Top myths and facts about intimate hygiene

2024 Author: James Gerald | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 14:00

Intimate hygiene is a very … intimate thing, and not everyone is ready to delve into its jungle or discuss it with someone else, even with their own gynecologist. In theory, in adolescence, every girl should learn various subtleties in this area from her mother or the same doctor. But it may happen that the mother herself is not sufficiently enlightened in this matter, does not have a trusting relationship with her daughter, or the daughter herself is terribly embarrassed to discuss such issues with anyone. Therefore, women often have to look for information on their own and sometimes discover this issue for themselves from new sides, or even completely anew. In the field of intimate hygiene, there are several important things that every woman should definitely know.

Myth number 1. Regular shower gel will work

Many of us are accustomed to taking care of intimate parts of the body with a simple shower gel. However, doctors say that this approach only harms the body.

The fact is that the acid-base balance of the skin is 5, 5 pH units, and the vagina is slightly lower - 3, 8 - 4, 5 units. The structure of the body provides for this in order to kill all microbes harmful to this environment.

The use of a regular shower gel or, even worse, soap in the care of intimate parts of the body contributes to an even greater alkalization of the genital mucosa, which means that the number of harmful bacteria increases significantly.

Regular use of soap or shower gel in intimate care is fraught with thrush and vaginitis. To cope with this problem is simple - just add special care for intimate parts of the body to the arsenal of shower products, since such products can be found in any supermarket. They are presented in the form of a special soap, gel or foam. These products are specially formulated to maintain the natural acid-base balance of the vagina and prevent infections. To know for sure that the product you have chosen is suitable for intimate care, see its composition. There must necessarily be lactic acid, which normalizes the acid-base balance of the vagina, and there must also be all kinds of antiseptic components. They, by the way, should be as natural as possible. Usually these are extracts of chamomile (promotes healing of the skin and mucous membranes, eliminates itching and burning), calendula (has an anti-inflammatory effect and eliminates redness), sage (has an antiseptic effect), aloe vera (soothes and moisturizes the skin, relieves irritation). Such natural ingredients affect the genital mucosa much softer than synthetic ones. But products with dyes and aromatic fragrances, on the contrary, change the acid-base balance of the vagina not for the better, so the products in which they are present should be avoided.

Myth number 2. You need to take a shower all the time

Ideally, you need to take a shower after each visit to the toilet.

This is partly true. Ideally, you need to take a shower after each visit to the toilet, however, it is clear that this is absolutely impossible in the realities of ordinary life, because most of the day is usually spent outside the home. Yes, and being at home, wasting your time on this is unattractive. How to be? Here special antibacterial wipes will come to the rescue. They do not contain alcohol, therefore they do not cause irritation of the mucous membrane, but they are impregnated with special antiseptic agents, including the already familiar lactic acid, which restores the proper balance of the mucous membrane. Good intimate care wipes contain various ingredients that soothe and moisturize the skin. And, of course, buy intimate wipes only at the pharmacy. Also pay attention to the shelf life of napkins - if they can be stored for more than a year, this most likely means that they contain preservatives, the content of which in intimate hygiene products is highly undesirable.

By the way, any means for intimate hygiene can be used only in the late period of puberty - before that, the antibacterial components contained in their composition can cause an allergic reaction and destroy the immune layer of the delicate zone.

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Myth number 3. The main thing is to wash often, but it doesn't matter how

Do not be surprised, but there are some subtleties in how to wash yourself. When washing, do it with your hands, not with a washcloth, and direct the water from front to back - this way bacteria from the rectum will not enter the vagina and will not cause an inflammatory process. Thoroughly dry the genitals with a special towel after washing, because in a humid environment "bad" bacteria multiply most actively.

Myth number 4. The pool can't hurt in any way

Safety precautions should also be taken before swimming in the pool or open water. Use a special cream for intimate care - apply it immediately before or immediately after bathing. The necessary components that should be present in such a cream are the same as in other intimate hygiene products - lactic acid and natural soothing substances.

Myth number 5. The ideal remedy is tar soap

Many have heard that tar soap can solve a number of problems in the field of intimate care. For example, relieve inflammation or irritation. It really has anti-inflammatory properties, but at the same time it sometimes dries out the mucous membrane. Everything is very individual - some people use it regularly without experiencing any unpleasant sensations. Buy tar soap and test it on yourself, the only way you can understand whether it is right for you.

When deciding which pads or tampons to choose, go with your own preference and experience.

What else do you need to know:

Care during menstruation

Menstruation is the time when you need to be especially careful in matters of intimate hygiene, since menstrual blood is a fertile breeding ground for bacteria.

When deciding which pads or tampons to choose, rely on your own preference and experience, however gynecologists insist on pads. There are several reasons for this. First, a pad, unlike a tampon, allows menstrual blood to flow freely around the vagina and out. Second, the pad will absorb much more liquid than a tampon. And thirdly, with the correct use of gaskets, namely their timely change, the risk of leakage is much lower. To find out how often the gaskets should be changed, look at the number of droplets indicated on the package. They mean, firstly, the amount of moisture that the gasket is capable of absorbing, and secondly, the amount of time calculated for their use. Two drops - change the pad within two hours of using it, three drops - after three to four hours, 4 drops - wear the pad for no more than six hours.

When it comes to using tampons, they are indispensable helpers when swimming, playing sports or walking on a hot summer day, when the use of pads can only do harm, creating a greenhouse effect that can lead to an increase in the number of harmful bacteria.

Sex during menstruation

Some do not consider it necessary to give up sex during menstruation, arguing that it does not harm the body. However, this is not at all the case. During menstruation, the uterus is ajar, and any infection can enter it, which can lead to its disease or disease of the appendages. Also during orgasm, menstrual blood can enter the abdominal cavity, which can lead to endometriosis.

What underwear to choose

No wonder they tried to ban synthetic lace panties recently, because they really do harm. Synthetics do not absorb natural moisture, which contributes to the growth of bacteria. Sometimes irreplaceable thongs should also say a hard no - they rub the skin, which causes irritation and inflammation and can lead to thrush, dysbiosis and other unpleasant things. Go for comfortable cotton panties.

Personal hygiene rules are pretty simple. Carefully monitor the changes in your body, provide him with proper care, and also regularly undergo examination by a gynecologist and do not hesitate to ask him all your questions. Despite the delicacy of the topic, in this case, shame should definitely be thrown aside, because your own health is more important. Careful adherence to all these rules will not give you the slightest chance of having intimate problems.