Vulva and vaginal irritation? It could be your toilet paper!
If you have recurring itchiness, swelling, redness and overall irritation around your vulva and vagina, the culprit could be your toilet paper. Toilet paper can cause a number of infections, especially if you are already prone to sensitive skin.
Yeast infection
If you love scented tissue paper, you might want to rethink them, especially if you have had an episode of recurrent yeast infections. The scent and fragrance used in the toilet paper is made using chemicals that might upset the delicate pH of your vagina, thus leading to yeast infections.
Urinal Tract Infections
How can toilet paper cause UTIs, you may ask? Simple – by carrying bacteria from the anal area into the vagina. If you wipe yourself the wrong way, your tissue paper might end up being the conduit through which bacteria travels into your vagina and urethra, thus causing UTIs. This is why it is important that you wipe yourself from the front to the back.
Cuts
Wiping yourself is one of those things that, as put in street lingo, hazitaki hasira. You need to be very careful and gentle when wiping yourself, so you do not end up causing micro-cuts on your vulva. The skin in this area is very sensitive, and can get easily infected once there are cuts. Also, some tissue paper have really rough texture. If it is rough to the touch, it can potentially cause cuts. Also, do not wipe yourself excessively.
Allergic reaction
If you experience extreme itchiness down there after using a particular brand of toilet paper, particularly those that are scented, ditch those for toilet paper with no scent.
As a rule of thumb and to avoid all these, avoid tissue that is scented or perfumed, be gentle with yourself as you wipe yourself and maintain good hygiene.
