We're definitely living in what has become a vagina-obsessed world. Everywhere I turn I'm hearing about a new trend for down there: from vagina facials, to bleaching (because apparently our vaginas are too brown), to rejuvenation surgery to labiaplasty–its nuts! The latest hype now is the V-steam. It's basically a spa treatment that helps steam your vagina with herbs. How weird is that? It's nothing new but has become even more popular after Gwyneth Paltrow started raving about it!
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The very first time I was introduced to vaginal facials was when Sister Sister twins, Tia and Tamera Mowry, had it done on their reality TV show, Tia & Tamera. Apparently Gwyneth Paltrow now swears by it too. She's been talking about Tikkun Spa's Mugwort V-Steam, like it's the best thing she's ever experienced in her entire life. "You sit on what is essentially a mini-throne, and a combination of infrared and mugwort steam cleanses your uterus et al," she wrote on her website. "It is an energetic release–not just a steam douche–that balances female hormone levels."
I always thought Gwyneth was kind of off, so I'm not entirely surprised that she would highly recommend something like this. But I do think the V-steam sounds absolutely ridiculous and apparently they could be dangerous too. "It probably feels good because the heat increases blood flow to the whole vaginal area, including the clitoris, which could turn some women on," Hilda Hutcherson, MD, an ob/gyn at Columbia University Medical Center and author of Pleasure: A Woman's Guide to Getting the Sex You Want Need and Deserve told Health.com. "But if you got too close to the steam, you could end up with second degree burns down there." Ouch–could you imagine?
Oh and it gets even worse than that. Apparently V-steams can also cause an increase in moisture in your vagina that can lead to yeast or bacterial infections like BV or pelvic inflammatory disease. It's SO not worth it. Crazy thing is, this isn't the only weird thing women are doing to their vaginas these days. Check out a few other vaginal trends you need to avoid!
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