“When you shave that hair,” Dr. Nazarian notes, “you're leaving the skin more vulnerable to these infectious agents.” But don't let that stop you from stripping away unwanted follicles — shaving your vulva is totally safe if done in the proper way.
Removing pubic hair may therefore make a person more susceptible to common infections, such as UTIs, vaginitis, and yeast infections. Hair removal can also irritate your skin, leading to skin infections such as cellulitis and folliculitis. In other cases, grooming-related injuries, such as cuts, could become infected.
Answer From Mary Marnach, M.D. There's no medical or hygienic reason for removing some or all of your pubic hair. But the removal process can be painful and cause many side effects, including: Genital itching, sometimes severe.
Pubic hair removal is common — approximately 80 percent of women ages 18 to 65 report they remove some or all of their pubic hair.
Gently press down on the razor, pull the skin taut and shave in short, steady strokes in the direction of the hair growth. Rinse off the razor after each stroke to keep the blades clean. For a closer shave, reapply shave gel and carefully shave against the direction of the hair growth.
The completely shaved look is popular with 38% of Americans. Men (50%) are nearly twice as likely as women (27%) to say they like this style. About two in five women (38%) say they dislike this style. The natural look, where a woman doesn't remove any of her pubic hair, is liked by 36%.
Many of the common “ingrown hairs,” skin rashes, infected hair follicles as well as more serious abscesses and skin infections in the genital region can be traced back to shaving.
To keep the pubic area smooth and hairless, you'll need to shave regularly, even daily. Consider if this is worth the trouble; it may become tedious after four or five weeks.
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.
Trimming with scissors Using scissors can be a safe way to give the pubic area a well-groomed look. Since the operation does not come into contact with the skin, trimming the pubic hair with scissors has a relatively low risk of injury.
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.
A combination of polls shows that 80 to 90 percent of women prefer some amount of grooming for starters. Only 10 to 20 percent prefer guys with a completely unkempt bush; this means that going wild below the waist is not the default look. It may require less work, but you're not playing the odds.
The Hollywood
It is completely bare from the front to the back, including the underside. This look is popular for both women's and men's pubic hairstyles. The Hollywood is one of the most high-maintenance pubic hairstyles. If you want to go for the full smooth skin look and feel, give this one a try.
Less chance of razor bumps.
The hair can still grow back into the skin without shaving it, but you'll have much less likelihood of getting bumps or ingrown hairs from trimming alone. However, the shorter you trim it, the more your odds go up for getting bumps (see bump-fighting products).
Shaving was the most popular—with half of women going totally bald to feel clean, comfortable, and sexy. But not everyone is all about the hair removal. A 2016 survey published in JAMA Dermatology found that 16 percent of women report not grooming their bush at all.
Pubic hair may extend out to their thighs, and some boys may have a line of hair up to their belly button. Most boys finish growing by age 17, but some may continue growing through their early 20s.
In a study by Riddell, Varto, and Hodgson [13], the top four reasons for removing pubic hair after wearing a bathing suit, were feeling “more comfortable”, “feminine”, “clean and hygienic”, and “sexual attractiveness” (page 125).
Laser hair removal or electrolysis
Laser hair removal and electrolysis are both considered “permanent” methods to denude pubes: both eliminate hair follicles so hair doesn't grow back.
Tweezing. It's a little time-consuming and can be painful, but tweezing your pubes is a low-risk way to get rid of stray curlies along the bikini line. According to Dr. White, this method plucks the hair out at the root without irritating the skin (the way waxing or a depilatory can).
Everyone has some hair in the area between their butt crack. This hair wicks away moisture and protects the sensitive skin around your anus.
Removing pubic hair may therefore make a person more susceptible to common infections, such as UTIs, vaginitis, and yeast infections. Hair removal can also irritate your skin, leading to skin infections such as cellulitis and folliculitis. In other cases, grooming-related injuries, such as cuts, could become infected.
Pubic hair of infancy is due to transiently elevated androgen levels in the first few months of life and increased sensitivity of sexual hair follicles to androgens. Precocious puberty can be differentiated by the concomitant appearance of pubic hair with breast development in girls or testicular enlargement in boys.
As you age, your pubic hair, just like the hair on your head, will naturally start to thin and turn grey. Part of the aging process includes hair loss and the slowing of the rate of hair growth. Typically, hair in the armpits, chest, and pubic region will start to thin and turn grey later than scalp hair.
Mary Jane Minkin, told us, “the most common cause of excessive pubic hair in young women is PCOS, or polycystic ovarian syndrome, which is associated with higher testosterone levels (yes, women make testosterone—and men do make estrogen, too).