Photo: weheartit
How did we not know this???
By Christine Schoenwald — Written on Jul 26, 2016
Shaving or waxing all of your pubic hair is so prevalent (especially for women) that most people don't even know there's actually a choice. You can get rid of your pubic hair, keep it trimmed and tidy, or let it grow into what's known as a full bush.
Yes, there are women with pubic hair — and not just women over the age of 50, but generally, most like to be clean and hairless.
Like everything, pubic hair and what to do with it has gone through many trends: short, long, wild and well-maintained have trended throughout time, but a video from AsapSCIENCE (a YouTube page that makes science a lot more fun than when you were in high school) asks if shaving or waxing is really best when dealing with pubic hair, or if letting it go natural is a healthier way to go.
It turns out that getting rid of pubic hair can increase the chances of being infected by a sexually transmitted infection (STI)!
There's a high possibly that when you wax or shave, you can cause microscopic abrasions on the skin. Waxing can cause there to be insufficient amounts of the mucocutaneous barrier.
You can think of the abrasions as being a doorway of a club and the mucocutaneous barrier as the velvet rope — if the barrier isn't there and the abrasions are, then the infections have an all access pass.
A recent study called "Wax on, Wax Off, Pubic Hair Grooming, and Potential Complications" found that waxing "causes deficits in the mucocutaneous barrier that may be sufficient for viral entry and transmission, potentially increasing the risk of acquiring sexually transmitted infections."
This isn't especially new information. Doctors have advised to make peace with your pubes for years. Nature had good reason to give humans hair down there: it provides a cushion against friction, helps protect from bacteria and other unwanted pathogens, and the fluids created by the apocrine gland (found in the armpit and the crotch) uses pubic hair to emit a body odor that supposedly attracts potential mates.
Check out the video and see if it changes your stance on whether to remove your pubic hair or let it be natural:
Ultimately, the choice to obliterate your pubic hair or let it grow is up to you.
