It protects the body against trauma and also against ultraviolet damage. Hair coloration helps to camouflage against predators and in some instances serves as a sexual attractant like the mane of the male lion. Endowed richly with nerve fibers, it has tactile and communicative functions.
Human body hair no longer has any survival value, but it still retains importance when it comes to epidermal homeostasis (the maintenance of skin tissue integrity), wound healing, and skin tumorigenesis (the generation of tumors in the skin).
Back in the neolithic days, hair would protect the skin from cuts, grazes, and the Sun kept the body warm, and even worked well as camouflage. Through the years, as humans, we have developed through evolution, and our hair waned in texture, thickness and colour, and there are a number of possible reasons for this.
PROTECTION AGAINST THE SUN: People who have a hairy body are less prone to sunburn and rashes. Another purpose that they serve is to keep us warm. This process goes like this- when we feel cold, our body hair stands on end and trap warm air which is closer to the surface of the skin.
Deciding to remove body hair is a personal choice. Getting rid of body hair doesn't make a person healthier, and you shouldn't feel pressured to do so if you don't want to. Some cultures view body hair as beautiful and natural, so do what feels right to you!
It reduces friction
Armpit hair prevents skin-to-skin contact when doing certain activities, such as running and walking. The same thing happens with pubic hair, as it reduces friction during sex and other activities.
“[Body hair] keeps mammals warm. It protects their skin from a lot of external influences, from abrasion, from water, from chemical attack, all sorts of things,” she says. “Hair is really, really useful.” Most mammals, including our closest relatives, the bonobo and the chimpanzee, are covered in hair.
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.
"Hair prevents skin from irritation when it rubs against itself, protecting from chaffing in many areas of our body, especially in the underarm area.
Empirical studies, however, do not support the hypothesis that hairy males are more masculine in biological sense. For example, hairiness has not been found to correlate with traits that are associated with high testosterone levels like masculinity of voice or masculine body shape (e.g., Collins 2000).
Genetic evidence suggests that we became furless around 1.7 million years ago. Around this time our ancestor Homo erectus was living on the baking savannah, which supports the thermoregulation hypothesis.
this actually goes back 35,000 years ago from a genetic mutation. the EDAR gene which is the gene that is responsible for developing the skin. was actually found to be mutated in Asians. this gene is responsible for making a protein that creates hair.
“…in the West and in non-western societies the most common reason for removal is hygienic. But in Western culture they talk about feeling cleaner if they remove their pubic hair. But when they do, the non-western societies talk about pubic lice or disease or pathogens.
Removing pubic hair may therefore make a person more susceptible to common infections, such as UTIs, vaginitis, and yeast infections. Hair removal can also irritate your skin, leading to skin infections such as cellulitis and folliculitis. In other cases, grooming-related injuries, such as cuts, could become infected.
You really don't need to remove your pubic hair for any health reasons, sexual or otherwise, other than perhaps decreasing odor from sweat. When it comes down to it, pubic hair grooming is a personal preference.
Like most everyday health habits, there's really no set rule for how often you need to shave. First of all, it depends on whether you prefer to have completely bare, slightly stubbly, or all natural non-shaven legs. There's no right or wrong answer, and it's up to your preference. According to Dr.
Not shaving reduces skin-on-skin contact friction, which means when you do activities that involve arm movement, like running or walking, your skin is much less likely to get irritated by the friction. This might lead to fewer skin issues like rashes and ingrown hairs.
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)
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).
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.
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.
Some evolutionary psychologists have argued that long head hair improved mating success among ancestral humans by acting as a visible marker of health and hence mate quality (Hinsz et al., 2001; Mesko & Bereczkei, 2004).
The main role of pubic hair is to reduce friction during sex and other forms of exercise, protecting the delicate skin around the genital area. Just like eyelashes and nose hair, pubic hair helps prevent the transmission of bacteria, trapping any dirt, debris, and microorganisms that could be harmful to the body.
Why Are My Toes Hairy? Hairy toes aren't uncommon. Hair on your toes is, in the majority of cases, an aesthetic issue rather than a medical one. However, in some cases, it could be a sign of a medical condition, such as an adrenal or ovarian disorder.