Get Professional Pubic Hair Grooming
Among some women, getting a “Brazilian” treatment, where the pubic hair is removed with wax, has also become popular, Breyer said.
In the latest study, Breyer and his colleagues found that cuts were the most common injury (61 percent) followed by burns (23 percent) and rashes (12 percent).
The most commonly injured areas for men were the scrotum (67 percent), the penis (35 percent) and the pubis (29 percent).
For women, the areas most likely to be injured were the pubis (51 percent), inner thigh (45 percent), the vagina (43 percent), and the perineum, which is the area between the anus and vulva (13 percent).
Although the skin in the pubic area is as tough as it is in other areas, the folds and ridges in these areas are easy to cut or injure with a razor, scissors, tweezers or waxing. In addition, chemical burns can occur when using hair removal products, Breyer said.
Injuries can also result in infections and ingrown hairs, he said.
After taking into account age, duration of grooming, hairiness, instrument used, and grooming frequency, men and women who removed all their pubic hair 11 times or more in their lifetimes were most likely to injure themselves, compared with those who did not remove all their pubic hair.
Among women, waxing decreased the odds of injuries, compared with razor blades.
One limitation of the study is that because pubic hair grooming is a sensitive topic, some participants may not have been truthful in their response to the survey, the researchers added.
The report was published online Aug. 16 in the journal JAMA Dermatology.
It seems like more and more people are keeping it neat down there, but is it really necessary? The purpose of pubic hair is to provide a cushion against friction that can cause skin abrasion and injury, protection from bacteria and other unwanted pathogens. If you do decide to groom down there, make sure you do a simple trim because leaving the skin exposed when you shave or wax can put you at risk for developing infection. Our reccomendation is that if you like to keep it hairless down there, seek professional help. Make an appointment to get a bikini wax that way you lessen the risk for injury.