Yes, pubic hair typically thins and can turn gray or white with age, a normal part of aging similar to scalp hair, caused by hormonal shifts (decreased androgens/estrogen) and reduced melanin production in follicles, with changes often becoming noticeable after menopause or in later life. While gradual thinning is common, significant or sudden loss warrants a doctor's visit, as underlying conditions can also be a factor, note.
As menopause occurs there is a reduction in the amount of estrogen that is available in our system. This slows down hair growth. It means that women may notice less pubic hair or thinner pubic hair as they age.
Pubic area
Loss of pubic hair may indicate low testosterone, low estrogen, imbalanced DHT, or combinations of hormone fluctuations. This type of hair loss commonly occurs with age. Yet, if it happens suddenly or severely, it may signal another underlying condition and should be evaluated.
Changes to Your Pubic Hair
This may result in a loss of pubic hair so that your pubic hair becomes thinner and more sparse. Similarly, just as the hair on your head becomes grey with time so may your pubic hair because of a reduction in the amount of melatonin or pigment in the hair follicles.
Yes, as people age, it's common for body hair, including pubic hair, to turn gray. This change occurs due to a decrease in melanin production in the hair follicles. Just like scalp hair, body hair can lose its pigment over time, leading to graying.
Most or all axillary hair was lost in one sixth of the males and half of the females. This loss was progressive with age. Detectable loss of pubic hair occurred in one fifth of the men and one third of the women, but only 1 man and 5 women had complete loss of pubic hair.
As an ob-gyn, I want you to know that pubic hair is normal. Whether to groom or let it grow is your choice—no one else's. And there is no reason to apologize about your pubic hair, to your ob-gyn or anyone else.
Let me introduce: Full bush in a bikini. Those words—repeated over and over again with varying emphasis—were trending on TikTok in January 2025, in what could have been the app's final days. It began with a video by artist Sujindah that has been viewed more than 14 million times.
During the menopausal phase, the body begins to produce less estrogen. This causes thinning in the vaginal tissue. This thinning often creates shortened, thinning labia. In addition to shortening the entire labia, hormonal changes can also create uneven sizing throughout the labia to form a “lopsided” effect.
For girls, puberty typically ends around age 15 to 17 years. For boys, it tends to end around age 16 to 17 years. Again, every child is different, so these ages can vary.
Removing pubic hair doesn't come with any health benefits, and doing nothing to the pubic hair or trimming it is best, said Dr. Huhmann.
Alopecia areata usually begins as one to several patches of hair loss about 0.4 inches (1 centimeter) to 1.6 in (4 cm). Hair loss is most often seen on the scalp. It may also occur in the beard, eyebrows, pubic hair, and arms or legs in some people. Nail pitting may also occur.
Obesity also causes labia majora fat and skin enlargement. After pregnancy, weight loss, or aging, the majora can lose fat but have excess skin with wrinkling. This causes the majora to hang lower with more redundancy.
Vaginal dryness occurs at any age. It's most common during or after menopause when estrogen levels decline. The hormone estrogen helps keep your vaginal lining moisturized and healthy. Low levels of estrogen cause your vaginal walls to become thin and dry.
What is a clitoropexy? This minimally invasive operation elevates the erectile tissue of the clitoris, this allows the clitoral hood to better cover the clitoris resulting in a less exposed, less prominent clitoris. The elevation will also help women who have a sagging or lax clitoris.
J. Lo has also spoken about her body hair, telling Allure she “shaves everywhere” but avoids the painful business of waxing: “I don't love waxing. I just don't like everybody… up in the business, you know what I mean?
The Landing Strip
Also known as the French Bikini Wax, this style takes off most of the pubic hair around the front and sides of the pubic area but leaves the hair around the labia alone, leaving an elegant strip.
Gen Z's approach to pubic hair is diverse, with a growing trend of embracing natural body hair, challenging older norms, but many still prefer some form of grooming like trimming over complete removal, with personal preference and comfort being key drivers, influenced heavily by social media trends. While some opt for "au naturel" looks, many in Gen Z trim for a "bikini-shaped bush," balancing naturalness with neatness, and views vary significantly, with TikTok promoting both naturalness and styling.
Other studies have found that hygienic purposes are the most common motivations for pubic hair removal. These results suggest that along with their pubes, women may be getting rid of important microbial niche and protection against recurrent UTIs.
This creates a setup for a bacterial skin infection. 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. Alternative hair removal strategies are preferred.
If It Is Your First
All your paperwork should be filled out before the GYN exam and any questions you may have should be written down. For your first time visit, your doctor will recommend you avoiding: Using any type of douche. Relying on tampons and other things inserted into the vagina.
No, you don't need to shave or wax. However, if there's something going on with your skin, shaving or waxing will make it easier for your physician to evaluate the area.
Thinning hair is common as we age. And while the signs might not be as obvious as in men, about 55% of women experience some hair loss by the time they're 70. Treatments to prevent or stop it can help many women who are losing their hair.
Since our estrogen levels drop as we reach middle to later age, body hair growth corresponds by becoming sparser and thinner, too. In fact, most people will see a significant slow down in the production of leg and arm hair.