Could using a vibrator harm you? Following on from my previous article "Three Secrets To Help You Choose The Best Sex Toy Vibrators" about how they work, here are three more secrets that covers the medical aspects of vibrators and how these factors may influence which ones you buy.

Getting information on sex toys is usually difficult. Sometimes you can ask questions but rarely do you get trustworthy answers. Usually the shop assistant or website owner do not really care. The few retailers who want to give a good service, gain a good reputation and develop a loyal customer base try their best -- but even then it can be difficult for them to give good advice because information about the products, even from the manufacturers and wholesalers is usually pitifully limited and often just plain wrong.

Here are three secrets about the medical concerns of using vibrators:

1) Are Any Of The Materials Vibrators Are Made Of Harmful?

Vibrators and dildos are made using a wide variety of materials. However the majority are made of a just a few. These common materials are: silicone; PVC (polyvinyl chloride); latex; glass, acrylic, and various other hard plastics. Unfortunately because sex toys are usually sold as 'novelty products' they are generally not covered by any sex toy specific regulations.

Of these materials none are considered to be particularly harmful especially as sex toys are normally used only on an occasional basis.

However there are some concerns for the additives used in making PVC soft and pliable -- phalates. These chemicals are known to be significantly harmful and there are suggestions they can and do leach out of the PVC. It is advisable to choose sex toys not made out of PVC where they will be used for long periods of time, for instance a butt plug or a harness toy that is to be worn for extended periods.

If you are concerned about harmful 'chemicals' and 'additives' then it is best to stay away from sex toys made with PVC. PVC is a very versatile plastic and so unfortunately it is used to make a wide variety of sex toys including vibrators which range from firm feeling toys through so called realistic (penis like) to soft jelly toys. It can be difficult to tell that a toy is made of PVC.

Many toys made from silicone look very similar and some PVC toys look like latex. We have come across an occasional sex toy that is labelled silicone but is actually PVC (silicone is a more expensive product ...) and similarly ones labelled latex that are in fact PVC. PVC usually has a distinctive smell which is different from latex. Silicone has very little smell. Therefore smell would be a good way of distinguishing between these materials. Of course, sex toys are often wrapped in plastic or are bought over the internet so it is often difficult to get to smell them before purchase!

It is also necessary to take care if you are susceptible to allergic reactions. Latex is a naturally produced rubber (from the rubber tree) and is normally safe but some people develop an allergic reaction that can be intense and, in rare and extreme cases, life threatening. Any other material can also cause allergic reactions in the occasional person, but this must be kept in perspective as allergic reactions to the other materials mentioned are very rare.

Finally there is the question of hygiene. If you do not share your sex toys then the risk of problems is low. Some advisors make a big deal of keeping vibrators ultra clean including disinfecting them after each use. Really, a quick wipe over with soap and water (taking care not to get dampness inside a non-waterproof vibrator) is all that is normally necessary.

If you use your toys anally or you share sex toys with other people (who are not your long term partner whom you know to be free of infections) then a more careful clean is in order. For such use it is worth considering how easily you can clean these materials.

The mmost easily cleaned material is glass as it is inert so chemicals can be used to clean and sterilise it. It is also very smooth, is not absorbent at all (reducing any smells and the chance of bacteria and viruses being retained on the surface) and can be boiled to sterilise.

Very close to glass is silicone as it is also inert and boilable.

Acrylic is also easy to clean, though take care with chemicals and, as it softens at temperatures around boiling water, you cannot safely boil acrylic sex toys.

Latex is much more delicate. It can be easily damaged with chemicals, even dipping latex into boiling water will shorten its life. Latex has an absorbant surface and needs careful cleaning and storage. Oil based cleaners should not be used as oil causes latex to deteriorate quickly.

The hard plastics are usually easy to clean. However there may be fine gaps in the construction of the toy and these will be difficult to clean out. These plastics are usually not boil proof and solvent type chemicals should not be used on them.

2) Can The Vibrations From Vibrators Desensitise You?

It seems the answer to this is -- yes it can but unlikely. Rather like the harm caused to fingers when using vibrating tools throughout ones working life, prolonged exposure to strong enough vibrations can deaden the nerves in the erogenous zones too. But the amount of exposure is the key. Very few people will use vibrators so much that such an effect will be noticed. Maybe some people are more sensitive than others and if you suffer from any sort of nerve problems then it would be a good idea to get medical advice.

3) Could The Use Of A Vibrator Make Having Orgasms Other Ways More Difficult?

Here we are talking about both psychological difficulties and neural pathway changes.

Some people may find that they get such strong orgasms with vibrators that they prefer vibrator induced to any orgasms achieved in other ways. This could lead them to find it more difficult to orgasm without a vibrator than they did before. This effect could be caused by psychological expections and even the training of the nerve pathways to respond more strongly to vibration rather than touch/stroking. In rare cases the reward of strong orgasms may result in obsessive behaviour.

Despite these possibilities problems for most people are unlikely. I would suggest that it is best to try to keep variety in your sex life and even increase that variety. In taking effort to do this you are unlikely to get 'trapped' into having to use a vibrator. Variety in love making makes sex all the sexier!

Also don't forget that there are may people, particularly women, who find achieving orgasm very difficult to start with and often it is only by using a vibrator they can have one. Having had orgasms that way, such people often go on to be able to orgasm in other ways. A wonderful thing to happen to them.

As we have seen, choose, use and clean your vibrator sensibly and there is nothing to worry about. Above all sex should be fun and a vibrator can make sex even more fun!