How to Take Good Care of Your Intimate Parts?

Staying healthy and maintaining hygiene goes hand in hand. Personal hygiene is a crucial factor for maintaining a healthy life.

Hygiene implies staying clean, infection free away from dirt, toxins, chemicals and unwanted harmful compounds which help us to stay fit disease free. We, all care about hygiene so much that, the moment we feel our hands are exposed to certain bacteria, virus or germs, we instantly apply some hand sanitizer on your hands to rub completely and stay safe. Similarly, after getting exposed to dirt, pollution, dust, smoke and smog, when we get back home, we take a bath with cleaning all our body skin including hair to maintain hygiene and stay clean.

But, when it comes to cleaning and maintaining hygiene for intimate parts, we instantly raise our eyebrows and roll our eyes to stay put about this so called “taboo” subject. According to the gynecologists and andrologists, taking good care of intimate parts for both women and men is very essential to stay healthy and free from disease even risk of cancer. 

 In India, 59,286 cases were estimated as the new ovarian cancer cases by the end of year 2020. The ovarian carcinoma cases have been estimated to surge up to 372,000 a year by 2035 which is (55%), and the death rate would surge up to 67%. After lung and mouth cancers, the third leading cancer in India diagnosed in men is prostate cancer which is 7 % of all cancers. According to the experts, maintaining proper hygiene and health for intimate parts has been very crucial and necessary to lead a healthy life. Many people in India have no serious or lesser idea about taking care of intimate parts which leads to serious health problems in future.

For all women and men out there, here are some of the great hygiene tips to take good care of your intimate parts:

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Women Intimate Parts, Vaginal Care

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1. Washing vagina daily during bath

Make sure to wash and clean your vagina and intimate parts every day during your bath. This becomes a part of regular hygienic routine. When you regularly wash your intimate area you get rid of uncomfortable genital odor and bacterial growth.

2. Ensure proper cleaning

While you wash your genitals make sure you clean it properly. You can also use intimate wash products recommended by doctors to maintain healthy pH. Use wipes or fingers to ensure proper cleaning of vagina.

3. Wiping correctly after using toilet

After using the toilet for urination or passing stool, especially women face a problem which is really genuine to pay attention. The water droplets from the toilet rebound back to the skin which makes it feel so dirty and unhygienic for women and also leads to UTI and other infections. Hence, it is important to wipe your genitals after using the toilet and wash it properly with water. You can use soap to clean your skin around your genitals but not inside the genitals.

4. Never use soap

Soap makes skin harsh and as they are loaded in several chemicals, they affect the pH of your vagina. Washing your genitals with soap regularly can make your skin extra dry which leads to other skin problems as well. To take good care of your intimate parts never use soap.

5. Hygiene during periods

While menstruation, vagina and the area near anus gets all soaked with menstrual blood which makes it quite uncomfortable and dirty for women. Hence, make sure you wash your genitals twice a day properly to avoid menstrual odor and keep bacterial growth at bay.

6. Using eco-friendly tampons and pads

While menstruating most women use sanitary pads, tampons and recently menstrual cups have been the highlighting talk of the women hygiene. Eco-friendly tampons and pads help in avoiding skin rashes and bacterial growth that usually happens due to the prolonged exposure of skin to the plastic manufactured pads. However, using silicon based menstrual cups can be beneficial regarding intimate hygiene but if you’re not comfortable with cups go for eco-friendly pads and tampons.

7. Use condoms for sex

Using protection during sex is important to ensure intimate hygiene and checking sexually transmitted diseases. Hence, use women condoms if you want to take good care of your intimate parts.

8. Use sanitizing spray for using public toilets

While travelling or when women are out using the public toilets can be risky and very unhygienic. It leads to urinary tract infection, fungal infection or bacterial infection in vagina and intimate parts. Hence, always carry a sanitizing toilet spray to use it before using any toilet to ensure your hygiene and safety.

9. Wash vagina after sex

After having sex, make sure you wash your vagina with warm water to get rid of unwanted lubrication of gels and condoms and even traces of sperms to keep your genitals clean and hygienic.

10. Keep it shaved or properly trimmed

Usually, pubic hair or hair in the genital areas leads to itching, bacterial infection, fungal infection and even UTI when the hairs come in contact with sweat. Hence, it becomes important to shave your pubic hair or at least trim it to small size so that they don’t cause any infection and become easy to clean.

11. Use natural ingredient vaginal cleansers

There are so many intimate wash products in the market that are infused with natural ingredients completely without any chemicals, parabens, SLS that ensure healthy pH of your vagina atmosphere. Consult with your physician and use natural ingredient-based cleansers. Check the composition label before buying one.

12. Choose right cloth material

It is always recommended to use loose fitting and cotton clothes that allow relaxed flow of air. Tight-fitting clothes trigger moist and warm atmosphere inside and around your genitals leading to fungal and bacterial infection. Ensure changing your clothes and underwear after sports or any physical activity that generate sweat around your intimate parts to main hygiene.

13. Avoid thongs

Wearing super tight bikinis especially thongs can cause severe rashes, injury to clitoris and even breakage of skin around your vagina. To take good care of your intimate parts, avoid thongs and super tight bikinis as much as you can.

14. Get regular check-ups

It is important to visit your gynecologist regularly once in every two months. Get checked your genitals, the health and atmosphere of your intimate parts. Ask all your doubts and get all queries resolved by your physician to maintain proper hygiene. 

15. Talk to gynecologist for vaccine shots

Talk to your gynecologist about the regular vaccine shots for females that ensure safety of women against HPV virus which is solo responsible factor for cervical cancer. Cervical cancer vaccination is also beneficial for reducing the risk of severe liver infection and hepatitis B, that spreads due to sexual activities and contact.

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Men Intimate Parts, Penile Care

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1. Clean your intimate parts daily

It is important to wash your genital area with cold water daily to ensure no bacterial infection, fungal infection occur. It also helps in avoiding sweaty odor and bacterial growth within your pubic hair.

2. Don’t use excess soap or don’t clean more than twice a day

Using excessive soap while washing can lead to dryness in the skin that can cause rashes and infection as well. Cleaning with simple water is enough and make sure not to clean your genitals more than twice a day. Washing your intimate parts frequently and several times causes soreness in the penis.

3. Keep it all shaved

To avoid bacterial infection, fungal infection and sweaty odor due to bacterial growth can make your intimate parts unhygienic and prone to infection. It is important to keep your intimate parts all shaved and properly cleaned.

4. Keep the area dry 

If you think your underwear has been wet due to sweat or nightfall or even any other reason, change your underwear and clothes that are wet to avoid bacterial infection and excessive moist in your intimate parts that generates uncomfortable odor. Clean and dry clothes would help for better airflow.

5. Wear comfortable clothes and cotton fabric

Especially for men, it is important to take good care of the intimate parts and wearing tight clothes can be very harmful. Tight clothes cause sweat, soreness in penis, infections, warmth generation in genitals causing low sperm count. Hence, wear comfortable, loose-fitting clothes and mostly choose cotton fabric which is skin friendly.

6. Avoid tight briefs and trunks

Tight briefs and trunks cause growth of bacteria and fungus around intimate parts, leading to bad odor. Tight underwear also causes sweat and uncomfortable to carry on all day which causes excessive heat in your genitals leading to low sperm count and low mobility in sperm. Always wear loose underwear and let better flow of air around your intimate parts.

7. Clean your penis after using toilet

After using the toilet for passing stool or urination, make sure to wash your penis properly to avoid any infection caused by tiny droplets of toilet water and urine that gets rebound on your skin. This can be very unhygienic, hence to take good care of your intimate parts ensure proper cleaning and wiping your genitals after using the toilet.

8. Wash penis after having sex

It is important to wash your penis after having sexual intercourse to get rid of chemicals and lubrication present in condoms. The traces of semen and vaginal fluid can cause infection if left unattended and unwashed. 

9. Use condom for sex

It is always advised to use condoms while having sex to avoid sexually transmitted diseases and avoid any infections. Using condoms during sex can also protect your penis from wearing and skin breakage.

10. Stay safe while using public toilet

While using public toilet, make sure the toilet is properly sanitized and cleaned by the janitors. Do not use toilet that are dirty, uncleaned, unflushed and releasing odor to avoid any contact with your intimate parts that can lead to infections even UTI.

11. Go for regular check-ups 

Getting regular check ups by your andrologist or personal physician is important to maintain good health of intimate parts. Let them know all your doubts and queries regarding intimate health, ask them how to take good and hygienic care of your intimate parts. Take advice and follow the instructions accordingly.