Intimate Discomfort: The Cause of Dry Intimate Skin
When discomfort in the intimate area occurs repeatedly, it is often because the intimate skin is too dry, making it rough and prone to cracking. As a result, it reacts with burning, itching, irritation, redness, swelling, and/or pain. At the same time, it loses its resistance to external irritants (see below). These can further damage and dry out the intimate skin, causing the discomfort to persist stubbornly or even worsen.
Examples of external influences that the intimate skin is frequently exposed to in everyday life:
- Mechanical Stress: Tight underwear/pants, panty liners, prolonged sitting, sports (cycling, horseback riding, etc.), sexual intercourse, intimate shaving, or waxing.
- Chemical Irritants: Contact with urine or stool, unsuitable products for intimate hygiene, too much or too little intimate hygiene, scented toilet paper.
- Pathogens: Fungi and bacteria that thrive in the warm, moist environment of the intimate area and live there as facultative pathogenic germs.
Fat Deficiency in the Intimate Skin Causes Discomfort
The surface of the intimate skin forms the stratum corneum, a contact surface between the body and the outside world, structured like an impermeable brick wall: closely packed keratinized cells form the bricks, and the intercellular substance (cellular matrix) forms the mortar, which consists of about 80% fat. When fat is deficient, the architecture of the stratum corneum is destroyed (see diagram). Medically, this is referred to as a disturbed skin barrier, recognizable by a dry, rough, and cracked skin surface.
A fat deficiency in the stratum corneum causes the intimate skin to become dry, rough, and cracked, losing its resilience. As a result, discomfort in the intimate area occurs.
Although a disturbed skin barrier only involves superficial microtears, the intimate discomfort they cause can be very distressing, such as in cases of lichen sclerosus, psoriasis, or atopic dermatitis. Improper intimate hygiene can also dry out and roughen the intimate skin, as can the hormonal changes that occur when a woman enters menopause.
Intimate Discomfort: Causes of wounds and scars
In addition to tiny, superficial damages to the skin barrier, injuries, surgical procedures, or other therapies that cause wounds are common causes of discomfort in the intimate area. The typical wound pain, which can be significantly aggravated by sitting, walking, or contact with urine or stool, is central to this discomfort. Wounds in the intimate area can also easily become infected, leading to additional discomfort and impaired wound healing. Inflammation is a sign of wound infection caused by bacteria or fungi (especially facultative pathogenic germs). These thrive in the warm, moist environment of the intimate area and are naturally present in large numbers. If thick, firm scars remain, they can even cause long-term discomfort in the intimate area.
Well-Known examples of medical procedures that cause discomfort in the intimate area:
Genital warts (condylomas) are reddish, gray-brown, or white papules that can appear throughout the external genital and anal areas. They are caused by human papillomaviruses (HPV), which are transmitted through sexual contact. Most genital warts cause no or very few symptoms in the intimate area (sometimes itching) and often regress on their own. They are usually removed for purely cosmetic reasons. All available treatment options share the common outcome of leaving wounds at the treated sites, which can cause unpleasant discomfort in the intimate area until they heal.
The maternal perineum can tear during childbirth when overstretched by the baby’s head. Injuries range from small, superficial tears in the mucous membrane and skin to deeper injuries affecting tissues beneath the skin (e.g., connective tissue and muscles). A perineal tear is usually prevented by the midwife or doctor using a specific hand maneuver (perineal protection). The alternative is an episiotomy, where the perineum is surgically incised to enlarge the birth canal. Tears and cuts, which are sutured after birth, can cause very uncomfortable symptoms in the intimate area, particularly pain when sitting and urinating. The duration of these symptoms depends on the extent of the tear or cut, the individual course of wound healing, and the quality of the resulting scar.
The surgical removal of the foreskin is known as circumcision. Medical reasons include phimosis (foreskin tightness) and paraphimosis. The goals of treatment are to enable proper intimate hygiene (removal of smegma), restore normal sexual function, and allow for normal bladder emptying.
The foreskin is removed either partially (plastic circumcision) or completely (radical circumcision)—usually under local anesthesia in adults. Circumcision is generally considered a low-risk procedure. The subsequent discomfort in the intimate area includes mild pain, swelling, and redness of the glans and penis. The healing process is usually completed after about two to three weeks.
A rich wound protection relieves discomfort in the intimate area
Applying Deumavan Protective Ointment helps protect wounds from external irritants and pathogens. This reduces wound pain and other discomforts in the intimate area. Additionally, the thin protective fat film of Deumavan supports wound healing by shielding it from harmful external influences. The less disrupted the wound healing process, the lower the risk of leaving a bothersome scar that could lead to intimate discomfort (e.g., in the case of a perineal tear).
However, it is important that Deumavan Protective Ointment is only applied to a closed, dry wound and not to a weeping (already infected) wound. The ointment is also suitable for the care and massage of scars—and can be used long-term if necessary.
Lastly, Deumavan Protective Ointment can be used as a lubricant at the vaginal entrance during sexual intercourse (only with condoms made of polyurethane or AT-10) if the healed wound area needs to be protected for a while longer.
