Too early for coconut oil?

[Sammym]

Hey. I am barely a month post op, and well, dilating is no fun. While I do use a lot of lube, it still tends to dry and or go sticky. It just makes dilating that little bit more uncomfortable. At the moment I use only water based lubes, and I've tried a few that have been recommended. They're all about the same. I've a technique which works for insertion, but during the minutes laying there, it still goes sticky or dries.

So I'm keen to switch to coconut oil, but was planning on doing that after 3 months when a bulk of the healing has taken place. I figured that was safe considering the material from my surgeon says "do not apply oils to sutures", and I assume this includes internal ones too.

So the question is, is now too early to switch? Will I do any harm to the undisolved sutures or scar tissue? I want to avoid asking my surgeon as this is not what they recommend already. I use coconut oil for hair and skin, and love it to bits.

[Laura_7]

https://www.susans.org/forums/index.php/topic,186448.msg1660875.html#msg1660875

https://www.susans.org/forums/index.php/topic,179580.msg1586902.html#msg1586902

https://www.susans.org/forums/index.php/topic,196994.msg1756826.html#msg1756826

all at your own risk... and you should ask a doc or a gyn...

hugs

[AnonyMs]

Perhaps you could get one of those water spray bottles to stop the lube trying out so fast?

[Sammym]

I am apprehensive to ask my surgeon about this, because this seems to be that this is an area that seems lacking in knowledge and clinical studies.

A previous surgeon of mine recommended massaging vitamin e oil into a scar from 3 weeks to help it heal and minimize, even though there are multiple clinical studies showing vitamin e did not improve healing, but could even hinder healing. Although massage has been proven to be beneficial for scars. When I asked about using coconut oil, this surgeon told me it was ineffective and not to bother with it. This didn't fill me with confidence.

So I guess that I still carry some of that mistrust. It feels like each surgeon has their own strategy for post operative care that is the "only" way to go.

It's actually hard to find anything suggesting coconut oil could hinder healing, but many individuals toting it's benefits. And it seems darn near impossible to find any surgeon recommending coconut oil for anything. Comparatively many still recommend vitamin e regardless of previous studies. Where's Deep Thought when you need it?

[Jenna Marie]

I would definitely be cautious, especially with the specific advice from your surgeon about oil and sutures.

I have an intermediate suggestion : I used one of those yeast infection kits from the grocery store to get the vaginal applicators that came with it (DO NOT use the actual medicated cream!) and filled an applicator with lube before dilation. A lot of lube came off the dilator on insertion, so squirting some extra up there first really helped; as the session went on my body heat would make it "melt" and drip down inside along the length of the dilator, which was perfect.

[Laura_7]

I am apprehensive to ask my surgeon about this, because this seems to be that this is an area that seems lacking in knowledge and clinical studies.

A previous surgeon of mine recommended massaging vitamin e oil into a scar from 3 weeks to help it heal and minimize, even though there are multiple clinical studies showing vitamin e did not improve healing, but could even hinder healing. Although massage has been proven to be beneficial for scars. When I asked about using coconut oil, this surgeon told me it was ineffective and not to bother with it. This didn't fill me with confidence.

So I guess that I still carry some of that mistrust. It feels like each surgeon has their own strategy for post operative care that is the "only" way to go.

It's actually hard to find anything suggesting coconut oil could hinder healing, but many individuals toting it's benefits. And it seems darn near impossible to find any surgeon recommending coconut oil for anything. Comparatively many still recommend vitamin e regardless of previous studies. Where's Deep Thought when you need it?

Well not only the surgeon can be asked... there might also be gyns or other people knowledgable in those issues...

Well imo the question should be why ?
Vitamin E has been around for a long time and shown to be somewhat effective otherwise it would not have been used. But there is a large percentage of people being alergic. So they do not have a positive reaction. On the packings they write to test first on a small spot.

Coconut oil is one of the few oils with very small molecules. So it can dissolve into the tissue und help make it softer. Imo same for scars. If the surgeon says no oil to sutures the question is why ? And do they mean mineral based oils ? Can they dissolve the materials, or tend they to stick to the skin, which should be different with coconut oil ?

The idea with the applicator seems to be a good one, for whatever lube.

[Sammym]

If the surgeon says no oil to sutures the question is why ? And do they mean mineral based oils ? Can they dissolve the materials, or tend they to stick to the skin, which should be different with coconut oil ?

The idea with the applicator seems to be a good one, for whatever lube.

Thinking about this, I assume that there is, or could be some interactions between oils and dissolvable sutures. I can't find anything documented though.

The arbitrary 3 month wait I'm aiming for will be fine if that is the case. The sutures are supposed to be fully absorbed by then. Even 2 months should be sufficient.

Until then, I guess using an applicator would be the best idea.

[OCAnne]

Hello,  I switched to coconut oil within the first month after SRS.  The lube I was using would dry out quickly which lead to dilator getting stuck inside me!
Asked my SRS surgeon if I could use coconut oil instead.  He did not see any problem with its use for dilation.
From that day on the rather uncomfortable process of dilation become much more pleasant.
Thank you,
Anne

[Laura_7]

Hello,  I switched to coconut oil within the first month after SRS.  The lube I was using would dry out quickly which lead to dilator getting stuck inside me!
Asked my SRS surgeon if I could use coconut oil instead.  He did not see any problem with its use for dilation.
From that day on the rather uncomfortable process of dilation become much more pleasant.
Thank you,
Anne

Quite a few people keep using it as lubricant later... for the fun part...
just use non latex condoms then... you might look up which ones are good...

[Sammym]

Hello,  I switched to coconut oil within the first month after SRS.  The lube I was using would dry out quickly which lead to dilator getting stuck inside me!
Asked my SRS surgeon if I could use coconut oil instead.  He did not see any problem with its use for dilation.
From that day on the rather uncomfortable process of dilation become much more pleasant.
Thank you,
Anne

I ended up asking my surgeons office. I couldn't get an answer from the surgeon at the time sadly. But the nurse said her only concern would be about possible risk of infection. Which while understandable, is a very low risk for coconut oil.

So I will switch when I feel ready. My body is currently reacting to the breakdown of the sutures, spot bleeding and spot swelling in places where it's trying to remove remnants of the sutures. My doctor says it's nothing to worry about and that it will clear up. I just don't want to go adding coconut oil into the mix in case it interferes with what's happening.

[Laura_7]

All at your own risk but:
"The antiviral, antibacterial, and antifungal properties of coconut oil are attributed to medium chain fatty acids (MCFAs) in the oil ..."

I'd go with pure organic... and be careful to only pour material out of the bottle and put nothing inside...

[AnonyMs]

All at your own risk but:
I'd go with pure organic... and be careful to only pour material out of the bottle and put nothing inside...

The only coconut oil I've seen is solid at room temperature. You have to spoon it out. Is there a liquid variety?

[Laura_7]

The only coconut oil I've seen is solid at room temperature. You have to spoon it out. Is there a liquid variety?

No. It simply depends on ambient temperature.
If its warm enough it gets liquid.
Otherwise putting it in a container with warm water helps.

[Sammym]

All at your own risk but:
"The antiviral, antibacterial, and antifungal properties of coconut oil are attributed to medium chain fatty acids (MCFAs) in the oil ..."

I'd go with pure organic... and be careful to only pour material out of the bottle and put nothing inside...

It will always be in solid form where I live. I figure that poking clean dilstors into the jar ( and nothing else ) to get a little oil should be fine. Otherwise I would have to got some into a squeeze tube or bottle and microwave it before dilating. Which is fine too I guess.

[Laura_7]

It will always be in solid form where I live. I figure that poking clean dilstors into the jar ( and nothing else ) to get a little oil should be fine. Otherwise I would have to got some into a squeeze tube or bottle and microwave it before dilating. Which is fine too I guess.

Yep... the method with a clean dilator sounds good...
its only the first months anyways...

I'd not use a microwave... it rotates molecules which can diminish the quality...