Alum to the rescue
Some women turn to over-the-counter products to help shrink the vagina. Alum, which is a product often highlighted in popular music as a product women who don't possess this power naturally, have to use.
One downtown Kingston drugstore owner said, while alum has numerous other uses, it is used by women after childbirth to help shrink the vagina to its normal size. For others, going through childbirth is not the issue.
"Some women have a naturally large vagina and they're uncomfortable with it," said the store owner, who preferred not to give his name. He explained that they either make a douche by dissolving the product in water or squat over a tub of the product diluted in warm water.
Admittedly, he said he's heard some young women say they use it to shrink the opening of their vagina, especially if they want to keep their partners satisfied or reinstate the opening to its original size after having multiple partners that they don't want their partner to know about.
It's sold from $100 upwards in quantities ranging from 1/4 to a pound of the powder, crystal, or rock form.
However, Dr Daley said this is a practice that should be discouraged.
"You should never ever use alum in the vagina," he said. "It's a very irritating substance to the vaginal lining. It's not good for the vagina. It scars it," he said.
Alum is a chemical product generally soluble in hot water and is usually a white crystalline powder. It has various uses which include use in water-purification plants, as a binder in dyeing fabric, in pickling, in baking powder, in fire extinguishers, and as astringents in medicine.