The genitals are not only one of the most sensitive parts of the human body. They also have a tendency to be the home to some infections if not kept clean. Giving it the care it deserves is beneficial to men and women but it begs the obvious question- how? What exactly is the correct way to clean your genitals?
This Part 1 is for men, Part 2 is for women and will be posted shortly, so let’s get started!!!
Gents: The correct way to clean your male genitals
Male ‘external’ genitals consist of the penis and the scrotum. (this houses the testicles or testes and are commonly known as balls.) We will be talking about how to clean the external genitals only.
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- Wash your penis every day while having a bath (preferably day and night). If you are uncircumcised (that is you have a foreskin), gently pull the foreskin back and wash the underpart to avoid smegma.
- Smegma is a buildup of dead skin cells, oil, and other fluids on the tip of the penis or under the foreskin. It can also build up in the folds of the vagina. This can cause your genitals to smell and be a good place for bacteria to breed causing an infection. This leads to balanitis which can be quite painful if not cleaned properly.
- We advise you to indulge in good personal hygiene regularly. But, we do not advise you to apply too much soap or scrub vigorously (are you scrubbing a toilet?) to avoid soreness. Washing with warm water daily would suffice. If you must use soap, use a mild one to avoid skin irritation.
- Wash your testicles and pubic hair as well every day while having a bath. Remember, the way your armpit smells when hair and sweat combine, this is also the way the base of the penis and the testicles smell too after being covered by your boxers and briefs for hours. So you need to clean them gently but properly to prevent the sweat from accumulating and producing a foul odor you would not like coming from your genitals.
- While cleaning daily, watch out for odd lumps or bulges that you have not noticed in your testicles before.
A quick tip: Do not use deodorants on your penis to avoid skin irritation.
In summary:
Now that you know the correct way to clean your genitals, also remember to use a condom every time you are with a new partner or be faithful to one partner so that your personal health and your sexual partner(s) would also thank you.
Remember to #WHISPAtous by chatting with a doctor if you think you might have an infection.
