The invention relates to a single use hygiene article, comprising an absorbing body layer (24, 60, 70), which serves to store body fluids and which can also contain superabsorbent materials, and comprising standing cuff elements (26, 28), which extend in an essentially longitudinal direction, form a lateral leakage barrier and which are attached to the body-facing side of the article at least along a cuff base line (34, 36; 62, 64; 76, 78). The cuff elements (26, 28) are guided with variable distances between the cuff base lines (34, 36; 62, 64; 76, 78). The aim of the invention is to improve the absorption characteristics of the hygiene article. Towards this end, the article is designed in such a manner that the absorbing body layer (24, 60, 70) comprises, in a transversal direction (44) of the hygiene article up to the lateral edges (16) and/or in a longitudinal direction (38) up to at least one longitudinal end (40), an increasing mass per unit area of an absorbent material of this layer. In addition, the area (46, 56, 74) of the greater mass per unit area has at least one partial area (48, 66) in which the distance (42) of the cuff base lines (34, 36; 62, 64; 76, 78) from one another is greater that outside this partial area (48, 50, 66, 68).