Pubic hair removal is personal and cosmetic, not medical!

Pubic hair grooming is a common practice among both men and women in Nigeria, although the prevalence and methods of grooming can vary significantly based on cultural, social, and personal factors.

Pubic hair is natural. And yet, people can be very emotional about the state of their hair “down there”. These feelings are deeply rooted in societal expectations and myths about pubic hair, especially for women.

For some, removing their pubic hair is simply a personal preference. People who prefer to remove their pubic hair often cite comfort, routine, and sexual confidence as motivating factors.

Some people believe that removing their pubic hair increases genital sensation during sex. Indeed, studies suggest that there’s a link between pubic hair removal and self-reported sexual functioning.

What’s “normal” in the pubic hair landscape has changed considerably over the last twenty years. Research suggests that pubic hair removal is increasingly the norm because of its perceived attractiveness and cleanliness and to please a partner.

Pubic hair acts as a protective buffer, reducing friction during sex and other activities. It can also prevent the transmission of bacteria and other pathogens. Like the eyelashes or nose hair, pubic hair traps dirt, debris, and potentially harmful microorganisms. It also signals reproductive ability.

But is there any health benefit? Or could it be harmful? Scientists, for instance, suggested that pubic hair grooming is associated with an increased risk of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) like chlamydia, herpes, HIV, human papillomavirus (HPV) and syphilis.

In the journal Sexually Transmitted Infections, researchers suggested that people who remove their pubic hair are 80 per cent more likely to have had an STI than those who don’t, after quizzing 7,580 US adults about their trimming habits.

It also found that ‘extreme groomers’ (those who removed all of their pubic hair more than 11 times a year) and ‘high-frequency groomers’ (those who trimmed daily or weekly) were at much greater risk.

They reasoned that intimate grooming may cause ‘microtears’, in turn increasing the risk of STIs. Also, those who trim or remove their pubic hair might be more likely to engage in ‘risky sexual behaviours’.

A systematic review of studies on pubic hair grooming found that the most common side effect of grooming was genital itching, with a prevalence of 26.9%.

A 2017 study based on data from this same nationally representative 2013 survey reported that 25.6 per cent of groomers sustained injuries during or after hair removal. Cuts were the most commonly reported injury, with burns and rashes also reported frequently.

In rare cases, hair removal also results in the development of boils in the genital area. Boils can develop from skin irritation and infections, such as cellulitis and folliculitis.   Like boils, abscesses can also develop from irritation caused by certain hair removal methods, such as shaving or waxing.

Professor Imran Morhason-Bello, consultant obstetrician and gynaecologist at the University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan, in a reaction, said pubic hair grooming through shaving is not necessary because there is nothing dirty or unclean about pubic hair and the vagina is a self-cleaning organ.

“When I was in medical school, we had to shave our patients for surgery. But now there is evidence to show that pubic hair shaving sometimes can even increase the risk of surgical site infection. When people use razor blades to shave, it increases their risk of having an infection,” he added.

He declared that the risk of an infection from shaving is subject to many factors, including the type of blade used for shaving, whether it is new or reused, and the woman’s hygiene.

Professor Morhason-Bello said the perception that the genital region is not clean because of what is perceived to be coming out from the genitals makes them resort to the use of different solutions to clean up and, in so doing, disrupt organisms that occupy the genital area to prevent infections.

“That is why in some women, immediately after they shave, they notice that they are having discharges, and then they go ahead to procure antibiotics for use. Of course, that will lead to irrational use or abuse of antibiotics,” he stated.

Rather than a clean shave of the pubic hair, he suggested trimming it as a better option while also maintaining personal hygiene.

According to him, “Many women don’t do it properly; some also overdo it. Some women even use antiseptic soaps to clean their genital area. Some wear gloves and wash the place as if there is an infection. But they end up making their genitals more susceptible for the infective organisms to take over.

“Also, sometimes when people are shaving, they disrupt the root of the hair and also the sweat gland, and if there is blockage of the gland, that also can cause other skin infections such as cellulitis and folliculitis.”

The debate on pubic hair removal is sharply divided, with some advocating for it as a hygiene essential, while others see it as an unnecessary step. Ultimately, the choice to shave or not is a matter of personal preference, and both options come with their unique benefits and drawbacks.

I took another wife ’cos my first wife stopped shaving my pubic hair —Husband