The individual occurrence and characteristics of chest hair depend on the genetic disposition, the hormonal status and the age of the person. The genes primarily determine the amount, patterns and thickness of chest hair. Some men are very hairy, while others have no chest hair at all.
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.
The reason for this is not known but it could be due to poorer circulation, lower free circulating hormone amounts or other reasons. Lower amount of body and facial hair in men can accompany sever disorders such as Klinefelter syndrome, hypogonadotropic hypogonadism and XX male syndrome.
Overall, 40 percent of the women agree. 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. For the men, 83 percent said they have just let their chest hair grow.
A Hairy Chest Might Mean You're More Intelligent
Although the research is dated, another study found that a majority of members of Mensa, or the genius club, had thick chest hair as well. It's not completely clear why hairy men seem to be more intelligent on the whole. And it's entirely possible this is a coincidence.
Although vellus hair is already present in the area in childhood, chest hair is the terminal hair that develops as an effect of rising levels of androgens (primarily testosterone and its derivatives) due to puberty. Different from the head hair, it is therefore a secondary sexual characteristic.
Men all have roughly the same amount of testosterone. Certain genes make your hair follicles more or less sensitive to the amount of testosterone in your body. Basically, an enzyme converts testosterone into a substance that shrinks hair follicles.
One study found that 17% of women preferred a fully shaved chest, whereas 53% wished men would trim their chest hair. This shows that women actually prefer chest hair, but it should be maintained or trimmed nicely if the hair is bushy or hair sticking out of a man's shirt.
Some Women Like it Hairy….
According to the survey, some women actually prefer hairier male bodies than bare male bodies. They feel as though hairlessness on men looks prepubescent and unnatural. The survey also suggests that women prefer male facial hair and body hair because it also makes them appear older and wiser.
A Big Chest
"Women treasure your chest as much as you do theirs," says Emily Dubberley, a sex expert based in the UK. "Touching, kissing, and licking a man's chest is undoubtedly a turn-on for most women."
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 men find the change is most noticeable in their beard because they don't have to shave as often.
Some men begin to grow chest hairs during late puberty, others in their twenties and some don't even grow chest hair at all. Nature works in weird and wonderful ways, but whether we grow chest hairs or don't, it's all about embracing our bodies.
As we age, our prolonged exposure to testosterone starts to play a visible role on other body hair as well. Just like it transforms the vellus hair on a young man's face into a thick beard, it also changes the nearly invisible hair that grows in places like our ears into thicker strands.
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.
In this study 6 percent of the men were found to have no chest hair. The largest group, 56 percent, displayed pattern four as shown in the accompanying figure. The remaining 38 percent of the men displayed a lesser quantity of chest hair.
It's for aesthetics. Removing hair improves the muscle definition, which is a key criterion for bodybuilding. Makes sense, you want to show your muscles but can't because they are tucked away behind a carpet...
Women stated that their favorite part of the male physique was their chest at 24%. This was closely followed by hair 22% and arms at 19%. For the ab crowd, 13% prefer defined upper abs and 9% prefer the v-cut. Eyes, face, and legs came in at 3%, 2%, and 1%, respectively.
Winner: Torso
According to a 2017 study performed by an online health provider, Dr. Felix, 24 percent of women said that chests were the most attractive part of mens' bodies. Another 13 percent of women stated that the stomach area was the sexiest part of a man's body.
Leg, chest and back hair
A quarter (26%) find men's hairy legs attractive (21% of men and 30% of women said this). Among 16-24-year-old women, 57% – a rate significantly more than any other age/gender group – say hairy legs on women are neither attractive nor unattractive.
One study found that 17% of women preferred a fully shaved chest, whereas 53% wished men would trim their chest hair. This shows that women actually prefer chest hair, but it should be maintained or trimmed nicely if the hair is bushy or hair sticking out of a man's shirt.
HOWEVER, SOME CHEST HAIR IS CONSIDERED ATTRACTIVE
Research indicates that “light” chest hair is considered the most attractive, at least according to women. And this walks hand-in-hand with the research that points to light stubble being the most attractive form of facial hair.
Signs and symptoms of high testosterone in men
Excess testosterone can lead to more aggressive and irritable behavior, more acne and oily skin, even worse sleep apnea (if you already have it), and an increase in muscle mass.
A male sex hormone might be responsible, causing tightening of head tissue eventually impacting the hair follicles. Characterised by hair loss from the top and front of the head, 'male-pattern hair loss' is partly determined by genetics and partly by high levels of a male sex hormone called dihydrotestosterone (DHT).
Hormones called androgens, which are present in both sexes, stimulate body hair (known as vellus hair) to darken and coarsen. Men have higher levels of androgens than women, so their body hair tends to be more prolific.