Pubic Hair Exists For A Reason… Stop Shaving It! Here’s Why

There’s no doubt... we live in a pube-less era.  It appears the late '90s ushered in an age where people in general scoffed body hair across the board.  It seems odd only a decade or so prior, the more body hair a man or a woman had, the sexier others thought they were.  While there may be evidence people are beginning once again to appreciate a little grass on the field, little to no hair is still prevalent.  However, doctors are now weighing in on the issue and reminding us that perhaps there’s a purpose for those pubes.  According to one physician, pubic hair exists for a reason and we should stop shaving it.  Here’s why.
Do you think we should stop shaving? Let us know in the comments!

Little Or None A 2008 study shows no public hair is now considered a norm. However, in actual practice, more women have a little bit of pubic hair rather than none at all.

Shaving Methods According to an online survey, shaving is the most common method of pubic hair removal, with 90 percent of women choosing this option. Waxing, electrolysis and "other" made up only 10 percent of women’s regular methods for removal.

Age Older However, age seemed to play a big role in the issue, with 50 being the line of demarcation. Most women over 50 who were surveyed went natural.

Age Younger A recent university study found that 965 of the women surveyed removed some or all public hair. Only 4 percent did not.

Reasoning In trying to find a reason for the trend, most signs pointed to the prevalence of trimmed body hair in media, ads, or magazines like Playboy. Bikini and panty styles also seem to have played a role.

Surgery In surgery, shaving the incision site has long been common practice. However, recently, it’s been found that shaving increases the risk of surgical site infections.

Damage Pubic hair removal damages the skin of the pubic area. If you think of a hair brush with the bristles removed, that’s the pubic area. What’s left are essentially little holes or microscopic open wounds.

Method Apparently your method of hair removal has no baring on the issue. Whether it’s electrolysis, waxing or shaving, the tiny holes will still be left on your skin, which will likely be irritated as well.

Bad Spot The real problem comes when those holes are exposed to the warm, moist area that is your genitals. The result is a prime breeding ground for bacteria.

Bacteria The most common bacterial pathogens in the area are streptococcus, staphylococcus aureus and methicillin resistant staph aureus (MRSA). This can result in staph infections, and accesses which could require an incision in order to drain the infection.

Other Issues Other common issues in recently shaven pubic area skin are follicle inflammation papules and pustules (puss).

Worse Less common, but not uncommon in the shaved pubic area, is cellulitis, which is soft bacterial tissue without an abscess. This can be present on the scrotum, labia or penis. It can come from having sexual contact with somebody with a staph infection, or from shaving.

Herpes Clinicians are finding that people who shave are more susceptible to contracting herpes because of the microscopic holes made by shaving. These holes, when exposed to the mouth or genitals, are more likely to absorb the virus.

Hair Body hair exists for a reason. Some of those purposes are somewhat obsolete because of evolution, but many are still crucial.

Hair Purpose In general our cavities have hair to protect them from bacteria getting inside. This is the case with pubic hair. Pubic hair also provides a cushion against skin abrasion.