We don’t often hear the term “butt wax”. Partly because it doesn’t regularly come up in conversation, but also because it’s usually an addition to a Brazilian or bikini wax rather than its own stand-alone appointment.
The intention behind the add-on is pretty straightforward: wanting this part of your body to be as hairless as the rest.
However, anal surgeon and founder of sexual health brand Future Method, Dr Evan Goldstein, spoke to Well+Good on why you might want to rethink this routine appointment.
The skin around the anus is delicate
When it’s not handled with care, waxing this particular area of skin can result in serious and incredibly uncomfortable microtears or, at the very least, a breakout.
“A lot of the places that do the waxing and all the other stuff are not really anal specific,” explained Dr Goldstein.
“They’re not really understanding how fragile that tissue is. Especially as you get really close to the anal opening, especially with women. Front and back and the butt is very, very soft and fragile. It’s such a thin tissue.”
You run the risk of infection
Plus, as it turns out, the actual method of hair removal isn’t all that effective. “When you look at waxing, the problem that I see a lot of is that you’re not getting rid of the hair follicle,” said Dr. Goldstein.
“As it grows back, it can grow back in a very funky way. Meaning you can get a significant amount of pimples and acne.” Not to mention ingrown hairs.
And it doesn’t stop there. Dr Goldstein also cautioned that ingrown hairs then run the risk of causing an abscess or becoming infected.
An angry ingrown hair between your bum cheeks? No thank you.
You might expose yourself to an STI
Between the joys of tearing, tissue damage and butt acne at risk of infection, Dr Goldstein also explains that regular waxing of our butts may result in the removal of a little more than just hair.
Good bacteria that has intentionally grown in this area to protect us from sexually transmitted infections are also stripped away with an abrasive waxing session, leaving you unprotected and at risk of contracting something.
So what’s the solution? Au natural for the rest of our days?
“I push laser hair [removal] a lot” said Dr Goldstein, speaking of his preferred butt hair removal method.
Laser Clinics Australia offer their ‘behind’ sessions for $49 a pop. And while it might be a little pricier than a wax, when we factor in the above reasons, we think it’s worth it.
Have you tried laser hair removal?
