There is no medical reason to remove it. And yet, many people feel pressured to shave or wax because of our society's long-standing ideas of gender, beauty, and purity. (This is all very American. Women in other cultures are far less likely to groom their pubic hair.)
Pubic Hair Trends
According to the researchers, when asked if they removed their pubic hair, 80% of women and 39% of men removed their pubic hair near the time of the survey. Also, 3% of women and 21% of men had never removed their pubic hair.
Should you shave your pubic hair every day? It might be tempting, but you definitely don't want to shave down there every day — this could lead to increased irritation. “It's best to give the skin some time to recover,” Dr. Garshick explains.
Pubic hair removal is common — approximately 80 percent of women ages 18 to 65 report they remove some or all of their pubic hair.
Long story short, there is nothing dirty or unclean about pubic hair. There is no medical reason to remove it. And yet, many people feel pressured to shave or wax because of our society's long-standing ideas of gender, beauty, and purity. (This is all very American.
About 67% of women said they do it because they feel more feminine, 63% said they like to feel soft, and 62% said their partner liked it. Women who didn't shave said they opt out because of the side effects, like itching and bumps, or because their partner prefers them not to.
Keeping it clean can help prevent odor. In separate studies, 59% of women and 61% of men stated that they groomed their pubic region for hygienic purposes. However, there is currently no scientific evidence to suggest any health benefits associated with removing pubic hair — other than the removal of pubic lice.
In general, pubic hair in females naturally covers the labia majora (outer lips) to the inner thighs and form a triangle-like shape up to the pubic bone. Some women will naturally grow thicker or thinner hair than others, so typically there's no cause for alarm when there's slight variation.
Shaving with a clogged or unclean razor is a big no-no. 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.
Can you regrow pubic hair after menopause? Pubic hair and hair on the body doesn't usually grow back after the menopause, this is due to levels of estrogen and progesterone remaining low as we continue to age. Not everyone will lose their pubic hair.
Using a sharp razor means that you could cut yourself. Then there's the regrowth stage: Shaved hair grows back after a couple of days, and when it does it can be prickly or itchy. This can leave you feeling uncomfortable. There's also a chance some hairs will become ingrown.
In Conclusion. Shaving your butt hair is a personal preference if you feel like you're growing just a little bit too much down where the sun doesn't shine.
Pubic hair growth begins at the onset of puberty when estrogen and progesterone levels increase. After menopause, when estrogen levels decline, pubic hair - along with the hair on the head - stops growing. Not everyone will experience pubic hair loss after menopause, it may simply turn grey or simply thin.
It is more hygienic not to shave it (although depilation does make pubic lice homeless). In removing their pubic hair, most women will get cuts or ingrown hairs, and some will develop inflammation of the hair follicles or hyperpigmentation.
To reduce the likelihood of razor burn or irritation we've seen 4mm as the recommended length to trim pubic hair with a bikini trimmer. If you want smooth skin we recommend waxing or sugaring. Exfoliate your bikini line and apply a soothing pubic oil to prevent itch during regrowth.
One benefit of shaving pubic hair is that the incidence of pubic lice has decreased, say researchers. However pubic hair removal can also have some pretty negative repercussions. Firstly, because pubic hair is coarse, the regrowth after shaving it off can aggravate the skin.
Some people experience more pubic hair loss with age than others — most likely caused by a mix of genetics and underlying medical conditions. One more thing to know: Significant graying of pubic hair is uncommon before age 50.
Itchy pubic hair is common and is often easily treatable. Common causes include rash burn, contact dermatitis, jock itch, pubic lice, scabies, yeast infection, psoriasis, eczema, and folliculitis. See a healthcare provider if the itching is severe, painful, persistent, or worsening.
"As we age, there are fewer pigment-producing cells at the root of the hair follicle," Danbury, Connecticut dermatologist Mona Gohara, MD tells me. "This is a predestined thing—it's genetic and can happen at any age." With that said, she cites the late thirties as the time at which pubic hair typically begins to gray.