Something else? Ask Aunt Vadge – bottom left of your screen!
Hi Aunt Vadge,
I got too friendly with the Jacuzzi jets in my hot tub on Sunday. Four days later my vagina is sore and the skin on my labia is torn and bruised. What should I do to ease the pain and discomfort? How long to heal? Ouch…
Signed,
No More Jets
Age 24, USA
Dear No More Jets,
Ouch is right – a powerful jet aimed at delicate vulval skin can definitely tear and bruise it, and the soreness four days on is your poor vulva letting you know it took a beating.
The reassuring part is that this kind of injury heals well on its own with a bit of care, usually over a week or two depending on how deep the tears went. The skin down there has a great blood supply and knits together quickly once you stop irritating it and let it recover.
For the pain and to help it heal: keep the area clean and dry with gentle plain-water rinses once or twice a day, pat (don’t rub) dry, and wear loose cotton or go without underwear when you can so nothing rubs the sore spots.
A plain barrier ointment soothes and protects torn skin, and a cool pack wrapped in cloth can take the edge off the ache. If it stings when you pee, pour a cup of warm water over the area as you go to dilute the urine.
Skip baths with products, soap, scented anything and sex until it’s healed – and give the jets a wide berth from now on! Keep an eye out for signs of infection – spreading redness, swelling, increasing pain, heat or pus-like discharge – and see a doctor if any of those show up or it’s not improving after a week.
But for a bruised, grazed vulva from an over-enthusiastic spa jet, gentle care and time are almost always all it needs. Our guide to healing vulval wounds walks through the rest.
For soothing and healing minor cuts and tears, here’s how to deal with cuts and tears from fingering and rough sex.
Warmest regards,
Aunt Vadge
This is general information, not a substitute for personalised medical advice.
