6 things you should never do to your vagina.

Image: iStock.

When it comes to health and beauty fads, vaginas seem to be all the rage at the moment. Thanks to the growing popularity (and celebrity endorsement) of everything from vagina facials (vajacials to the uninitiated) to vagina contouring, no longer is the focus on downstairs just about, you know, function.

While it can be easy to get swept up in the trendiness of vaginal treatments, there are some things you should steer well clear of.

1. Steaming.

Gwyneth Paltrow may endorse steaming your vagina to “balance female hormones”, but gynaecologist and certified reproductive endocrinologist Dr Natasha Andreadis certainly doesn’t.

“Whenever I think of steaming I think of the potential for burning. The skin in our vagina is the same as the skin on our face. Squamous epithelium. Sensitive. The last thing you want to do is burn it. It would seriously be awkward and hard to treat this area if was to become burnt,” she says.

“I have no idea how this would balance your hormones.” 

2. Dyeing your pubes

Remember that iconic Sex and the City episode involving Samantha and an unfortunate red dye job downstairs? While it’s fun to experiment with hair on your head, extra caution is required if it’s anywhere near your lady parts.

In fact, Dr Andreadis advises not using conventional hair dyes full stop.

“They contain harmful chemicals which can be absorbed and lead to toxin build-up and hormonal disruption. If one must dye pubic hair choose less harmful dyes like henna,” she says. (Post continues after video.)

3. Rough play

Sex toys are a fun, but not if they’re used in a rough way. We know it might seem like it goes without saying, but take care.

“I have seen so many women come into emergency with vaginal tears and bleeding. Be gentle,” says Dr Andreadis.

4. ‘Douching’

You’ll often hear about how the vagina needs to be “cleaned”, but even if you’re self-conscious about the smell, relax – your vagina is more often that not perfectly capable of looking after itself.

“Douching is meant to cleanse the vagina but issues are that it can disturb the natural pH and balance of good over troublesome bacteria,” explains Dr Andreadis.

“Douching may also introduce the risk of vaginal infections and those higher up in the genital tract such as Pelvic Inflammatory Disease (P.I.D).” (Post continues after gallery.)

5. Using certain foods for fun

Introducing foods like whipped cream and chocolate into the bedroom are magazine sex tip favourites, but certain foods are best left to the exterior of your body.

“What would happen if you left a bit of food accidentally in there and it decomposed and acted like compost? Perhaps using things externally to spice things up is okay, but I would avoid insertion,” advises Dr Andreadis.

Noted.

6. Piercings

Unsurprisingly, this is not something experts condone.

“Infection, bleeding and trauma during intercourse are just some of the dangers of vaginal piercings,” says Dr Andreadis.

Got any of your own vagina-related disasters to share?