Histologically, labia majora and labia minora are layered squamous epithelium with cuticle, which are exactly the same as the skin of face, body or limbs. The labia majora contains a large number of sweat glands, sebaceous glands and a thick fat layer. After puberty, many thick hairs will grow on the outside of labia majora, while labia minora is hairless loose connective tissue with rich blood vessels. The clitoris and vestibular glands are composed of hornless stratified squamous epithelium, which is the same as the inner edge of the lips near the mouth. In other words, although every part of the human body has its own uniqueness in structure, the external genitalia is not special at all from the perspective of the epidermal structure in contact with the outside world.
From the perspective of real life, the name "private parts" has implied that the vulva will not be a place to keep ventilation for a long time. In civilized society, most of the time they are wrapped under clothes and can't see the sun. Different from men, women have normal physiological phenomena such as leucorrhea and dysmenorrhea, so it is difficult to keep really dry. Moreover, because the urethral orifice is quite close, if it is not wiped clean after urination or there is a problem of urine leakage, it will further aggravate the damp and sultry vulva, causing odor and infection or inflammation.
So I totally agree with the statement that "women need to pay attention to the cleaning and maintenance of vulva", but I can't help but ask a big question mark in my mind as to whether I need to buy products specifically for this part.
The private parts products introduced by manufacturers are nothing more than cleaning, moisturizing, deodorizing and whitening.
First, clean cuticle and sebaceous gland products are lipophilic, so although water itself can take away most of the dirt on the body surface, oil stains can only be removed by surfactants in detergent. But the meaning of bathing is not to wash away all the grease. Excessive cleaning is harmful. In dry and cold winter, detergent is even dispensable. When consumers use soap and shower gel to clean, they often don't really need it, but they are intoxicated by the smell left after washing without knowing it. "Wash well" will bring a refreshing and clean feeling.
In addition to the exuberant secretion of sweat glands and sebaceous glands, the female vulva may also be stained with vaginal secretions, menstrual blood or urine stains, so it is really necessary to use cleaning agents. When designing private cleaning products, most manufacturers will emphasize two characteristics: weak acidity and gentleness. Human skin is originally weakly acidic (the pH value of normal skin is between 4.5 and 6), so if there is no special demand for the preservation and function of general cleaning and maintenance products (for example, soap is alkaline and whitening and maintenance products containing L-C have low pH value), then the last step of the process is to adjust the products to weakly acidic. The so-called pudendal pH value is acidic, which refers to the vagina rather than the skin (the pH value of normal vagina is between 3.8 and 4.5), so unless it is used for vaginal lavage, there is no need to choose an acidic detergent. As for the statement that "private parts are sensitive and fragile", it is somewhat wishful thinking. The previous histological part has told us that the skin here is not as unprotected as imagined, and in fact, most of the ingredients of those private parts cleaning products still contain sulfate surfactants. This anionic surfactant is widely used in bath products because of its strong cleaning power and relatively low price. Its high irritation is its disadvantage, so I think these products are not as mild as claimed.
Some manufacturers also introduce wet wipes for private parts. In the field of cosmetics and skin care products, paper towels are mostly used to wipe the baby's ass (baby wipes), face with makeup (makeup remover wipes) and stained hands (general wipes). * * * There are many substances to be removed on the parts that need to be wiped. Dry toilet paper is not clean, inconvenient or does not want to use water, so this kind of product is designed. I don't deny that some women may want to use paper towels to strengthen cleaning during the hypersecretion period, but this effect can be achieved by using thicker toilet paper and water. The functions of ingredients added by manufacturers in private organizations: sedation, convergence, anti-inflammation, etc. There is no difference with ordinary facial tissues, and the amount attached after such a short wipe is limited, so it is difficult to have any maintenance effect.
Second, moisturizing women can't want to rub sticky lotion in private places, so the type of moisturizing products designed for this part will definitely be made into gel or spray. But in fact, all products made into water or gel can't contain too many effective ingredients, because lipophilic ingredients are not easy to keep stable in the product dosage form that is too liquefied, and the skin surface is lipophilic, so the absorption ability of effective substances in aqueous solution is poor. However, what puzzles me most is why the vulva, which has been wet for many years, still needs water-retaining and moisturizing goods. Many consumers will fall into the myth that "people just want to maintain", but don't think about whether it is meaningful to do so. For example, moisturizing in private places is a typical example.
Some manufacturers have introduced talcum powder in the opposite direction, which seems to meet the demand. However, I strongly recommend that talcum powder be used on the outside of groin and labia majora, and don't pat it inside, so as not to cause irritation to mucosa.
Third, the odor of deodorized private parts comes from sweat, secretions, menstrual blood and urine. After bacterial growth and air oxidation, the taste is worse. Cleaning is the key to odor removal, rather than local "deodorization" that treats the symptoms rather than the root cause. Generally used for underarm deodorant, its active ingredient is aluminum salt with sweating effect. However, because only a small part of pudendal odor comes from sweat, and aluminum salt is too irritating to the skin here, the products advertised as being able to remove pudendal odor do not contain such ingredients, and only rely on spices to achieve their goals. Smell will not only affect the perception of outsiders, but also make you feel happy. However, except yourself and your close lover, no one will know what the vulva tastes like, let alone care. It is necessary to keep it basically clean and odorless, but deliberately making it "fragrant" is too much. Don't forget that spices and essences are a major culprit in contact dermatitis.
Fourth, all known whitening ingredients in whitening category are irritating. Those products advertised as whitening and non-irritating have either extremely low effective concentration or no scientifically proven whitening ingredients at all. Manufacturers certainly understand that consumers don't expect whitening to be immediate, but the stimulation reaction may appear after several uses, and the skin inside the vulva is indeed more delicate than other parts (the stratum corneum is thinner or not at all), so they won't risk launching products that are prone to side effects at all. Therefore, the secret product name that implies whitening function will only use ambiguous "whitening" at most, and its ingredients will be carefully studied, and it also lacks the ingredients that ordinary authentic whitening products will use. When an actress speaks, she exaggerates her private parts like "glare" just to laugh at you. It is absolutely impossible to make her private parts white by smearing them.
Nowadays, the principles on which the cosmetics and skin care products industry thrives no longer cater to the needs of consumers. After so many years, everyone's basic needs have already been saturated. At present, brands focus on creating new demands and persuading consumers that they need more and better products. ), more specialized products. Women's private parts products that have mushroomed are an excellent example. Female compatriots at all times and all over the world have lived for so many centuries without these exclusive products, but they are not all healthy and alive. However, no matter how strong the marketing means of manufacturers are, there are still ways to shake people's deep-rooted concepts.
From the standpoint of dermatologists, as long as there are no side effects and no harm to patients' health, as long as they have money, they can buy a good mood of self-love, even if they know it is ineffective or can be replaced by cheaper and more general products, there is no need to block people's money. But I am worried that some patients who really suffer from vulvar diseases, such as eczema, itching, candida infection, etc., will delay treatment because they mistakenly think that these products can improve symptoms. This is not an alarmist. For example, in clinic, patients often think that eczema and itching are caused by uncleanness, but in fact, excessive cleaning will aggravate them; The external darkness may be caused by pigmentation after inflammation, and moisturizing and whitening is not right at all; Secretions and odors caused by vaginal or urinary tract infections should be treated with oral antibiotics or plugs to clean and deodorize symptoms rather than root causes. If manufacturers exaggerate the functions of products, more and more people will be confused about physiology and pathology, which is definitely not what I want.