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Hi Aunt Vadge,
I’ve had two cuts that come and go by my clitoris, always in the same spot, and they keep coming back. I’m very concerned and afraid to get tested for herpes in case it’s positive – I don’t know how I’d react. I have regular cycles, no health conditions, a balanced diet, no birth control, and no issues anywhere else. The cuts look like paper cuts, very thin.
Sincerely,
Afraid
Age 25, USA
Dear Afraid,
Let’s ease the fear first, because I think it’s pointing in the wrong direction. What you describe doesn’t really fit herpes: an outbreak is usually painful, shows up as fluid-filled sores or ulcers (like a cold sore) rather than thin paper-cuts, and tends to appear on the labia or vaginal entrance, not as recurring little splits in one fixed clitoral-hood spot.
So this is much more likely something else, and fixating on herpes may be keeping you from the real cause. On the testing fear itself, gently: if a test would settle your mind it’s worth it, precisely because the imagined monster is usually scarier than the reality – herpes is incredibly common, very manageable, and not a catastrophe even if positive.
But I really don’t think that’s what this is.
Cuts that recur in the same spot, where the clitoral hood joins the labia, have a recognisable shortlist.
The most likely is plain mechanical stress: those little hood corners are a genuine weak point and tear easily if they get pulled – a change in how you wash, tight clothing, rough drying, sex – and the fact it’s always the same spot fits that well. Yeast is next, because it can live up under the hood and quietly weaken the skin so it splits, even without classic thrush symptoms.
And occasionally recurrent fissuring in one spot is a skin condition like lichen sclerosus, worth a doctor ruling out if it persists.
So play detective. Wash very gently (plain water, pat dry), let the cuts fully heal, then watch whether they come back – that alone tells you a lot.
You can trial for yeast with a couple of drops of tea tree well-diluted in a carrier oil (olive, or vitamin E), rubbed gently into the folds a few times a day for a few days; if it helps, yeast was likely in the mix (never use tea tree neat).
And if it keeps recurring, a comprehensive microbiome test shows what’s actually living there, and you can book an analysis if the results are confusing. Recurrence always means a sustaining cause – something living there, something happening in your body, or something you’re doing without realising – so it’s detective work, but very solvable; our guide to vulval fissures has more leads.
Warmest regards,
Aunt Vadge
This is general information based on current research and our clinical experience, not a substitute for personalised medical advice.
