Intimate hygiene: 3 actions to absolutely ban: Current Woman The MAG


Is your intimate area uncomfortable? Is it tight, does it feel inflamed or too dry? Many minor sores in the vulva or vagina come from an obsession with local cleanliness or the use of unsuitable products. Advice from Dr Jean-Marc Bohbot, infectious disease specialist at the Fournier Institute, in Paris, co-author with Rica Etienne de Vaginal microbiota: the pink revolution, ed. Marabout ..

Haro on the “vaginal detox”

Some women feel the need to perform a thorough vaginal cleansing, by inserting an enema bulb to inject water or water mixed with an antiseptic product. This ancestral practice is now decried, as are the two recent fads that are the “vaginal detox” and the sauna for the vagina! Detox involves the introduction into the vagina of small sachets of plants, which would, according to its followers, eliminate infections and toxins. The sauna is a specific treatment that consists of sitting on “toilets” releasing plant vapor, for a thorough “cleaning” …

Why is this a bad idea?

The vagina is a self-cleaning cavity. It is not sterile, of course, but the germs it contains are beneficial. Composed essentially of lactobacilli, this vaginal microbiota forms a barrier to the development of “bad” germs. It protects us from sexually transmitted infections (including HIV) and yeast or vaginosis. An internal toilet or any other practice of “detox” attacks it and destabilizes it in its role of barrier.

What do I do ?

No tools or any internal product, I let my vagina clean itself!

No continuous panty liner

Some women adopt the habit of wearing pantyliners even outside of their period. They thus want to avoid a feeling of “wet” which they consider unpleasant, even unclean.

Why is this a bad idea?

Vaginal discharge, also called leucorrhoea, is perfectly normal. When they are scarce, homogeneous, white and odorless, they even testify to the good health of the vagina. It is self-cleaning and constantly renews itself, and these losses are a reflection of this. Wearing pantyliners continuously dries out the intimate area, with the risk of discomfort, itching and local burns.

What do I do ?

A simple external vulvar toilet, once or twice a day. And we prefer cotton panties.

Be careful with wipes, not with intimate deodorants

The wipes can be used from time to time, when traveling or before a gynecological appointment for example. Intimate deodorants, on the other hand, are to be prohibited.

Why is this a bad idea?

The wipes are not harmful as such for our intimate area but they are not ecological, and their use must remain very punctual. As for deodorants, they attack our intimate area through the presence of endocrine disruptors, irritants and allergenic perfumes. Often antiseptic, they destabilize our vaginal flora.

What do I do ?

If the vagina is self-cleaning, the vulva is not. It is necessary to carry out an external toilet, once or twice a day, with an adapted hygiene product, superfatting and with a soft pH (type Saugella, Saforelle, Hydralin…; in the event of intimate dryness, opt instead for the washing oil Xéracalm Avène or Lipikar shower gel from La Roche Posay). Warning: the usual soap or shower gel is too drying. Apply the product by hand because the washcloth is not recommended (it may contain germs), always from front to back. Rinse thoroughly and dry gently but thoroughly with a clean towel.

What about male hygiene?

The man must wash at least once a day the penis, while remembering to properly retract his penis, to avoid any maceration at this level. If the descaling is not necessary in the event of circumcision, the daily toilet remains nonetheless essential. And, unlike a woman, he can use a classic shower gel, because his intimate area is not at risk of drying out.

Read also :

⋙ How to take care of your vaginal flora?

⋙ Personal hygiene: 7 mistakes we all make

⋙ Practical advice for personal hygiene