While more and more Internet users are recommending “vaginal steam” for intimate hygiene, a scientist reports the case of a woman who suffered second-degree burns after trying this controversial technique.
After the garlic clove in vagina to eliminate fungal infections and yogurt to protect the flora, here comes the fashion for vaginal steam to cleanse your private parts. In order to warn against the dangers of this practice whose “medical effectiveness has not been proven”, a paper published in the Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology Canada reports the case of a 62-year-old woman who suffered severe burns after sitting over a pot of boiling water filled with herbs.
This technique, sometimes described as Yoni steaming, is becoming increasingly popular. Many spas and salons are beginning to offer it, claiming that it “detoxifies” the vagina. Its merits are also praised by celebrities like Gwyneth Paltrow, who had already made gynecologists roar recommending women to introduce jade eggs into their vaginas to boost their sexual energy, or supermodel Chrissy Teigen if we are to believe her Instagram photos.
But if you hear that vaginal steaming can ease period pain or promote fertility, don’t believe everything you’re told, experts warn. Not only is there no medical proof of the health benefits of this technique, but it can also be very dangerous. “The vagina contains good bacteria that protect it,” says Dr Vanessa Mackay, spokesperson for the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.
Second degree injuries
Also, “exposing it to steam could affect its natural balance of bacteria and pH levels and cause irritation, infection (such as yeast infection) and inflammation. It can also burn the delicate skin around the vagina (the vulva),” she explains.
In her article, Dr. Magali Robert, who works in pelvic medicine and reconstructive surgery in Calgary (Canada), says that the 62-year-old woman tried to vaporize her vagina on the advice of a traditional Chinese medicine doctor. She suffered from genital prolapse (descended organs) and thought this treatment might help her avoid surgery. When presenting to the emergency room for second-degree burns, she explained that she had sat on a saucepan with boiling water for twenty minutes for two consecutive days. Her injuries were such that the operation had to wait until she healed.
“Health care providers must be aware of alternative therapies in order to help women make informed choices and avoid potential harm”, therefore alerts Magali Robert, warning against word of mouth and the advice promulgated on the Internet.
Baking soda just as dangerous for the vagina
At the moment, another equally dangerous intimate hygiene practice is regularly mentioned on social networks. Dozens of publications thus suggest diluting baking soda in water and then take a bath in which the product has been dissolved in order to reduce bad odors and relieve infections. For Bernard Hédon, gynecologist at the Montpellier University Hospital, interviewed by theAFP Factualit’s a very bad idea: “the risk of baking soda is to overdose and burn, like quicklime,” he explains.
And while many Internet users assure that baking soda has interesting properties to rebalance the pH of the vagina in the event of mycosis, for example, the chemical product risks aggravating the situation rather than relieving it. “The basic pH (that which is greater than 7) is not a good pH for the vagina. This will kill certain bacteria to allow others, sometimes more formidable, to proliferate”, insists Bernard Hédon.
As you will have understood, for your personal hygiene, nothing beats basic, fragrance-free soaps, to be applied to the outer part of the vulva only.
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