An absorbent article for personal hygiene having a front edge and a back edge and comprising a liquid impermeable backsheet, a liquid permeable topsheet, an absorbent core and a pair of barrier leg cuffs disposed symmetrically relative to the longitudinal axis. Each barrier leg cuff is defined by a proximal edge attached to the rest of the article and an elasticized terminal edge that can protrude upwards. The topsheet comprises a raisable region that is attached to the barrier leg cuffs so that when the barrier leg cuffs are raised, the raisable region is lifted up by the barrier leg cuffs and an empty volume is formed between the raisable region and the chassis of the article underneath.