryl. The emulsifier may be included in an amount sufficient to solubilize the immobilizing agent in the emollient such that a substantially homogeneous mixture is obtained. For example, a mixture of approximately 1: 1 of N-cocoyl-N-methyl glucamide and petrolatum that will not normally melt in a single-phase mixture will melt in a single-phase mixture upon addition of 20% of a mixture of 1: 1 of Steareth-2 and sorbitan triestarate as the emulsifier. Other types of ingredients that can be used as immobilizing agents, either alone or in combination with the aforementioned immobilizing agents, include waxes such as camauva, ozokerite, beeswax, candelilla, paraffin, ceresin, esparto, ouricuri, prayer wax , Soparafina and other mined waxes and known minerals. The high melting point of these materials can help immobilize the composition on the desired surface or location on the fold. Additionally, microcrystalline waxes are effective immobilizing agents. Microcrystalline fences can help bind low molecular weight hydrocarbons within the skin care composition. Preferably the wax is a paraffilic wax. An example of a particularly preferred paraffin wax is S.P. paraffin. 434 by Strahl and Pitsch Inc. P.O. Box 1098 West Babylon, NY 11704. The amount of the immobilizing agent that can be included in the composition will depend on a variety of factors, including the active (eg, emollients) involved, the particular immobilizing agent involved, if any, other components in the composition, if emulsifier is required to solubilize the immobilizing agent in the emollient other components and similar factors. When present, the composition will typically comprise from about 5 to about 90% of the immobilizing agent. Preferably, the composition will comprise from about 5 to about 50%, more preferably from about 10 to about 40% of the immobilizing agent. The compositions may comprise other optional components typically present in emulsions, creams, ointments, lotions, powders, suspensions, etc. of this type. These optional components include water, viscosity modifiers, perfumes, disinfectant antibacterial actives, antiviral agents, vitamins, pharmaceutical actives, film formers, aloe vera, deodorants, opacity modifiers, astringents, solvents, preservatives and the like. In addition, stabilizers may be added to increase the shelf life of the composition such as cellulose derivatives, proteins and lecithin. All of these materials are well known in the art as additives to these formulations and may be employed in appropriate amounts within compositions of the present invention for use herein. If water-based skin care compositions are used, a preservative will be necessary. Suitable preservatives include propyl paraben, methyl paraben, benzyl paraben, benzylkonium alcohol, tribasic calcium phosphate, BHT, or acids such as citric, tartaric, maleic, lactic, malic, benzoic, salicylic, and the like. Suitable viscosity-increasing agents include alkyl galactomannan, silica, talc, magnesium silicate, sorbitol, colloidal silicon dioxide, magnesium aluminum silicate, zinc stearate, wool wax alcohol, sorbitol, sesquioleate, hydroxy cetyl ethyl cellulose , and other modified celluloses. Suitable solvents include propylene glycol, glycerin, cyclomethicone, polyethylene glycols, hexylene glycol, diol, and multi-hydroxy based solvents. Suitable vitamins include A, D-3, E, B-5 and E acetate.

C. Application of the Skin Care Composition to the Folds (user other frames) In preparing the products of the folds treated in accordance with the present invention, the skin care composition is preferably applied to the surface of the skin. body (that is, the surface that is in contact with the user), of a fold. However, since certain skin care compositions disclosed herein may penetrate or migrate through some of the fold materials described herein, the skin care composition may alternatively be applied to the surface of garment of the fold in such a way that an effective amount of the composition for the care of the skin on the body surface is deposited. In fact, in some circumstances, this may be a preferred approach to achieving the benefits of a fully treated bending (ie, treating both sides) even if the application is only on one side.

Any of a variety of application methods that uniformly distribute lubricious materials having a molten or liquid consistency can be used to apply the skin care composition to the folds. Suitable methods include coating (e.g., gravure or slot coating), spraying, printing (eg, flexographic printing), extrusion, or combinations of these application techniques (e.g., spraying the skin care composition over a rotating surface, such as a calender roll, which then transfers the skin care composition to the body surface of the diaper leg folds). If desired, the skin care composition can also be applied on both sides of the folds to improve the hydrophobic capacity of the folds. The manner of applying the composition for skin care to the folds should be such that the folds do not become over-saturated with the skin care composition. If the folds are treated with excessive amounts of the skin care composition, there is a greater potential for the skin care composition to migrate towards unwanted locations of the article, e.g., into the interior of the article where this can have a detrimental effect on the absorbency of the underlying absorbent core. Also, saturation of the folds is not required to obtain the therapeutic and / or protective benefits of the composition for skin care. The minimum level of the skin care composition that is applied to the fold is the less effective amount in reducing erythema, diaper rash, red marking, skin irritation or other adverse skin conditions (the compositions can also be effective in reducing the adherence of stool to the wearer's skin.) Of course, the effective amount of a skin care composition will depend, to a greater extent, on the composition for care of the skin. particular skin used. Because the emollient is substantially immobilized on the body surface of the fold, less skin care composition is needed to impart the desired benefits of skin care. These relatively low skin care composition levels are suitable for imparting the desired therapeutic and / or protective benefits of the skin fold composition. The skin care composition can be applied uniformly and evenly on either or both of the leg fold surfaces or parts thereof. The composition for skin care can also be applied with a pattern (ie, strips, boxes, dots, spirals, etc). Preferably, the composition for skin care is in register with the region of the leg fold that, in use, will be more in touch with the user. More preferably as described in the examples hereinafter, the skin care composition is applied in a strip to a discrete part of the leg barrier fold, eg, a patch 1.4 inches wide (in the lateral direction of the skin). diaper, such that the far edge of the fold is covered), and 11.75 inches in length (longitudinal direction of the diaper) generally disposed in the crotch portion of the inside surface of the fold. The skin care composition may also be applied unevenly to either or both of the fold surfaces. By "non-uniform", it is implied that the pattern, or distribution, etc., of the composition for skin care may vary over the surface of the fold. For example, some of the portions of the treated surface of the fold may have greater or lesser amounts of the skin care composition including the parts of the surface that have nothing of the skin care composition thereon. The composition for skin care can be applied to the fold or to a weft that forms a part of the fold at any point during assembly. For example, the composition for skin care can be applied to the fold of the finished product before it has been packaged. The skin care composition can be applied to the fold or the weft before it is combined with other raw materials to form a finished product, either at the conversion site before the combination with other components of the article or as a pre-treated raw material. The skin care composition is typically applied from a fusion thereof to the fold. Since the skin care composition melts at significantly above ambient temperatures, it is usually applied as a hot fold coating. Typically, the skin care composition is heated to a temperature in the range of about 35 ° to about 100 ° C, preferably from 40 ° C to about 90 ° C before being applied to the bend. Once the cast skin care composition has been applied to the fold, it is allowed to cool and solidify to form a solidified coating or film on the surface of the fold. Preferably, the application process is designed to assist in the cooling / fixing of the composition. When applying skin care compositions of the present invention to the folds, the methods of slot coating, extrusion coating, gravure coating and spraying are preferred. Figure 5 illustrates a preferred method involving continuous or intermittent slit contact coating of the skin care composition on a diaper barrier fold during the transport operation. With reference to Figure 5, the conveyor belt 1 advances in the direction shown by the arrows on the return rollers 3 and 4 and arrive at the return conveyor belt 2. The conveyor belt 1, carries the diaper without lotion 5 towards the contact station for slot covering 6 where the limb 7 of the barrier fold is coated with the hot (eg 65 ° C) skin care composition. After leaving the coating station by groove 6, the diaper 5 becomes the diaper 8 having the treated barrier folds. The amount of the skin care composition transferred to the barrier fold member 7 is controlled by: (1) the rate at which the melted skin care composition is applied from the coating contact station by slot 6 and / or (2) the speed at which the conveyor belt 1 travels under the slot covering station 6; and / or 3) the placement of the contact slot coating station. (If desired, the coating station 6 can be placed to cover the barrier fold member 7, as well as portions of the top sheet 38 such that both of the fold and the top sheet have a deposited skin care composition. on them.) Figure 6 illustrates a preferred alternate method involving the contact groove coating of the skin care composition on the diaper barrier folds before the folds are assembled with other raw materials in a product. finished. Referring to Figure 6, a non-woven web of the leg barrier fold 1 is unwound from a main roll of the leg barrier fold 2 (which rotates in the direction indicated by arrow 2a) and advanced towards the contact slot coating station 6, where one side of the weft is coated with the composition for the care of the melted skin (eg 65 °). C, hot). After leaving the slot covering station 6, the non-woven web of the leg barrier fold 1 becomes a treated barrier fold pattern indicated by 3. The screen of the treated barrier fold 3 is then made to advance around of the return roller 4 and the return roller 8, and then it is wound on the main roller 10 (which rotates in the direction indicated by the arrow 10a). The treated web is then applied to the diaper chassis to form the barrier fold member of the barrier fold during the conversion operation.

D. Composition for Skin Care on the Top Sheet and the Folds As shown in Figure 7, a first skin care composition may be deposited on the top sheet, while a second skin care composition may be deposited in one or more of the folds. It has been found that the addition of the skin care composition to both the top sheet and the folds works more effectively than, either, alone. The combination of a treated upper sheet and the treated folds provides a larger area of skin to which the composition for skin care can be transferred. With a larger area of the skin having the skin care composition transferred thereto, the best chance that all parts of the user's skin will be kept in a healthy state. As discussed above, the first skin care composition and the second skin care composition can be the same formulation. However, it has been found that if the first skin care composition is different from the second skin care composition, then the diaper may be designed to provide the specific benefits of skin care to specific parts of the skin. the skin of the user. For example, since the topsheet is typically in contact with the user's genitals and buttocks during use, a first skin care composition specifically formulated to, for example, provide prevention and / or treatment of the rash by the diaper can be disposed on the upper sheet. Since the folds tend to come into contact with the user's waist and legs, the second skin care composition can be specifically formulated to, for example, provide the reduced red marking / friction benefits. In this way, a specific part of the diaper may have a skin care composition specifically formulated for the purpose of a specific area of the user's skin for a treatment or maintenance of skin care. This allows greater flexibility in the design of the diapers and the ability of the manufacturer to provide products specially designed for a number of different consumer needs. Another variant in the formulations of the skin care composition may result from the function of the elements on which the composition for skin care is disposed. For example, folds are typically designed to contain and restrict urine and watery stool inside the diaper. It may be desired that the folds are hydrophobic, more particularly liquid impervious, to prevent liquids from passing through the material. If the composition for skin care is also hydrophobic, this can help the fold to resist the passage of the liquid through the fold. In contrast, the topsheet needs to be highly permeable to the liquid to allow urine or menstruation to quickly penetrate through the topsheet into the absorbent core. The placement of a hydrophobic skin care composition on the top sheet can degrade the function of the top sheet. This may be more desirable for disposing a hydrophilic skin care composition on the top sheet to maintain the performance of the top sheet. Therefore, in some embodiments, it may be desirable that at least part of the skin care composition disposed on the topsheet be made of a hydrophilic material to promote rapid transfer of the liquid (eg, urine) through of the top sheet. Similarly, it may be desirable that the skin care composition be sufficiently wettable to ensure that liquids will rapidly transfer through the topsheet. Alternatively, a hydrophobic skin care composition may be used as long as it is applied in such a manner that the fluid handling properties of the top sheet are adequately maintained. For example, the non-uniform application of the composition to the top sheet is a means to achieve this goal. An example of the non-uniform application is disclosed in United States Patent Application Serial No. 08 / 908,852 (Case P &; G 5494CR) "Diaper having a top sheet with lotion," Roe et al., Filed August 8, 1997, which is incorporated herein by reference. Where a hydrophilic composition is desired, depending on the particular components used in the composition, a hydrophilic surfactant (or a mixture of hydrophilic surfactants) may or may not be required to improve wettability. For example, some immobilizing agents, such as N-cocoyl-N-methoxypropyl glucamide have HLB values of at least 7 and are sufficiently wettable without the addition of the hydrophilic surfactant. Other immobilizing agents such as C16-C18 fatty alcohols having HLB values below about 7 may require the addition of the hydrophilic surfactant to improve wettability when the composition is applied to the topsheet. Similarly, a hydrophobic emollient such as petrolatum may require the addition of a hydrophilic surfactant if the hydrophilic composition is desired. Of course, the interest around wettability is not a factor when the surface in contact with the user is desired to be hydrophobic or when the fluid handling properties of the material are adequately maintained by other means (e.g. the non-uniform application). Suitable hydrophilic surfactants will preferably be mmiscible with the other components of the skin care composition to form homogeneous blends. Because of the possible skin sensitivity of those who use the disposable absorbent products to which the composition is applied, these surfactants must also be relatively benign and non-irritating to the skin. Typically, these hydrophilic surfactants are nonionic to not only be irritating to the skin but also to avoid other undesirable effects on any of the other structures within the treated diaper. For example, reductions in tensile strength of the tissue laminate, adhesive bonding strengths, and the like. The nonionic surfactants can be substantially non-migrating after the composition is applied to the leg cuffs of the diaper and will typically have HLB values in the range of about 4 to about 20, preferably from about 7 to about 20. non-migratory, these nonionic surfactants will typically have melting temperatures higher than the temperatures commonly encountered during storage, shipping, trade and use of disposable, absorbent products, for example, at least about 30 ° C. in this regard, these nonionic surfactants will preferably have melting points similar to those of the previously described immobilizing agents. Nonionic surfactants for use in compositions that will be applied to the topsheet include alkyl glycosides, alkyl glycoside ethers as described in U.S. Patent No. 4,011,389 (Langdon, et al. March 1977, alkylpolyethoxylated esters such as Pegosperse 1000MS (available from Lonza, Inc., Fair Lawn, New Jersey), mono-di and ethoxylated sorbitan tri-esters of C ?2-C18 fatty acids having a degree of average ethoxylation of from about 2 to about 20, preferably, from about 2 to about 10 such as TWEEN 60 (sorbitan esters of stearic acid having an average degree of ethoxylation of about 20), and TWEEN 61 (sorbitan esters of acid stearic having an average degree of ethoxylation of about 4), and the condensation products of aliphatic alcohols with from about 1 to about 54 moles of ethyl oxide. log. The alkyl chain of the aliphatic alcohol is typically in a straight chain (linear) configuration, and contains from about 8 to about 22 carbon atoms. Particularly preferred are the condensation products of the alcohols having an alkyl group containing from about 11 to about 22 carbon atoms with about 2 to about 30 moles of ethylene oxide per mole of alcohol. Examples of these ethoxylated alcohols include the condensation products of myristyl alcohol with 7 moles of ethylene oxide per mole of alcohol, the condensation products of coconut alcohol (a mixture of fatty alcohols having alkyl chains varying in length of 10). to 14 carbon atoms) with about 6 moles of ethylene oxide. A number of suitable ethoxylated alcohols are commercially available including TERGITO 15-S-9 (the condensation product of linear alcohols with 9 moles of ethylene oxide), marketed by Union Carbide Corporation; KYRO EOB (condensation product of linear alcohols of C13-C15 with 9 moles of ethylene oxide) marketed by The Procter & Gamble Company., The commercially available surfactants NEODOL sold by Shell Chemical, Co., in particular NEODOL 25-12 (condensation product of linear alcohols of C? 2-C? 5 with 12 moles of ethylene oxide) and NEODOL 23-6.5T (condensation product of linear alcohols of C? 2-C? 3 with 6.5 moles of ethylene oxide that has been desitlado (primary distillate) to remove certain impurities, and especially the surfactants of the commercial brand PULRAFAC marketed by BASF Corp, in particular PLURAFAC A-38 (a condensation product of a straight chain alcohol of C18 with 27 moles of ethylene oxide: (Certain of the hydrophilic surfactants, in particular the ethoxylated alcohols such as NEODOL- 25- 12, may also function as alkyl ethoxylate emollients.) Other examples of ethoxylated alcohol surfactants include the class ICI's of the Frij surfactants and mixtures thereof with Brij 72 (i.e. Steareth-2) and Brij 76 (ie, Steareth-10) which is especially preferred. Also, mixtures of ethoxylated cetyl alcohol and stearyl alcohol can be used at an average degree of ethoxylation of about 10 to about 20 as the hydrophilic surfactant. Another type of surfactant suitable for use in the present invention includes the Aerosol OT, or a dioctyl ester of sodium sulfosuccinic acid marketed by the American Cyanamid Company. Yet another type of surfactant suitable for use in the present invention includes silicone copolymers such as General Electric SF 1188 (a copolymer of a polydimethisiloxane and a polyoxyalkylene ether) and General Electric SF 1228 (a silicone polyether copolymer). These silicone surfactants can be used in combination with another type of hydrophilic surfactants discussed above, such as ethoxylated alcohols. These silicone surfactants have been found to be effective at concentrations as low as 0.1%, more preferably from about 0.25 to about 1.0% by weight of the composition. Where a hydrophilic composition is desired, the amount of the hydrophilic surfactant required to increase the wettability of the composition to a desired level will depend in part on the value and level of HLB of the immobilizing agent, if any, used, the HLB value of the surfactant used and similar factors. The composition may comprise from about 0.1 to about 50% of the hydrophilic surfactant, when it is necessary to increase the wettability properties of the composition. Preferably, the composition comprises from about 1 to about 25%, most preferably from about 10 to about 20%, of the hydrophilic surfactant when it is necessary to increase the wettability. Applicants have discovered that maintenance or improvement of healthy skin under absorbent articles can be achieved with repeated use, over a period of time (eg, several days of absorbent articles that are treated with two or more compositions for the skin care that are transferred to the user under normal conditions of use (for example, contact, movement, handling by the person placing the diaper after application of the article, body heat, etc.) such as In this regard, a method for maintaining or improving the health of the skin in the area covered by an absorbent article comprises the steps of: a) applying to the user an absorbent article having a first composition for the care of the skin that provides a therapeutic and / or protective benefit of the skin upon transfer to the skin and a second skin care composition that provides A second benefit to the skin when transferring to the skin; b) transferring to the user at least a part of the first skin care composition and of the second skin care composition during use; and c) repeating steps (a) and (b) with one or more additional articles with sufficient frequency to maintain or improve the health of the skin covered by the absorbent article in relation to the skin covered by an equivalent absorbent article that does not comprise the first skin care composition and the second skin care composition, and without the need for manual application of skin protecting agents (for example, by the diaper or user). A key to this method is the use of an absorbent article having two or more skin care compositions and frequent cycles of cumulative supply of a first skin care composition and a second skin care composition. for the user's skin to maintain or improve the health of the skin. Applicants have further discovered that the provision of relatively low levels of the compositions with use of the article, are sufficient to obtain the skin benefits resulting from this novel cumulative delivery method. The article used in the present methods provides an available source from which the skin care compositions transfer over the skin continuously over time. As the compositions are transferred, they accumulate on the surface of the skin to initiate and maintain the protective activity. As an article is discarded and replaced with a new one, this cycle is repeated for the additional accumulation of the composition above and beyond that a simple or original article would have provided on itself. Certain of the ingredients for use in preferred skin care compositions are known to penetrate the callus layer (e.g., petrolatum, which is preferred for use herein). In this way, even when some at of the compositions are removed by cleaning, bathing, etc., or even if the use of the treated articles as described herein is temporarily discontinued, some of the benefits of the compositions for the skin will remain the user. As the use of the treated articles is summarized before all the benefits of the composition have dissipated, the user will derive the benefits, in terms of erythema and / or reduced rash, faster than a user who has not used the articles treated. As indicated above, it is generally recognized that the skin under absorbent articles is more susceptible to the degradation of skin conditions. Typically, cutaneous manifestations of skin conditions include red marking (also referred to as erythema) and / or rash. As such, the applicants describe here a method for maintaining or improving the health of the skin in the regions covered by an absorbent article, wherein the desired endpoint of the method is the reduction or avoidance of erythema and / or rash when compares skin covered by an equivalent absorbent article that does not comprise skin care compositions.

SPECIFIC ILLUSTRATIONS OF THE PREPARATION OF THE DOUBLES AND OF THE UPPER LEAF OF THE DIA TREATED ACCORDING TO THE PRESENT INVENTION The following are specific illustrations of the treatment of the folds and / or the upper sheets or frames with the skin care compositions according to the present invention.

Example 1 A. Preparation of the skin care composition A skin care composition (Composition A) is made by mixing together the following molten (i.e. liquid) components: Petrolatum (available from Witco Corp., Greenwich, CT as Perfecta®), stearyl alcohol (available from The Procter &Gamble Company, Cincinnati, OH, as CO 1897) and aloe extract (available from Madis Botanicals, Inc., South Hackensack, NJ, as Veragel üpoid in Kaydol).

The percentages by weight of these components are shown in Table I below: Table 1 Component% in Petrolatum Weight 58 Stearylic Alcohol 41 Aloe 1 B. Preparation of the leg fold of the treated diaper by thermal fusion coating The composition A for skin care is placed in a heated tank operating at a temperature of 170 ° F. The composition is subsequently applied with a contact applicator (ie, a Meltex EP45 thermal fusion adhesive applicator head operating at a temperature of 170 ° F) directly on the body surface of the barrier folds of a diaper on a 1.4-inch-wide area (lateral direction of the diaper, such that the far edge of the barrier fold is covered), and 11.75 inches long, (longitudinal direction of the diaper), the patch is centered on the chassis in the longitudinal direction such that either or both ends of each elastic separation member is covered by the skin care composition. Added level = 0.0116 g / inch2 (18.0 g / m2). The elastic separation members are operatively attached to the barrier fold member by an adhesive specially formulated to prevent creping such as the Findley H9254 as discussed previously herein.

Example 2 Composition A for skin care (prepared according to the procedure of Example 1) is subsequently applied on the body surface of the barrier folds of a diaper on a strip of 1.4 inches in width (lateral direction of the diaper, such that the distant edge of the barrier fold is covered) over each barrier fold and that extends the total length of the barrier fold. Added level = 0.116 g / in2 (18 g / m2).

Example 3 Composition A for skin care (prepared according to the procedure of Example 1) is subsequently applied on the body surface of the barrier folds of a diaper in an area of 1.4 inches in width (lateral direction of the diaper, such that the far edge of the barrier fold is covered) over each barrier fold and 8 inches in length (longitudinal direction of the diaper), the diaper is centered in the contracted area of the barrier fold such that each of the ends of the elastic separation members are not covered by the composition for skin care. Added level = 0.0077 g / in2 (12.0 g / m2).

Example 4 A. Preparation of the composition for skin care A water-free skin care composition is made (Composition for skin care A) by mixing together the following molten (i.e. liquid) components: Mineral Oil (Carnation White Mineral Oil, USP, made by Witco Corp); Cetearyl Alcohol (a linear primary alcohol of C16-C18 mixed made by The Procter & Gamble Company, under the name TA-1618). The percentages by weight of these components are shown in Table II below: Table II Component% in Weight Mineral Oil 65 Cetearyl Alcohol 35 B. Preparation of the treated leg fold by thermal fusion coating The composition B is placed in a heated tank operating at a temperature of 170 ° F. The composition is subsequently applied with a contact applicator (ie, a Meltex EP45 thermal fusion adhesive applicator head operating at a temperature of 170 ° F) over the barrier folds of a diaper in an area of 1.4 inches in width (lateral direction of the diaper, such that the far edge of the fold barrier is covered), and 11.75 inches long, (longitudinal direction of the diaper), the patch centered in the contracted area of the barrier fold such that one or both of the elastic separation members are covered by the composition for the care of the skin. Added level = 0.0116 g / inch2 (18.0 g / m2).

Example 5 A. Preparation of the Skin Care Composition A water-free composition (Skin Care Composition C) is made by mixing together the following molten (i.e. liquid) components: Mineral Oil (Carnation White Mineral Oil) , USP, made by Witco Corp.), a Cetearyl Alcohol (a mixed primary C16-C18 linear alcohol made by The Procter &Gamble Company under the name TA-1618); and Cetereath 10 (a linear ethoxylated alcohol of C16-C18, which has an average degree of ethoxylation of 10, made by ICI America). The percentages by weight of these components are shown in Table III below.

CUADARO lll COMPONENT% IN WEIGHT Mineral Oil 50 cetearyl alcohol 35 Ceteareth 10 15 B. Preparation of the treated diaper by thermal fusion coating The composition C for skin care is placed inside a heated tank operating at a temperature of 170 ° F. The composition is subsequently applied with a contact applicator (ie Meltex EP45 thermal fusion adhesive applicator head operating at a temperature of 170 ° F), over the barrier folds of a diaper in an area of 1.4 inches wide (the lateral direction of the diaper, such that the distant edge of the barrier fold is covered) and 11.75 inches long (longitudinal direction of the diaper), the patch centered in the contracted area of the barrier fold in such a way that one or both ends of each elastic separation member is covered by the composition for skin care. Added level = 0.0116 g / inch2 (18.0 g / m2).

Example 6 A. Preparation of the Skin Care Composition A water-free skin care composition (Skin Care Composition D) is made by mixing together the following melted (i.e. liquid) components: Petrolatum (available from Witco Corp. as Perfecta®); Cetearyl Alcohol (a mixed linear C16-C? 8 primary alcohol made by The Procter &Gamble Company under the name TA-1618); Ceteareth 10 a C? 6-C18 linear alcohol ethoxylate having an average degree of ethoxylation of 10 made by ICI America; and Veragel 1: 1 Lipoid with Kaydol (aloe extract in mineral oil made by Dr. Madis Laboratories, Inc.) The percentages by weight of these components are shown in table IV below Quad lV COMPONENT% IN WEIGHT Petrolatum 49 Cetearyl Alcohol 35 Ceteareth 10 15 Aloe 1 B. Preparation of the Treated Diaper by Thermal Fusion Coating The composition D for skin care is placed inside a heated tank operating at a temperature of 170 ° F. The composition is subsequently applied with a contact applicator (ie Meltex EP45 thermal fusion adhesive applicator head operating at a temperature of 170 ° F), over the barrier folds of a diaper in an area of 1.4 inches wide (the lateral direction of the diaper, such that the distant edge of the barrier fold is covered) and 11.75 inches long (longitudinal direction of the diaper), the patch centered in the contracted area of the barrier fold in such a way that one or both ends of each elastic separation member is covered by the composition for skin care. Added level = 0.0116 g / inch2 (18.0 g / m2).

Example 7 Composition A (made according to example 1) is placed in a heated tank operating at a temperature of 170 ° F. The composition is subsequently applied with a contact applicator (i.e. a Meltex EP45 thermal fusion adhesive applicator head having 5 slots and operating at a temperature of 170 ° F), on the top sheet of an article in a pattern in strips where the strips run in the longitudinal direction of the article. Specifically, 5 strips are applied, each strip measuring 0.25 inches wide (ie, in the lateral direction of the article) and 11.75 inches long at an added level = 7.7 mg / in2 (12 g / m2), 1.19 mg / m2). The distance between the strips is 0.31 inches. The composition A for skin care is also subsequently applied on the body surface of the barrier folds of an article on a strip of 1.4 inches in width (lateral direction, such that the distant edge of the barrier fold is covered) over each barrier fold and extending the total length of the barrier fold. Added level = 0.116 g / in2 (18 g / m2). The application is performed in the same way as described in example 1.

Example 8 Composition D (made according to example 1) is placed in a heated tank operating at a temperature of 170 ° F. The composition is subsequently applied with a contact applicator (i.e. a Meltex EP45 thermal fusion adhesive applicator head having a single groove and operating at a temperature of 170 ° F), on the top sheet of an article in a coating generally uniform. Specifically, one strip, which measures 2.5 inches wide (ie, in the lateral direction of the article) and 11.75 inches long, is applied at an added level = 7.7 mg / in2 (12 g / m2, 1.19 mg / m2). ). The strip is applied to be centered on the longitudinal center line of the article. The composition A for skin care is also subsequently applied on the body surface of the barrier folds of an article on a strip of 1.4 inches in width (lateral direction, such that the distant edge of the barrier fold is covered) over each barrier fold and extending the total length of the barrier fold. Added level = 0.116 g / in2 (18 g / m2). The application is performed in the same way as described in example 1.

Claims

1. - An absorbent article that is worn by a user adjacent to the skin, the absorbent article comprising: a chassis comprising: an outer covering layer comprising: a backsheet; and a liquid permeable upper sheet attached to the backsheet; and | an absorbent core positioned between the top sheet and the back sheet; a fold attached to said chassis, each fold having a first surface and a second surface disposed opposite said first surface, characterized in that an effective amount of a composition for skin care is disposed over said fold, said composition for the care of the skin being semi-solid or solid at 20oC and at least capable of partially transferring to the user's skin. The absorbent article according to claim 1, wherein said fold comprises a barrier fold attached to said frame, preferably wherein said barrier fold comprises a member separated from the barrier fold having a proximal edge and a distant edge. in separate relation to said proximal edge, the proximal edge being attached to the outer covering layer, a portion of said distant edge not being secured to the absorbent article, and an elastic separation element operatively associated with the distant edge to allow The barrier fold element lift upward away from the outer covering layer. The absorbent article according to claim 2, wherein each barrier fold has a fin portion and a channel portion, preferably wherein said skin care composition is applied to at least part of the portion of channel, more preferably where the composition for skin care is applied to said channel portion and said fin portion. The absorbent article according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein said bend comprises a gusset fold attached to the chassis, preferably wherein the gusset fold comprises a side flap extending outwardly from and along one of said edges of the absorbent core, more preferably wherein the side flap comprises at least a first separate fold element attached to the frame, and an elastic element operably linked with the side flap. The absorbent article according to claim 4, wherein said first element is attached to the upper sheet to form the body surface of said lateral wing, preferably wherein said skin care composition is disposed on said surface of said skin. body of said first element. The absorbent article according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the skin care composition comprises: (i) from about 10% to about 95% of an emollient having a plastic or fluid consistency at 20 ° C; and (i) from about 5% to about 90% of an agent capable of immobilizing said emollient on said fold. The absorbent article according to claim 6, wherein said emollient comprises a member selected from the group consisting of petroleum-based emollients, fatty acid ester emollients, polysiloxane emollients, sucrose ester fatty acid emollients; emollients of alkyl ethoxylates and mixtures thereof; preferably wherein said immobilizing agent is selected from the group consisting of polyhydroxy fatty acid esters, polyhydroxy fatty acid amides, C 14 -C 22 fatty alcohols; C12-C22 fatty acids; C12-C22 fatty alcohol ethoxylates; and mixtures thereof; more preferably wherein said skin care composition further comprises aloe extract. 8. The absorbent article according to any of the preceding claims, wherein an effective amount of a second skin care composition is deposited on said top sheet, said second skin care composition being semi-solid or solid at 20 ° C and being at least partially transferable to the skin. user's skin The absorbent article according to claim 8, wherein said skin care composition has a different formulation from the second skin care composition, preferably wherein said skin care composition is hydrophobic and said second composition for skin care is hydrophilic; or wherein said skin care composition has the same formulation as said second skin care composition. The absorbent article according to any of the preceding claims, wherein said skin care composition is disposed on said first surface, preferably wherein said first surface of said fold is brought into contact with the wearer's skin during the use to form a body surface; or wherein said first surface comprises the surface that gives away from the user during use to form a garment surface and the composition for skin care is transferred from said first surface towards the second surface.