Am I allergic to sex?
During sex, I get this rash. It starts on the right side of my neck and goes down to my chest; it looks like millions of little red splotches. It doesn't itch or anything. My boyfriend calls it my little sex rash. He thinks it's cute, but it really bothers me. What is it? --D
Question:Dear D:
Well, your boyfriend is on the right track. This is not something to run screaming to the dermatologist about in search of the perfect rash cream. In fact, what you are having is called sexual flush, and it's a common part of the sexual response cycle. In some people, it's just more evident than in others. Perhaps this is a new phenomenon for you, or one you didn't notice before. If this is your first sexual partner, you are lucky to have found someone who loves your body in its most natural state.
The sexual response cycle is what your body goes through from the moment you are turned on until after a sexual release. It often begins with what some sexual scientists call "vague stirring" or that little hiccup of a feeling you get when you're attracted to someone -- when you first think "Hmm, I like this guy" or "Nice buns." Then you move to the beginning of actual sexual arousal or excitement. This phase is usually stimulated by some direct touching, such as deep kissing or breast fondling. In this state, you feel some heat throughout your body, especially in the groin. You also begin to notice that you are turned on. Next, you hit a phase of intense sexual excitement, known as plateau, which includes some other bodily signs, such as wetness, color changes in the genitals, swollen vaginal lips, breasts swelling and nipples becoming erect. At orgasm, which is the climax or release of the build-up of sexual tension, there are also certain signs. One of those signs, along with rapid and heavy breathing, dark-colored genitals, opening of the vaginal canal, increased sensations and wetness and sometimes curling of the toes, is the spread of a sexual flush along the neck and chest. As you described, it often looks like a rash of tiny red blotches. At orgasm, sexual flush may also spread to the thighs, stomach and back. The redness subsides in the final phase of the sexual cycle, the resolution phase, when your body returns to its normal state.
As you can see now, your sexual flush is a sign that you are alive and normal. So, taking your lover's lead, you may want to try to think of it as the pleasurable ending to sex instead of a nasty, blotchy nuisance.
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