Dry cracked and slightly bleeding hands.

[unk122]

I recently was with a woman and my hands and fingers were very dry and cracked and slightly bleeding, not sure if any were actively bleeding or not. I do know there were a lot of small dried blod spots. I washed my hands before and did not have sex with her. I did, however, use my hands do play with her vagina. I cannot remember if I washed my hands immediately afterward or not. Should I be worried about STDs?

[Edward W Hook, MD]

None of these acitivties are associated with STD risk.  EWH

[Edward W Hook, MD]

Welcome to the Forum.  We get many questions of this sort.  there is no meaningful risk for STDs through the activiteis you describe.  The skin has many layers and even when the skin of the hands are cracked, they remain very resistant to infection of any sort.  The risk is introduction of STD pathogens (bacterial or viral) is acutally probably lower than the risk for getting the sort of skin infection that one gets when a scrape or cut gets infected elsewhere on the body as the STD organisms do not bilogically"target" these tissues.  There is no reason to worry, or to test, for STDs related to this exposure.  EWH

[unk122]

Thanks again Doctor Hook.

[unk122]

One other thing, if it is possible for you to answer. Is it possible for an STD to stay on the scrotum and then enter the penis after the condom is off? And what about sucking on a woman's breasts? If you could answer either of those that would be great. If only one the first. Thanks again for your help.