Hey Dr Sue — Is It Safe To Use Paw Paw Cream For Anal Toy Play?

I have to admit I had no idea what Paw Paw cream was, so thank you to whoever submitted this question for broadening my horizons.

For those of you who don’t know, Paw Paw is an ointment, cream or lotion that people use for all types of things skin related. People seem to think it can be used for everything from sunburn to chapped lips to treating minor wounds. I have doubts about many of these claims but let me focus on the question at hand — Paw Paw cream as a lube for an anal sex toy.

Many of the Paw Paw creams have oils in them. Oil based lubes in general are thicker than water based ones. This thickness can make anal play more comfortable.

And there’s the added bonus that oil based lubes are usually safe to use with most sex toys, though it’s not a bad idea to take a minute and read up on what type of lube is best for your specific sex toy.

My biggest concern is that the base ingredient for most Paw Paw creams is petroleum jelly, the same base we see in Vaseline. That sounds like it would be great in terms of providing cushioning for anal sex play, but the issue is that it’s hard to remove from the body. This means that it may hang out in the rectum for a few days, and that not only cause irritation of the tissue, but it can increase your chances of…