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Dear Aunt Vadge,
After a shower I realised I hadn’t cleaned some discharge off, so I used my finger to wipe it. Some was near my clitoris, so I tried to get it with the corner of my nail — and as I did, I was sort of stretching the skin and felt a sharp pain.
I looked and the right side of my clitoral hood was bleeding a little. Later it felt better, but when I opened my legs to look in the mirror it hurt again and looked bigger — a little less than a centimetre.
It hurts a lot. Should I be worried? Should I tell my mum or stepmum? What do I do?
Sincerely,
Hurt Clitoris
Dear Hurt Clitoris,
Try not to worry — this is a small scratch, the kind that’s very common and heals quickly. The little folds of the clitoral hood are some of the most delicate skin on the body, so a fingernail catching there nicks it easily.
It’s a graze, not anything serious. And the reason it looked bigger when you checked is simply that stretching the skin to see it pulls the little cut open again — so the kindest thing you can do is leave it alone, don’t keep opening your legs to inspect it, and don’t pick at it.
That lets it close up.
To help it along, rinse gently with plain warm water (no soap) and pat dry, and a tiny smear of plain coconut oil or pawpaw ointment keeps the skin soft so it doesn’t catch as it heals. It should feel much better within a few days.
For cleaning in future, a finger or soft cloth with plain water is all you need — no nails, since the skin there is fragile; there’s more on the simple-tear page if you want it.
And yes, it’s completely okay to tell your mum or stepmum — there’s nothing embarrassing here, it’s just a scratch like one you’d get anywhere else, and a trusted grown-up can help you keep an eye on it.
Definitely tell someone and get it seen by a doctor if it keeps bleeding, gets hot, swollen or weepy, or isn’t healing after a few days, because those would mean it needs a little help. You handled this calmly, and you’re going to be just fine.
Best,
Aunt Vadge
This is general information, not a substitute for personalised medical advice.
