Women are blaming 'butt floss' for unpleasant cysts down there
Topics: Women's Health, Health, Sex and Relationships, True Life, Real Life
Rhianna Benson
Featured Image Credit: Getty Stock Images
Topics: Women's Health, Health, Sex and Relationships, True Life, Real Life
TikTok users are swearing off 'butt floss' after one content creator claimed her controversial choice of underwear landed her in the emergency room.
In a video shared recently, a user known as @itslavashti opened up on the 'traumatic' incident, which saw her 'rushed for emergency surgery', after she wound up with a pilonidal cyst.
These describe agonising fluid-filled, infected sacs that emerge near the tailbone at the top of the buttock cleft. In many cases, this stomach-wrenching enigma is caused by loose hair puncturing the skin and becoming embedded in the highly sensitive area.
In LaVashti's case, however, doctors informed her as they were prepping her for surgery that her preference for tiny knickers - often nicknamed 'buff floss' - was likely to blame.
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Thankfully, the cyst removal surgery was a success, and the online star made a full recovery.
"I spent six nights in the hospital and two days in a facility for wound care," she told her followers, filming herself throwing out all of her thongs.
Apparently, LaVashti's hellish experience isn't a freaky one-off, however.
Her comment section quickly filled with heartbreaking complaints from women who've endured similar blows to their health, largely caused by choosing thongs, g-strings and hipsters over granny-pants.
"They pilonidal cyst ain't no joke," one wrote.
Another added: "I used to wear them every day until I had to get the surgery TWICE …..never again."
"I have not worn one since I had a pilonidal cyst either, the pain was unreal," a third went on.
Speaking to Metro this week, Dr Lawrence Cunningham, a GP living in the UK, gave an insight into why exactly barely-there underwear can pose such an issue to women's health.
"The thin fabric strip creates friction and pressure in the natal cleft area (between the bottom cheeks), which irritates hair follicles and can set the conditions for a cyst to form," he explained. "Tight-fitting thongs worn regularly are the main culprit here.
"That constant rubbing causes hairs to become ingrown, and once that process starts, a pilonidal cyst can follow."
The medic continued: "In my experience, young men aged 15 to 35 are the most commonly affected group, particularly those with thick or coarse body hair. People who sit for extended periods, like truck drivers or office workers, for example, are also more susceptible, I’d say."