Sex Toy Risks: What You Need To Know

Using sex toys is virtually risk-free. After all, toys are made to be effortlessly fun – and pleasurable! - so anything that's made for that is generally pretty risk-free. However, there are still a few risks with using sex toys. Most of these risks can be minimized by proper care and purchasing of your sex toys, so you can go on using your toys for years to come with no issues! Read about some of these risks below.

Medical Concerns

Every person's anatomy is different. As such, there's a danger to any strenuous activity or any activity that includes items on or within your anatomy. Make sure you know your own limitations and are fit enough for sexual activity before attempting to play with sex toys.

Along with that, some people are allergic to various materials. On occasion, some of those materials are the same materials that sex toys are made from.

Dangerous Materials

After your own personal anaomty, a concern over material choice is the next-biggest risk. Some sex toys are made with phthalates. Phthalates are added to plastics to increase their flexibility, transparency, and longevity - which all sound like amazing things! Unfortunately, there are also concerns about the use of phthalates and their impact on human health - which is why they're banned in a lot of products including children's toys in many countries. Phthalates are still often-used in sex toys, though (especially cheap ones!) so if you're in the market for toys, make sure to do some research into phthalates before buying.

Improper Cleaning

The next-biggest concern is bacterial infections that arise from improper cleaning of your sex toy. Sex toys tend to get a lot of bodily fluid and slick messes on them. When you clean them fully after each use, that's no problem. However, if you're lazy about cleaning or don't clean your toys at all, you're setting yourself up for a bacterial infection in the future. Just make sure to give your toy a thorough washdown after each use - and maybe even before each use too. (Don't know how? Check out our article about 5 Ways to Correctly Clean your Silicone Vibrator! ) Bacterial infections are definitely a risk with sex toy use, but you can lower that risk to near-zero with proper cleaning of your sex toys.

Improper Care

The next big risk you have for sex toy use is improper care. Taking proper care of your toy - in storage especially - can be important for keeping your toy in tip-top shape. For example, glass toys left in unpadded storage bags - or dropped from tall heights - can get cracks and sharp edges. Toys left in extremely hot conditions or direct sunlight can also degrade more quickly. Make sure to store toys in cool, dry, dark places with proper padding - especially if they're breakable! Toys with sharp edges from miscare can literally cut you during use, and toys that are degrading can burn skin - and just generally feel unpleasant! Your toys want to pleasure you, so make sure you keep them in the best shape possible to do so!

Aged Toys

As toys age, their material might naturally degrade. Depending on what material your toy was originally made from, this process can happen within months. If you find that your toy's material feels "different" or "off" from how it was when you first bought it or if it starts smelling in a way it didn't use to smell, you might have reached the end of your sex toy's lifespan.

As you can see, there aren't a lot of risks with using toys designed for sex. As long as you're careful with care, storage, and cleaning and purchase a body-safe toy in the first place, your sex toy is virtually risk-free!

Have you ever had to replace a favorite sex toy? What signs do you look for to know that it's time to get a new toy?