Why has a cut appeared on my clitoris?

Author: Aunt Vadge
Qualified Naturopath | BHSc(N)

Last reviewed: June 30, 2026

Hi Aunt Vadge,

I was washing and noticed a cut on the left side of my clitoris. It only stings when I touch it, but otherwise doesn’t bother me. What causes cuts around the clitoris? Do yeast infections cause tears or cuts?

Yours,
Worried
Age 27, California, USA

Hello Worried,

Reassuringly, a small cut near the clitoris usually heals in a day or two and never comes back. The clitoral skin is thin and delicate, so it nicks and tears more easily than you’d expect, often without you noticing the moment it happened.

The common causes are friction (from sex, masturbation, or even clothing rubbing the area), shaving or grooming (an easy place to nick yourself with a razor, sometimes without feeling it), a stray nail or hangnail scratching during touching, a skin condition like a vulvar dermatosis that makes the skin fragile and prone to splitting (the main one to consider if cuts keep happening), and — far less likely at 27 — low oestrogen, which makes tissue delicate but usually comes with dryness too. Yeast comes into it only indirectly: scratching an itch can cause cuts, but you’d usually have the itch and discharge alongside, which you don’t mention.

So to answer you directly, a one-off, painless little split with no other symptoms is far more likely simple friction or a nick than anything to do with yeast.

To help it heal, keep it clean with plain water (no soaps or anything that could sting), try not to touch or rub the area, wear loose cotton underwear so it can breathe, and skip anything that aggravates it (including sex) until it’s healed — our guide to healing cuts and tears has more gentle tips.

See a GP if it doesn’t improve, gets more painful, red or swollen, or shows signs of infection (pus or a bad smell), or if you keep getting cuts, since recurrent splitting is worth checking for an underlying skin condition; and if you’d like natural-medicine support for recurrent cuts, you can book an appointment with one of our practitioners.

Take care, and be gentle with yourself.

Love,
Aunt Vadge

This is general information, not a substitute for personalised medical advice.