Hi ladies,

Sorry for all the annoying questions.  I just wanted to check in with a quick question about lubricants.

My surgeon recommended KY Jelly and gave me about 3-5 tubes to get me started.  When I returned to Australia, I began using a local brand, "Wet Stuff".  They make lots of different types and are available in packs up to 5 Kg, making it incredibly cheap.

Another transwoman recommended a particular variant that is hybrid water-silicon-sorbolene (it's called Wet Stuff Secrets).  It has been amazing.  It doesn't try up, get all gummy, or leave a mess.  It's incredibly slick.  Because I have dry skin, I like using a sorbolene that is hydrating my skin too.  I love it !!

However, I have seen some people recommend sticking with water-based lubricants for dilating.

I read a few articles about the difference.  It seems to come down to
- silicon is discouraged as a lube used to condoms or sex toys because of the risk of silicone breaking down rubber
- silicon lasts much longer
- silicon does not wash out like water

None of these sound like a downside for dilation.  My dilators are plastic and it's a positive that the lube stays in place much longer.

I'm thinking about exclusively using this lube.  I'm also thinking about adding a sachet or two of estrogen gel to it to improve elasticity.

Can anyone think of a good reason to avoid hybrid sorbolene-water-silicon lubes?

Thanks so much

I used to use lubes with silicone and stopped for a couple of reasons. They are the very devil to remove from sex toys and I found my fingernails became weaker on repeated exposure. The fact that it seems to stay around forever isn't one I consider as positive.

For sex we've come to prefer jojoba oil (technically it's a wax with low melting point and therefore not prone to the problems you get with vegetable or mineral oils). For anal play and if we needed a lubricant that was compatible with latex we've favored polyethylene oxide based lubes or lubes with cellulose polymer.

For dation I've been sticking with my surgeon's recommendation of purely water based and while I was willing to start with KY because it was readily available, it contains glycerin which can feed unwanted bacteria so from about 2 months post op I've been using surgilube and a sex lubricant that we like and found to be inexpensive.

Once healing is done I think your options are pretty open. I guess I would want to be past all healing and any outstanding granulation tissue before changing from a purely water based formula. YMMV of course :-)

I've seen wet stuff lite recommended. It doesn't contain silicone so you might have to wet it occasionally. I think its around $40 for 5Kg.

I think the primary reason for using a water based lubricant is that it breaks down and doesn't leave any lasting residue. Also there is little or no chance of a reaction to the lubricant. Silicon and oils might be good for an occasional use but when you are using them 2 or 3 time a day, a reaction could cause a serious setback in your dilation.

Depending on your procedure, you vagina may not be as self cleaning as a CIS woman's so you need to be careful about any product you are using.