Proctor and Gamble (P&G) faces growing backlash over updated Pampers

(Reuters) - Procter & Gamble's (PG.N) biggest bet on a new diaper in 25 years has run afoul of some parents who say their babies suffered rashes and burns after using them.

And while the company insists its new product launch is off to a blockbuster start, it is also the target of hundreds of public complaints that pose a threat to an $8 billion brand built on trust.

Cathy Valentine, for one, says she may never buy a P&G product ever again.

Her four-month old daughter had been in Pampers Swaddlers diapers since the day she was born. Earlier this month the Michigan mom started to use a box of the newest P&G diapers with "Dry Max" technology that is touted as thinner and more absorbent. Soon, her daughter's skin in the diaper area turned pink. By the next day, blisters had formed.

Nothing in baby Alexis's routine had changed except that the family started using the new Pampers Swaddlers, Valentine said. A pediatrician diagnosed it as a chemical burn and one week later the area was still bleeding when touched, she said.

Valentine's story of rashes and burns after using the new Pampers is one of several quickly making the rounds on social networking sites such as Facebook, where a group calling on the company to reinstate the old diapers had grown to 1,053 members as of Monday.

The world's largest marketer has tried to tap into positive viral buzz online, including rave reviews from bloggers provided with free samples of the new diapers. Nearly 225,469 people are part of a Pampers' Facebook "fan" group, but even there, some parents voice opposition to the new products.

"P&G's really got their hands full on this one," said Tim Calkins, clinical professor of marketing at Northwestern University's Kellogg School of Management in Evanston, Ill. "If a product like this develops a negative reputation it can really become a big issue."

PAMPERS SAYS TESTS PROVED SAFETY

P&G began introducing the new diapers with "Dry Max" during the first half of 2009, gradually replacing older versions of Pampers Swaddlers and Cruisers. As of last month, only the new version is available to shoppers.

The diapers have been heavily promoted by P&G, including giveaways tied to the Winter Olympics. Chairman and Chief Executive Bob McDonald has called the new diapers Pampers "biggest breakthrough" in at least 25 years.

Pampers tested the products on more than 20,000 babies before they were launched, with "more than 300,000 diaper changes as part of these studies that really confirmed that it's safe," said Bryan McCleary, a spokesman for P&G's baby care division.

"There's absolutely nothing in our testing that would say that there should be any difference between previous Pampers products and this Pampers product," he said in response to questions posed by Reuters. He added that if a complaint was serious, it would be reviewed by the company's health and safety group.

P&G has seen "great" consumer demand for the new diapers and feels they are "off to a blockbuster start," he added. Parenting magazine, among others, gave the new diapers a ringing endorsement.

But dozens of parents on Pampers websites, forums such as Facebook and online retailers including Amazon.com Inc (AMZN.O) and Diapers.com, say that even though the diapers are supposed to be more absorbent, they leak more and feel stiff.

And while P&G says it is not receiving an unusual amount of complaints given the introduction of a new product, the negative discussion can take on a life of its own.

"Reality and perception are two different things and if people think the new diaper has a problem, well, then, that becomes a big issue," said Calkins. "The world of social media gives consumers the ability to find each other and to really champion these causes."

PERCEPTION PROBLEM

Some of the consumer anger stems from surprise over P&G's formulaic response to complaints. Many parents learn to trust the brand just after their babies are born, as more than 95 percent of U.S. hospitals swaddle newborns in Pampers.

The company also reaches out to expectant mothers and new parents via websites, advertising and coupons. But when the latest complaints arose, some say Pampers replied with form-letter types of responses.

After Louisiana resident Rosana Shah unknowingly put new Pampers Cruisers on her daughter, she started the Facebook group "Pampers bring back the OLD CRUISERS/SWADDLERS" in late 2009.

Shah bought Cruisers in November, as she had for some time, only to find the new version tucked inside with no wording on the box or even an insert to say the product was different.

"The moment I started to use these diapers I noticed her skin get really, really hot and red and she would actually pull away from me when it was time for a diaper change," Shah said.

P&G confirmed that some new diapers were shipped in the old boxes months before updated packaging hit stores in March. McCleary said it was a fairly standard practice when there is a big product change and production lines need to be switched.

Valentine was surprised that Pampers responded to her story of severe rash by giving her coupons for more diapers with Dry Max. Pampers' reputation is "damaged so much I will never trust them again," she said. "If I could realistically boycott every Procter & Gamble product, I would."

She has sworn off using any other P&G baby products, such as lower-priced Luvs diapers. Her daughter now wears Huggies Pure & Natural diapers, made by Kimberly-Clark Corp (KMB.N).

For now, Shah's daughter wears Target Corp's (TGT.N) up & up diapers during the day and Fisher-Price diapers at night.

Shah would use the old Pampers if they came back, but that is not in P&G's plans. The company did not say whether Dry Max would be added to Pampers Baby Dry or Luvs, but it does want more consumers to be able to experience what it calls "game changer" technology, McCleary said.

Finding a box of the old version of Cruisers "is like finding treasure, honestly it is," Shah said.

(Reporting by Jessica Wohl; Editing by Michele Gershberg, Bernard Orr)

Don't Get Ticked Off By Lyme Disease

Summer is upon us and for many folks (and their pets) that means spending time outdoors, 

hiking, camping, walking and exploring forests and wooded areas. It also means working and playing in your own backyard.

No matter where you live in the continental United States, you are at risk for the tick-borne illness known as Lyme disease. Lyme disease is caused by the bacterium Borrelia burgdorferi. Deer ticks harbor these bacteria and spread it when feeding on animals and humans. People in the Northeast, Midwest and Northwest are at highest risk, but these ticks can be found in any grassy or heavily wooded area — even your own backyard!

Signs and Symptoms

Most cases of Lyme disease start with a rash that looks like a bump, and then grows into something like a bull's eye, as illustrated below. 

© DermAtlas.

This rash is called erythema migrans, and can start where the tick bite occurred. It happens in 70-80% of Lyme disease cases. Flu-like symptoms can also occur, such as fever, chills, fatigue, body aches and headache. The symptoms and pattern of Lyme disease can vary from person to person because the illness can affect many different body systems.

If you develop a rash and flu-like symptoms and feel that you may have contracted Lyme disease, you should seek medical attention. At this point in time, treatment is easy and can prevent the serious and sometimes severe complications of Lyme disease. Your doctor can fully evaluate and examine you for the illness. There is a blood test that can check to see if you have Lyme disease, but this test does take a few weeks after exposure to show a positive result.

If your doctor feels you have the early stages of Lyme disease, he or she will probably offer you a 10-14 day course of oral antibiotics to kill the bacteria and prevent complications. As the blood test can take some time before it becomes positive, oral antibiotics are recommended as a preventative.

If Not Treated…

What are the complications? It is amazing that a tick-borne illness can produce such serious issues. If not treated, severe joint pain can develop associated with swelling and redness. The knees are the most common joints affected, but the pain and swelling can move from joint to joint, a condition known as migratory arthritis.

People with untreated Lyme disease also can develop neurological problems. These include meningitis, Bell's palsy (facial nerve paralysis), and numbness and weakness in the arms and legs. These problems can persist for months, even years, in an untreated infection, and can be very debilitating. Some people also develop an irregular heartbeat, eye problems, hepatitis and very severe chronic fatigue.

Take Precautions

You may be bitten by a deer tick and not even know it because it doesn't hurt or sting. The tick attaches to your skin and eventually the Lyme disease bacteria will get into your bloodstream. This usually takes 48 hours. Common sense precautions include wearing protective clothing when in wooded/grassy areas and using a tick repellant containing a strong concentration of DEET —10 to 30%. Oil of lemon eucalyptus can also be used as a preventive. Do not use these products on children under the age of 3.

Checking yourself for ticks after possible exposure and removing the tick greatly lessens your chance of getting Lyme disease. Just grasp the tick with tweezers and remove as much of it as possible. Lastly, maintaining your yard by keeping the grass mowed and brush trimmed will keep the tick population down.

Your pets are also at risk for deer tick bites, and they should be checked carefully for ticks and/or a rash after being outdoors. Also, there have been cases of Lyme disease where people weren't in the woods or grassy areas, so be aware of your risk just spending time outdoors.

Using these precautions and preventive strategies, you greatly reduce your chance of getting a deer tick bite and developing Lyme disease. If you are bitten by a tick, you now know what the signs and symptoms of Lyme disease are and can seek early medical attention to prevent the serious complications of the disease.

So, enjoy this summer and the great outdoors to the fullest…and protect yourself against Lyme disease!

By Lisa Forgione, MD

[Ed. Note: Lisa Forgione, MD, is an Emergency Medicine Physician, a Diplomate of ABFM and a Member of AAFP and NCAFP.  She has received several Physicians Recognition Awards for teaching from the AMA and AAFP.  Dr. Forgione was recently selected as one of the Top Family Doctors of 2009 by the Consumers' Research Council of America.]

Posted:  True Health Is True Wealth