Your “secret garden” feels itchy, pulls and is dried out? No panic, small discomforts in the lower part of the body happen to almost every woman normally constituted. The good news? A solution ! In Microbiote vaginal, la révolution rose, Dr Jean-Marc Bohbot and journalist Rica Étienne explain that vaginal balance depends on the flora that it contains (understand, millions of « good» bacteria that self-clean your intimate parts). 9 ways of preserving this small ecosystem and be graced with a chic and healthy vagina.
Allow nature to take over!
It’s not a question of being dirty, your “secret garden” happens to be self-cleaning! The vaginal mucus helps to eliminate cellular and microbial waste thanks to secretions that function night and day like a treadmill. Washing your intimate parts too often (more than once a day) is quite often synonymous of small catastrophes (mycosis, dryness, irritations) !
No house cleaning below the belt!
With have news for those who are obsessive when it comes to intimate hygiene: washing yes, but not any old way. No need for an A to Z shampoo. To avoid irritations or even painful sexual intercourse, banish douching as well as techniques to cleanse the inside of your vagina (including after making love), which are the best way to the upset all your microbiota, necessary for the equilibrium of your vagina. For good hygiene, just wash with a drop of liquid hygiene product in your hand (absolutely no soap or shower gels) from your pubis to the fanny crack (and not in the other direction!).
Remove pubic hair with moderation
Do you know what is the purpose of pubic hair? Barely the time to ask yourself the question that they all have been removed from your poor victimized triangle… Yet, hair plays an important cushioning role when it comes to rubbing against underwear —roots hydrate and protect the mucous. During definitive hair removal, all these protective factors disappear and germs have a highway in front of them! If you are fragile or subject to infections, avoid total waxing or permanent removal.
Limit the use of panty liners
If you use panty liners, sanitary napkins or tampons at other times than when you have your period, you should be aware that your vagina will not be thankful. These methods, which absorb the humidity of natural secretions, dry out your mucous and can create burning sensations or mycosis.
Throw out your intimate deodorants and wipettes
It can be tempting to keep in your bag some intimate care wipettes if you want to feel fresh below all day long. The problem is that while these products neutralize smells they can also destroy certain bacteria that your vagina needs to be in great shape!
Drink as much as you can!
At any age, the epidermis and the mucous of your sex is fragile, requiring very regular moisturization. For their well-being, drink water regularly, a minimum of 1,5L per day.
Stop smoking
Tobacco is a formidable enemy when it comes to the balance of your vagina’s ecosystem. Gynaecologists have noticed the healing of certain repetitive ailments (mycosis, cystitis,…) amongst women who stopped smoking!
Avoid (as much as possible) antibiotics
Antibiotics are the sworn enemies of the vaginal flora, yet certain doctors tend to prescribe them for many reasons and some patients fear they will not be well treated without them. Particularly aggressive for the protective flora, some antibiotics can lead to mycosis. While sometimes taking antibiotics is inevitable (no question to refuse under the pretence you want to preserve the well-being of your lower parts), make sure to counterbalance the disastrous effects of your “secret garden” by taking probiotics, and do not stop a treatment on your own because you just might develop bacterial resistances that are potentially dangerous for your health.
Make love!
To make sure your “personal equipment” is in good shape, you should be aware that the more you make love, the more you will notice the natural and protective lubricating effect of your vagina. Several days after intercourse, vaginal suppleness persists with beneficial results. To avoid excessive heating up or irritations during sexual intercourse, do not hesitate to use a lubricating gel that respects the pH of your intimate parts (it must be between 3,5 and 4,5).
Microbiote vaginal, la révolution rose, by Dr Jean-Marc Bohbot and Rica Étienne, Marabout.
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