Ever since the reinvention of sex without condoms in the late 1990's, many HIV-Negative topmen have felt that there was a much lower risk of contracting HIV as a result of being exclusively top in all anal intercourse situations. Recent research, however, indicates that there may be a lot more risk to HIV-Negative topmen than was previously believed.
Two new threats have come to the fore. One threat affects only a percentage of bareback tops. The other affects all bareback tops.
JUMP TO: MEN WITH FORESKIN | ANOTHER BODY FLUID | SEROSORTING
MEN WITH FORESKIN:
It can be argued that there is no gay sexual act more appealingly natural than that of uncircumcised (uncut) males engaging in intercourse without protection; truly skin-to-skin. And yet as natural or intimate as that may be, a new study shows that top men with foreskin are at a higher risk of contracting HIV than their brethren who are cut.
Recent research has shown that certain skin cells that are a part of the male foreskin (known for some reason as 'Langerhans cells") secrete a protein, called DC-SIGN. The presence of DC-SIGN, which itself is not directly relative to HIV infection, indicates a high level of receptor molecules attached to the Langerhans cell surface. These receptor molecules in turn act like little bits of velcro to HIV, adhering the virus to the skin cells of the penis and facicitating HIV infection.
There is concern within the medical community that foreskin may additionally trap infected substances (such as lube, and other things too disgusting to mention) thereby harboring the virus and keeping it in contact with these susceptible Langerhans cells.
What this means, ultimately, is that men who have intact foreskins are much more likely to become infected with HIV if their penis comes in contact with any fluid carrying the virus. Obviously, that includes blood, semen, tears, sweat, and saliva. This list has a recent and dangerous addition to it: rectal secretions. More on that in a moment.
The good news is that HIV-Negative uncut tops, and all HIV-Negative topmen for that matter, can practice good sexual hygiene and reduce this risk.
Immediately following intercourse (or, ideally, insertive sex of any kind) you should wash your entire penis with a good but gentle antibacterial soap. Some piercing salons have a good antibacterial and hypo-allergenic cleanser designed for use during a piercing's healing process. This liquid cleanser is gentle to the skin as it has to be able to come in direct contact with the wound without irritating or inflaming it. This same type of soap may be preferable in cleansing the sensitive foreskin. Good sexual hygiene is even more imperative following an orgy or gangbang where you might be dipping into more than one semen-filled hole in the course of the evening.
Sexual hygiene, combined with sero-sorting can greatly protect the uncut male who prefers to have sex without condoms.
Previous thinking that a 1-on-1 sexual encounter between HIV-Negative and HIV+Positive individuals could be relatively safe depended in great part on several factors. First, that the HIV-Negative partner would be the top. Second, no other person's semen or blood could be present inside the bottom's rectum. Third, that a liberal amount of non-irritating lubricant was employed during the fuck. And fourth that the top could be gentle enough during penetration to minimize the risk of or prevent any trauma to the bottom's rectum. But there is yet another newly found threat that is going to challenge that belief...
RECTAL SECRETIONS, ANOTHER WORRISOME BODY FLUID:
A new finding, recently released, suggests that rectal secretions may contain a higher concentration of HIV virus that any of the more well-known body fluids we have been told to avoid. Researchers say that blood, semen, sweat, tears, and saliva each carry a smaller percentage of the virus than the amount which is being found residing in rectal secretion fluid. Additionally, the studies showed that rectal secretion HIV levels are not nearly as affected by AIDS medications in the way blood plasma or semen HIV levels are.
What exactly are rectal secretions? Well, your rectum keeps itself moist and supple by secreting a sort of mucosa. The design of this of course is to provide lubrication that will help solid waste find its way out of your body with relative ease. A byproduct of this design is that, as with saliva, more mucosa can come to the aid of the rectum during intercourse. You've heard the terms 'make me wet' and 'juicy ass'? Yep, that's what they are alluding to, more or less. So what the study has determined is that these wonderful natural ass juices that help make bareback fucking so irrisistable can contain what is perhaps the highest concentration of HIV in an infected person's body.
This is problematic news for negative tops who have felt their risk for catching HIV was very low. However the news is especially bad for uncircumcised HIV-Negative topmen, as the act of intercourse causes the foreskin (covered in microscopic velcro-like DC-SIGN molecules) to literally bathe in rectal secretions during the entire period of intercourse. If both partners are HIV-negative, there is no immediate concern. However, for HIV-Negative tops engaging in bareback sex with HIV+Positive bottoms, and especially for the uncircumcised ones, the risk for infection is now considered extremely high.
What this ultimately means is that all topmen who are HIV-Negative and who prefer unprotected sex will be much safer finding trustworthy sexual partners who are similarly HIV-Negative. It also means that all HIV-Negative men should always use their best judgment when selecting sexual partners for unprotected sex.
SERO-SORTING AS AN ANSWER:
Sero-sorting, or the act of choosing sex partners on the basis of HIV status, is the very best way for HIV-Negative barebackers to reduce their risks of HIV infection. Sero-sorting is also the best plan of action that HIV+Positive men can utilize to help contain the virus and keep it from spreading. Sero-sorting is the recommended practice for all who engage in unprotected sex. Dedicated barebackers should practice sero-sorting in place of traditional safe sex.
Remember, Safer Sex begins with the head atop your shoulders long before the one in your pants has anything to say about it. And the burden does not fall onto HIV-Negative men alone. In light of these new discoveries, HIV+Positive men should also make the concerted effort to engage in unprotected sex only with men who they know to be HIV+Positive as well. This means our bareback community needs to enagage in more honest communication between partners prior to sex, and HIV-Negative men should become comfortable with undergoing more frequently scheduled HIV tests.
With these newly discovered dangers, virus containment should now, more than ever, be our goal. For more information on containment, click the link above.
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