4 wrong ways and 4 right ways to clean the vagina

How do you clean your vagina? When do you want to start showering or just after you finish showering? Do you use your hands or with a body scrub? Or maybe you are still using the wrong way to clean your vagina? You can check in this article.

Mistakes that you may often make while cleaning the vagina

1. Rub too hard

If you think vaginal scrubbing is a must to keep your vagina clean from germs and bacteria, you are wrong. According to Pari Ghodsi, an obstetrician and gynecologist in the San Fernando Valley at Northridge Hospital in Los Angeles, said that vaginal rubbing is not necessary.

You have to remember that what you are cleaning is a fairly sensitive part of the skin, so just wash it gently so as not to cause pain, irritation, and make your skin red and itchy.

2. Doing vaginal douching

If you haven't heard this term, it means you haven't and this is a good thing for you. If one day you know this method to clean the vagina, you may consider whether to do it or not.

Douching is cleaning the vagina with a liquid consisting of a mixture of various chemicals. Usually the douching liquid contains water, baking soda, vinegar, fragrance, and antiseptic. The liquid is packaged in a douche, namely a bag with a hose or spray that functions to spray fluids on the female area.

Actually, you don't need to bother doing vaginal douching. Your vagina has its own way of cleaning itself and warding off bacteria. According to Mary Jane Minkin, M.D, a professor in the Department of Obstetrics Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences at Yale University School of Medicine says that vaginal douching can actually damage the acid-base or vaginal pH and this increases the risk of the vagina for infection.

3. Clean the area in the vagina

Many women try to clean the outer area as well as the inner area of ​​the vagina. Even though the inner area of ​​the vagina doesn't need to be cleaned. In the vital organs of women, there is actually a natural mechanism in the form of good bacteria called lactobacilli which breed in the female sex organs and help maintain the cleanliness of the inside of women.

Because of this good bacteria, you don't need to clean the inside of the vagina and just wash the outside of the vagina. For the inside of the vagina, you only need to wash it occasionally with clean water.

4. Cleaning too long and too often

Another mistake that is often made by women when cleaning the vagina is to clean it for a long time and too often, the goal is to make the vagina cleaner. In fact, you should not clean your vagina for longer than a minute because if you scrub it for longer than the recommended time, your vagina can actually become irritated and lose its natural moisture.

Then, how to clean the correct vagina?

1. Clean only the vulva

The part of the vagina that needs to be cleaned is only the vulva, including the labira majora and minora (the outer and inner lips of the vagina, both large and small). The inside of the vagina (starting from the hole to enter the body) is able to clean itself. According to Jessica Shepherd, MD, an obstetrician and gynecologist at the University of Illinois at Chicago, you don't need to tamper with the inside so as not to damage the vaginal flora.

2. Choose a female cleanser that contains povidine iodine

Your vagina should have a pH between 3.5-4.5. According to Shepherd, the pH of the vagina must be maintained to keep good flora alive and fungi and bacteria "reluctant to drop in". When you clean the vagina with a body cleanser that contains perfume (pH between 7-8), it means you have damaged the normal pH of the vagina.

This can cause itching, irritation, and bad odors. Unscented cleaners are the best choice because they don't contain any potentially irritating substances. You can also choose a vaginal cleanser that contains povidine iodine because according to a study the povidone iodine content can restore normal flora levels in your vagina so that it can help keep your vaginal pH levels normal.

3. Pay attention to the frequency

If you don't clean your vagina less, there may be some sweat and secretions left over. If the vagina is cleaned excessively, you can upset the acid-base balance of the vagina.

Cleaning the vagina by hand is also better than using a loofah (body scrub). The texture of the loofah can make sores and if your partner is at risk of sexually transmitted diseases, the disease is easily transmitted through the wound. Cleaning the vagina once or twice a day is sufficient.

4. Dry with a soft towel

Pat dry using a clean, soft towel. Don't rub, just stick the towel on until your intimate area is completely dry. Keep intimate area dry by changing panty liner or underwear two to three times a day under normal conditions.

After urinating, wash the vagina with clean water, then immediately dry it. Pay attention to the direction of anal washing after defecating, not back to front. It's the same as you spreading germs from the rectum to the vagina.

In essence, physiologically, the vagina was created to be able to take care of itself by pushing out waste through the typical fluids you see everyday. Your job is only to clean the secretion of fluid in the vulva, keep it from excess moisture, and maintain a balanced pH.

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