Body hair, in sex-assigned at birth males, is mostly affected by genetics and androgens (which are hormones such as testosterone). If you have body hair in your axilla (or armpits) and pubic area, and you have gone through puberty, your hormones are probably normal. You may have less
We have two types of hair on our bodies: the coarse, usually pigmented terminal hair which includes our head hair, pubic hair and for men their facial and chest hair; and the finer, less visible vellus hair.
What Percentage Of Guys Have Chest Hair? A study of over 1100 men ages 17 - 71 found that only 6% had no chest hair at all, while 56% displayed a moderate amount of chest hair. 38% of men displayed a light amount of chest hair.
However, 43 percent of the total women surveyed prefer men keep all their chest hair, considering it a sign of masculinity. And 17 percent want a smooth chest without a single hair.
The most common problem hair loss points to is one of several different skin conditions, like keratosis pilaris (an inflammatory disease of the hair follicles), eczema or seborrhea (dermatitis that leads to patches of itchy, red skin), psoriasis (a condition where the body's immune system start attacking healthy skin) ...
Testosterone promotes body hair growth in men. As a result, one common symptom of low testosterone is a loss of body hair. You may notice thinning of your armpit or pubic hair.
Many professional bodybuilders and fitness devotees shave because hair-free skin shows muscle definition better. Even if you're not in the pro circuit, there's no shame in showing off your gains at the gym. After all, you work hard and it shows –– so show what you've earned while hitting those weights.
Excessive hair growth is often caused by increased testosterone levels. For example, an individual may grow more hair in the face, chest, chin, or back areas. More often than not, the hair will also be darker and coarser. For some people, however, it can lead to baldness.
Researchers have found that a majority of women really do prefer a man with a smooth chest. Researchers compared the attractiveness of men before and after shaving their chest,and found only 20 percent of women preferred the more hirsute version,the Daily Mail reported.
A Hairy Chest Might Mean You're More Intelligent
The hairier the chest, the smarter the man, at least according to one survey that found nearly 50% of medical students were considered “very hairy” compared to 10% of the general population. (We'd love to know exactly how they surveyed this, but data is data.)
“The ethnicity with the least amount of terminal hair is Asian, whereas people of Hispanic and Middle Eastern descent typically have the most. Other ethnicities fall somewhere in between. So what's normal, hair-wise, for you might not be normal for someone of a different ethnic background.”
Like so many things, it comes down to a mixture of genetics and hormones. We know that at least some of the genes for hairiness are carried on the X chromosome – and the way these genes are expressed varies between different men and ethnic groups – but hairiness also correlates with high testosterone levels.
Aromatic chemicals (namely testosterone) are released through these glands, which is what you might call the whole “manly musk.” In turn, chest hair traps those odors and even strengthens them, which is basically a way of saying “I am a man” very loud, via odor.
When does chest hair stop growing? Chest hair growth will normally start during puberty and can keep growing into your twenties.
Bald men are no more virile and they don't have higher testosterone levels, though they do tend to have hairier arms, legs and chests. Perhaps most surprisingly, bald men don't actually have any fewer hairs on their heads.
Myth 4: Body hair smells.
Not much to say on this one except, no it doesn't. Legend that body hair is unhygienic is just that - legend. As long as your hygiene is up to scratch there's no case for or against growing your body hair besides personal preference.
One study found that 17% of women preferred a fully shaved chest, whereas 53% wished men would trim their chest hair.
Another fascinating thing about pubic hair is its unusual texture and composition compared to the rest of the hair on our bodies and heads. You can't quite use it to floss with, but pubic hair is considerably thicker than either axillary* (underarm) hair or that on our legs, chests (for some, backs) and scalps.
A study from Mitel in 2018 found that as many as 46 percent of all men removed hair from their bodies, up from just over a third in 2016.
Cyclists have long seen the proven aerodynamic benefits of shaved legs and claim faster wound healing. Swimmers are known to shave their legs to reduce drag (resistance, to you and me). Runners see speedier times with hairless limbs. Rugby players shave their legs to make themselves harder to grapple in a tackle.
One study conducted by Harvard revealed that 25% of men surveyed had hairy upper backs while 26% of all respondents had lower back hair.