Are intimate hygiene products really useful?

On the shelves of supermarkets or on the shelves of pharmacies, they are generally featured prominently, alongside periodic protections. Intimate wipes, gels and creams or cleansing care… Grouped under the name “feminine hygiene”, they promise their users to find freshness, cleanliness and comfort.

But are these products, increasingly popular with women, really necessary to be “clean”? And above all, is their use really recommended by health professionals?

A fragile bacterial flora

For the majority of them, these intimate hygiene products are above all a marketing parade, the manufacturers playing on women’s fear of “smelling bad” and therefore of being perceived as “dirty” by their partner. Thus, explains to the site RTBF Professor Philippe Simon, gynecologist and head of the Gynecology Clinic at the Érasme Hospital in Brussels, “the use of these products on a daily basis over a long period is clearly not justified”.

And for good reason: the vaginal mucous membranes are covered with a liquid composed of lactobacilli which play a protective and self-cleaning role. The millions of bacteria that make up the vaginal flora make it possible to maintain a stable acidic environment inside the vagina and thus prevent the development of pathogenic germs causing mycosis, vaginosis or cystitis.

However, these intimate hygiene products risk altering this fragile bacterial flora, especially if they are used regularly. “These products often contain acidifying agents, perfumes and allergens. They will kill good bacteria, cause tickling, and modify the pH”, continues Professor Simon.

Same observation for Jean-Marc Bohbot, infectious disease doctor. Interviewed by Marie Clairehe explains: “All these gestures and chemical products risk weakening the mucous membranes and blocking natural secretions. The vulva, insofar as it is a fold, must necessarily remain moist. There is natural lubrication and hydration which avoids many inconveniences. Perfumes are allergenic and on fragile skin such as that of the vulva, they can cause serious irritation.”

Douching, useless and dangerous

One practice is particularly dangerous for intimate health: douching. This involves “washing” the vagina with water or various cleansers, including water and vinegar, sometimes using specially designed bulbs.

Gold, several studies showed that douching can upset the natural bacterial balance in the vagina, making it more susceptible to infections – including sexually transmitted infections – and increasing the risk of cervical cancer and pelvic inflammatory disease.

In 2018, researchers from the University of Guelph, Ontario, Canada, showed that the use of sanitizing gels was linked to an eight-fold increased risk of getting a yeast infection and at an almost 20 times greater risk of contracting a bacterial infection.

The same study also found a link between the use of intimate washes and a 3.5 times higher risk of bacterial infections as well as a more than two times higher risk of getting a urinary tract infection (UTI ).

What are the best practices ?

First of all, it is recommended to let your vagina “clean itself” thanks to the secretions it produces, which are natural and not dirty.

To respect its flora and avoid infections, it is also advisable to practice an external toilet, twice a day maximum, with a gentle cleansing product, if possible dedicated to intimate hygiene.

Intimate odors are also natural. As summarized in The Guardian Ronnie Lamont, spokesperson for the Royal College of Gynecologists and Obstetricians “If nature had intended the vagina to smell like rose and lavender, she would have made vaginas smell like rose or lavender.”

However, if you notice that these strong odors are accompanied by itching, irritation and unusual discharge of secretions, this is surely a sign of an imbalance in the vaginal flora, due to the proliferation of certain bacteria. Do not hesitate to consult your doctor or gynecologist.