As we age, some pubic hair thinning, or loss, is normal. However, certain conditions like alopecia or an adrenal issue can also cause hair loss. If you have any concerns, it's best to contact your Axia Women's Health provider.
Hormonal changes
During puberty, an increase in hormones called androgens triggers the growth of pubic hair . As a person ages, their body begins to produce fewer androgens. This may result in pubic hair loss.
Many people find that when they enter the menopause the hair on their head starts to thin. And it is equally as common to lose pubic hair too, as well as hair on the legs, arms, and elsewhere on the body. This is predominantly due to hormonal changes.
As you age, your pubic hair will thin naturally. If you're losing large amounts of pubic hair and you don't think it's attributable to aging, it could be the symptom of a serious condition. Make an appointment with your doctor so they can diagnose the underlying condition and recommend treatment.
DEAR READER: Thinning of scalp and pubic hair in older adults is simply the result of aging - and hereditary factors are largely responsible. However, some of the thinning may be caused by loss of tissue (mostly made up of collagen, a protein in the skin) that supports the hair follicle.
Pubic hair, unlike head hair, stops growing at a certain point. So leaving your hair untrimmed won't cause a Rapunzel situation down there. But if you want to take a little off the top, trim with the scissors pointing away from your body. Don't cut hair too close to your pubic skin, either.
All body hair that sprouts during puberty—think hair on your underarms, genitals, and chest hair on guys—is controlled by hormones. Since our estrogen levels drop as we reach middle to later age, body hair growth corresponds by becoming sparser and thinner, too.
Consequently, overall, women lose sexual and body hair (arm pits, abdomen, chest, pubic, leg and thigh areas, and around the nipples) after menopause.
There's no treatment for white pubic hair caused by natural aging. If you smoke tobacco products, giving this up may slow the growth of gray, white, or silver hair.
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.
Gray hair can appear at different times and depends on the person. Sometimes it is also influenced by genetic factors. Some people start to have white hair in their 30s or 40s. But others have it as early as their teens or 20s.
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.
Your Pubic Hair Serves a Purpose
It provides protection against friction that can cause skin irritation in this sensitive area. It helps reduce the amount of sweat produced around the vagina. It helps block your vagina from the following bacteria and infections: Sexually transmitted infections.
Protection from bacteria and other pathogens
It follows that pubic hair may protect against certain infections, including: cellulitis. sexually transmitted infections (STIs) urinary tract infections (UTIs)
Jowls, slack skin, and wrinkles
Studies show that women's skin loses about 30% of its collagen during the first five years of menopause. After that, the decline is more gradual. Women lose about 2% of their collagen ever year for the next 20 years. As collagen diminishes, our skin loses it firmness and begins to sag.
B12 levels and hair loss
Another simple nutrient deficiency that is easy to test for, and manage, when it comes to menopausal hair loss is vitamin B12.
When does body hair growth stop? Pubic hair usually grows first, followed by underarm hair after about a year. Facial hair and other body hair will develop after around 2 years of puberty. Development of body hair will usually stop at the end of puberty.
For most women, this occurs sometime between the ages of 44 and 55. When your ovaries stop producing estrogen and progesterone—two hormones key to menstruating—this is when you go into menopause. Estrogen and progesterone also happen to be linked to your hair's health, including its growth.
An occasional itch anywhere on the body, even your pubic area, is probably nothing to worry about. Itchy pubic hair that persists, however, may be caused by allergies, damage to the hair follicles, or an infection.
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.
Bacteria can cling to hair. In the vaginal area, that is both a good thing and a bad thing. You need your good vaginal bacteria to prevent an overgrowth of yeast, but when bacteria mix with the sweat and oil on your pubic hair, it can produce a smell.
Does pubic hair cease growing once it's reached a certain length? All hair grows at a contstant rate, but eventually falls out. With body hair, which typically does not grow as long as head hair, the rate at which it falls out is greater. This results in hair that appears to reach a certain length then stops growing.
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 hair follicles contain melanin. As people age, these follicles begin to die off, and there is less melanin in the hair. As the follicles die and melanin decreases, the color of the hair fades to silver, gray, or white. This process happens with hair all over the body, including pubic hair.
Aging is the most common reason your pubic hair turns gray or white. And while you can't change your genes and the normal aging process, you can slow down pigment loss and those white pubic hairs by eating properly, quitting smoking, and decreasing stress in your life.