[Question #11383] HIV

14 months ago

I am male and have a question regarding HIV risk and hygiene. Does washing my penis (and my scrotum and anus) immediately after vaginal and oral sex increase my risk of contracting HIV? If so, does the type of soap I use make a difference?

Edward W. Hook M.D.

14 months ago

Welcome to our forum. Thank you for your questions. I’ll be glad to answer.

The intervention that you described, washing your penis immediately following sex, has been carefully studied and there were no significant differences noted amongst men who did wash their penises with antiviral soap, and those who did not. It certainly would not hurt, but there is no known benefit to washing your penis following sex.

I hope this information is helpful to you. EWH.

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14 months ago

Thanks for your reply.

I have seen information online that washing the penis (and scrotum and anus) immediately after vaginal and oral sex can increase the risk of HIV. Is this true?

I sometimes don’t use any soap at all, just water, and sometimes I use a cleanser that I am not sure is antiviral or not. Do these details make any difference?

Edward W. Hook M.D.

14 months ago

Your question is repetitive. Repeating the question using slightly different words is not going to change the answer. There is no evidence that washing the penis or scrotum following sex changes the risk of acquisition of HIV. The studies that I mentioned were done using cleansers with excellent antiviral activity. There is no reason to think that use of other sorts of soaps or liquids would make any difference.

As I said, before, the practice of washing your penis following sex will not harm you unless you use substances which are irritating to your skin. On the other hand, there is no evidence that it helps to prevent acquisition of HIV or other STI‘s. EWH.

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14 months ago

I am sorry. I didn’t mean to ask repetitive questions. I just want to confirm if I understand your reply correctly.

I sometimes feel irritated when washing my penis and scrotum with soaps and cleansers. Just to confirm, even if I wash my penis, scrotum, and anus after vaginal and oral sex with soaps and cleansers that irritate my skin and urethral opening, my risk of HIV will not increase, correct?

Edward W. Hook M.D.

14 months ago

You should not was your genitals to the point of irritation. This increases risk for a variety of non-STI/HIV skin conditions.

This completes this thread. There should be no need for you to return to the site regarding this topic. EWH

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