Grooming your pubic hair could be leading the way for a lot of unpleasantness according to new research, which suggests that waxing and shaving increase the spread of viral infections including STIs.
The research, which was carried out in the University of San Francisco, found that personal grooming, particularly ‘Hollywood’ waxing which removes all pubic hair, has a negative impact on women’s health.
Dr Shirley McQuade, Medical Director of Dublin’s Well Woman Centre, said there has been an “enormous” increase in the number of Irish women waxing and shaving in recent years, but the practice allows for the easy spread of viral infections, including sexually transmitted human papillomavirus (HPV).
Speaking to Independent.ie she said: “Certainly we’ve seen an enormous increase in the numbers of women waxing and shaving and a large proportion of women under the age of 50 are grooming themselves in this way.
“With that, we’ve also seen an increase in the number of women who are experiencing inflammation and irritation as a result of waxing or shaving.
“There is also an issue of skin damage. If skin is irritated, broken and damaged by waxing, it might not be able to fend off infection as easy.
“In this way, viral infections have the opportunity to spread easily.
“I’ve seen HPV, genital warts, spread along the line of shaving. Another viral infection, molluscum contagiosum which is similar to chicken pox, also spreads easier along the line of waxing or shaving,” she said.
As well as irritation and inflammation, Dr. McQuade said grooming also can cause folliculitis, which can be painful.
“Hollywood waxes for the most part can cause discomfort but also can cause things like folliculitis which is an inflammation of the hair follicles which can be quite painful and often has to be treated with anti-bacterial creams. Those who shave can also be prone to ingrown hairs.
“It seems like waxing and shaving generally just causes discomfort for days or weeks afterwards so our advice would be to not do either,” she said.
The research carried out by Dr Benjamin Breyer an associate professor at the department of urology at UC San Francisco found that two in three women between the ages of 18 and 24 are removing all pubic hair and suggested it was linked to peer and public pressure.
“Our study is important for healthcare professionals because grooming behaviors reflect cultural norms and it shows that women have diverse motivations that are not universal,” he said.
“What is most apparent from the study is that women are grooming based on numerous external pressures that have likely increased over the last decade.”
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