Anal safety

The rectum draws inward. An object without a base wider than its widest point can be drawn in beyond reach, and retrieval then requires a hospital. This is not a rare event, and emergency departments handle it routinely. Any object used anally has a base that is genuinely wider than the shaft, and a loop or a flange large enough that it cannot pass.

Rectal tissue produces no lubrication of its own, so all of it comes from a bottle. Thicker formulas stay in place longer, and silicone formulas last longest of all, subject to the material rule on the compatibility page. Use more than seems necessary and reapply before it is needed.

Formulas sold specifically for this purpose are usually thicker rather than chemically different. A category such as the inWonderstate listing groups them so the thickness can be compared directly.

Products containing a local anaesthetic are sold for this use and are a poor idea. Pain is the signal that tissue is being damaged, and removing the signal removes the only warning available. Injuries sustained under a numbing agent are typically discovered afterwards, which is the worst possible order.

1. Wash hands before and after.
2. Use a barrier where possible, and change it between uses.
3. Never move an object from anal to vaginal contact without cleaning it or changing the barrier.
4. Wash the object thoroughly afterwards, or boil it where the material allows.
5. Stop at pain, and stop entirely at bleeding.

The third rule prevents the most common consequence, which is a urinary or vaginal infection caused by moving bowel bacteria to a place they do not belong. It is a single habit and it removes almost all of the risk.

Elaborate preparation is mostly unnecessary and can cause its own problems. Douching strips the mucous layer that protects the rectal wall and irritates tissue that is already thin, which raises rather than lowers the risk of a tear. A normal bowel movement beforehand and a shower covers what most people actually need.

Fissures and haemorrhoids change the calculation. Both make tissue more fragile and both are common, and playing through either usually turns a minor problem into a persistent one. Waiting a fortnight for tissue to heal is dull and considerably better than the alternative.