[Question #2432] Transmission Question

97 months ago

Hello Doctors,

I had a quick question about HIV Transmission. Is it possible to be infected during a lapdance with no sexual contact? Scenario that is bothering me is that I had a haircut an hour or two before the incident. Awoke next morning with some razor bumps on the back of my head from the trimmer the barber used (pimples...some had white heads) so it triggered this thought when I saw them. I don't know if the lady's hands came in contact with any of them, but the question in my mind is whether or not I could have been infected from any vaginal fluids on her hands (from touching herself during her performance) coming into contact with the skin on the back of my neck where the pimples were noticed the next morning.

Would testing be recommended for me from a clinical standpoint (i.e. not purely to give me peace of mind)? I recognize that guilt may have something to do with my fear as I am in a monogamous relationship. Can I continue intimate relationships with my girlfriend?

Thank you very much in advance.

H. Hunter Handsfield, MD

97 months ago

Welcome to the forum. Thanks for your question, and for apparently reading other threads for questions similar to yours.

HIV is not transmitted sexually except by intercourse. If your penis does not enter another person's vagina or rectum, you'll never be infected. Even oral sex is safe, with no proved cases transmitted mouth to penis. Hand-genital contact or any other kind of skin contact is entirely risk free, even if there is contact with infected vaginal fluids. Having a haircut or shaving does not bring any risk; if nothing else, by the time any contaminated fluids on your skin have dried, HIV is dead and non-infectious. On top of all that, in the US it is the rare female sex worker (or stripper) who has HIV. So it is unlikely that your lapdance partner was infected. There also is no risk for any other STD.

As noted above, you apparently have read other threads, in which Dr. Hook or I have distinguished testing advice based on medical risk versus reassurance. For sure there is no need for testing from a clinical standpoint. And in all honesty, I see little need for it for peace of mind. However, I'm not you -- you're the only one who can decide whether a negative test would be any more reassuring than my advice, no matter how science based. But even if you get tested, I would advise you to continue your normal sexual relationship and practices with your girlfriend. Certainly that's what I would do if somehow I were in your shoes.

I hope this information is helpful. Let me know if anything isn't clear.

HHH, MD

---

97 months ago

Thank you very much Doctor! Your reply was indeed very helpful and very clear. I definitely didn't have anything even remotely approaching sexual intercourse with the lady in question (I was fully clothed throughout the time) so I will put this to rest and move on. Thanks once again for your wonderful work!

H. Hunter Handsfield, MD

97 months ago

Thanks for the thanks. Also, I didn't understand until now that you remained fully clothed. No infections can be transmitted through fabric. There is no possibility you were infected with anything (of course not counting common cold or other respiratory infections).

---

97 months ago

Thank you once again for the further reassurance. Yes, I should have been more clear in my original post and indicated that this was an encounter at a strip club with many people around, not a private encounter. So I stayed clothed. Thank you once again!

H. Hunter Handsfield, MD

97 months ago

Best wishes and stay safe.

---