Health Gist: Checkout Important Reasons Why You Shouldn’t Shave Your Pubic Hair - A Must Read

When it comes to personal hygiene, one major aspect that has been trailed by diverse reactions is the issue of keeping or doing away with pubic hair, the hair that grows in the frontal genital area of humans, located on and around the $ex organs of both male and female.

To some, nothing else nauseates like seeing hair in their partner’s private part, while some people are delighted by it as the sight of it is even a major turn-on for them, and to some others, it really does not matter whether the hair is kept intact or not.

To Mr. Johnson Agbede, a lecturer in his mid 50s, there are a few other things that are as disgusting as seeing a hairy private part. “You know how it feels when you see thick (sometimes coloured) hair in someone’s armpit? That is the way I feel when I imagine anyone keeping his or her pubic hair. My wife knows and she dares not keep it. I don’t keep mine too and I make sure I shave every Saturday,” he added.

Agbede, who is a father of three, said he believes the hair should never be allowed to grow because, according to him, it tends to harbour dirt and cause body odour over time. “Keeping it just does not make sense. For what purpose?” he queried.

But just as much as Agbede despises pubic hair, Mrs. Taiwo Peters, a business woman and mother of two, says she sees nothing wrong with keeping the hair in that region “as long as it is kept clean.” Perhaps, her stance is also informed by her husband’s preference for keeping it intact.

“My husband tells me that seeing it turns him on and that the moment I shave it, I would be on my own. I could trim it mildly but not absolute removal. For him too, he doesn’t shave but he could trim it when it is becoming too bushy.”

Interestingly, those who support it say getting rid of the hair makes them feel clean and fresh while those against it say it does not allow for friction during $ex and that leaving it is not harmful in any way. Thus, the argument keeps going back and forth. Findings however revealed that most people shave their pubic hair and their reasons differ.

Notably, the methods people use to get rid of the pubic hair include shaving (with the use of razor, clipper or scissors), creaming and waxing, which is a form of semi-permanent hair removal which removes the hair from the root before new hair starts to grow back in the area between four and six weeks.

But according to some experts, pubic hair should not be shaved; rather, it should be left as it grows because of the roles it plays as a cover that shields the organs from avoidable infections and friction. They noted that shaving could open up the skin for pathogens bacteria and viruses, thereby increasing the spread of $exually transmitted infections, skin irritation and other skin infections, like Molluscum contagiosum.

In addition, they said the removal of the hair could increase the risk of genital skin infections because small cuts or scratches occasioned by the removal of the hair could open the door for viruses to cause infections.

Even though the situation applies to both men and women, a study published on the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology found that about 60 per cent of women who shave their pubic hair were found to have at least one health complication, and the most common health challenges found were epidermal abrasion (a wound caused by superficial damage to the skin) and ingrown hairs.

The study revealed further that women who are obese are almost twice as likely to report a complication and almost three times as likely if they have total hair removal.

A consultant gynaecologist, Hugh Byrne, told United Kingdom Telegraph that the removal of pubic hair could lead to abscess, a swollen area within body tissue containing an accumulation of pus. He explained that an increase in abscesses as reported had been caused by bacteria that enter the body through the hair follicle that was left open. He however said the solution to such infection could be through the use of antibiotics or an operation.

According to a review of some studies on Journal of American Medical Association, published on Mail Online, the act of removing pubic hair could cause a deficit in the mucous membrane of the skin, which could allow viruses or bacteria to enter the body. 

Source: Genechy