Temporary methods like shaving can help you remove hair for a few days quickly and painlessly, but you risk irritation like razor burn. Using a hair removal cream will last just about as long as shaving. Waxing is more painful and has more infection risks, but it will last for weeks.
When it comes to pubic hair, people groom it using a variety of methods including shaving, waxing, trimming, and laser removal. These methods can lead to ingrown hairs and infections though, so most gynecologists warn against them and recommend trimming or letting it be instead.
From the gynecologist's perspective, shaving regularly to eliminate pubic hair has drawbacks. Razors harbor bacteria and cause some abrasion of the skin; especially in a moist environment. This creates a setup for a bacterial skin infection.
Shaving is the best way to get rid of pubic hair at home without pain, while trimming the hair at home is a painless method for a tidy-up. With the right tools and advice, shaving should be pain-free. And treating yourself to a bikini trimmer will make trimming a breeze.
Temporary options include shaving (by far the most popular method), waxing, depilatory creams, tweezing, and trimming. If going this route, it's best to use a light hand and keep antibiotic ointment close by to treat any nicks or bumps.
Pubic hair may extend out to their thighs, and some girls may have a line of hair up to their belly button. Most girls attain their peak height by age 16, but some may continue growing through age 20.
Irritation: Removing pubic hair by waxing or shaving can cause skin irritation, razor burns, or ingrown hairs, which can be uncomfortable or painful. Infection: Shaving or waxing can create small cuts or openings in the skin that can increase the risk of infection, especially if the area is not kept clean.
Pubic hair holds on to residual urine, vaginal discharge, blood and semen. Bacteria line up all along the hair shaft just lunching it up and creating odor. (Very appetizing, I know.) Trimming your pubic hair reduces that surface area for bacteria, thus reducing odor.
Folliculitis is typically caused by bacteria. Folliculitis causes red and white pimples to grow around the hair follicle resulting in that prickly feeling after shaving. Rest assured, mild cases of folliculitis should clear on its own within a number of days.
Waxing lasts longer than shaving.
This is because Wax removes hair by the root, whereas razors remove only the hair above the surface of the skin. Typically waxing can give you hair-free skin for several weeks longer than shaving.
Lice eggs (nits) are often easier to see than live lice. They look like tiny yellow or white dots attached to the pubic hair, close to the skin. Nits can look like dandruff. But you can't pick them off with your fingernail or brush them away.
The researchers also looked at why people groom. Comfort during oral sex was at the top of the list, with 75% of women and 39% of men choosing this reason. About 67% of women said they do it because they feel more feminine, 63% said they like to feel soft, and 62% said their partner liked it.
The issue with shaving all the time? "If you do remove hair too frequently, you can end up with something called folliculitis, which is an infection of the hair follicle," Dr. Metz says. Basically, the act of shaving poorly can damage the follicle and cause inflammation.
Pubic hair removal is common — approximately 80 percent of women ages 18 to 65 report they remove some or all of their pubic hair.
Male pubic hair is currently less "full bush" and more "clean-cut," which is the current trend. As a result, not all men should completely shave off their pubic hair because doing so can cause excruciating discomfort and even unpleasant skin conditions like razor burn or ingrown hairs.
While it may seem odd that there's a stray pube in almost every urinal you visit, the truth is that pubes don't shed any quicker than any other hair. Generally speaking, we lose anywhere from 50 to 100 hairs per day.
Electrolysis is your best option for permanent hair removal, but it can be expensive. For more permanent results, laser hair removal can also help you remove pubic hair for a hefty price. You can also opt to do occasional grooming with trimming or tweezing to avoid going completely bare.