Handjob in China

[ahandyquestion]

Hello Doctor,

I have had a wierd regretfull experience this past week...I had a massage in China and received the all too famous "happy ending".  I was concerned as I never saw the condition of her hands, she was completely clothed so I am not concerned about her touching her vagina.  My concern is the chance she was bleeding from her hands.  I thought at first I saw blood on the bed but after thinking about it for the 14 hour flight home I concluded that the little dabs of red on the sheets were from my earlier sandwich I ate on the bed.  I remebered when I receive the massage she had put a towel under me (were these small marks were) but during my feast there was no towel.  I can only assume that it was some dabs of the ketchup as it was not bright like blood and there was very little spots they also came off with some water on a paper towel.  But my concerns are still there....worse case senerio if someone did receive a handjob and there was a small amount of blood present could this be of concern?, also I am not circumsized (not sure if this makes a difference).  The amount of blood that would be needed, would it have been noticable?.  Also I cleaned myself after and did not see any blood on my penis.  I hope you can help me with my concerns as I don't want to continue worrying about it, thank you.

[Edward W Hook, MD]

Your question is too complex for a full answer - people wriote books on this.  HIV does die quickly outside of the body and there has NEVER been a case of HIV transmission through masturbation - never.  Even whne one persons genital secretions get on the other person. This is in part because the skin on most of the body is far thicker and resistant to infection than the skin o fthe genital track.

You need to get over your "what ifs".  If you cannot, I urge you to seek professional help.  Life is too short to worry about non-existant concerns.  EWH

[ahandyquestion]

Any comment??

[ahandyquestion]

Thank you kindly for your answer...just one quick follow up.  Why is it that these activities are not considered a risk?.  I read alot about the survival of HIV outside the body.  I also have heard that transmission must occur in a "tightly sealed enviroment" such as that when having intercourse.  Could someone get infected with just a drop of blood?  or does there have to be more.  I am in a large canadian city and the HIV hotline here told me that the virus would never infect once it is exposed to air...they told me that some experts belier after a fraction of a second it is dead.  You being a doctor do you agree or disagree with this?.  Thank you for your time and your great work.  Is it common for people to have irrational fears about HIV...I have suffered from these since I was 16 years old (Iam 31 now).  I have tried many times to kick it...for this fear is the reason I never have sex but I figured a handjob was safe until I started in on the What ifs...

[Edward W Hook, MD]

There is no reason for you to be concerned at all about the exposure you report, even in the unlikely, hypothetical situation that she might have had a fresh cut on her hands while masturbating you.  There has NEVER been a case of HIV transmitted through mutual masturbation, ever.  You can be sure that in some cases persons engaged in these activities had open sores or cuts on their hands.  Thus to recount:

1.  You do not know if she had HIV. On a statistical basis it is unlikely that she was.
2.  As you suggest, the red spots you noted were most likely something other than blood
3.  Even if 1&2 above were true, there has never been a case of HIV transmission due to mutual masturbation.

Putting all of this together, there is no reason for concern or for testing.  I hope my note will provide you with piece of mind.  EWH