Prevention and Treatment of Injuries and Infections Related to Pubic Hair Removal

Hodges, Ashley; Holland, Aimee Chism

doi:10.1016/j.nwh.2017.06.001

Cited by 9 publications

(12 citation statements)

References 13 publications

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“…Although typical side effects reported are similar to previously published studies, the prevalence of side effects ever experienced by women in our study was much higher. [13][14][15][16] Some of these side effects could be considered minor and may be transient. Yet, they may result in epidermal microtears, potentially increasing susceptibility to infections during skin-to-skin contact.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…6,8,12 Pubic hair removal is associated with high rates of side effects, such as lacerations, itching, folliculitis, rashes and burns. 7,11,[13][14][15][16] A cross-sectional web-based national survey in the US found that over a quarter of the women who had ever groomed reported sustaining injuries such as lacerations, burns and rashes. 14 Between 2002 and 2010, the number of genitourinary injuries related to grooming practices had increased fivefold in an emergency department setting in the US.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Pubic hair grooming practices in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa: prevalence, side effects and association with sexually transmitted infections

et al. 2020

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Pubic hair grooming is common in many countries, but little is known about this practice in Africa. Grooming has been positively associated with self-reported sexually transmitted infections (STIs). This study aimed to investigate the prevalence and safety of pubic hair grooming in two South African settings. In KwaZulu-Natal province, 1218 women participating in the Evidence for Contraceptive Options and HIV Outcomes Trial completed an interviewer-administered questionnaire on pubic hair grooming practices, and were tested for Chlamydia trachomatis (CT), Neisseria gonorrhoeae (NG) and herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV-2). Pubic hair removal was reported by 705 (58.2%) of women. Common areas for grooming were the pubis (n = 616, 99.4%), vagina/perineum (n = 529, 85.3%) and inner thigh (n = 255, 41.1%). Half (n= 361, 51.4%) removed some or all of their pubic hair at least monthly and 59 (8.4%) once a week or more often. Common side effects reported included itching (n = 439, 77.1%) and pimples and blisters (n = 249, 43.9%). A quarter (n = 173, 24.5%) of groomers had a positive result for either or both of CT and NG compared to a fifth (n = 98, 19.4%) of non-groomers (p-value < 0.033). There was no difference between the groups for HSV-2. After adjusting for age and having more than one sex partner, groomers were significantly more likely to have CT or NG than non-groomers (OR: 1.31; 95% CI: 1.19–1.45). Similarly, those who experienced hair removal-related complications had 1.26 times the odds of testing positive for CT or NG (95% CI: 1.03–1.54). The practice of pubic hair removal is common and reporting of side effects is high in this population. These injuries could put women at a higher risk of STIs.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Pubic hair grooming practices in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa: prevalence, side effects and association with sexually transmitted infections

et al. 2020

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“…The physiological significance of hair growth in the genital area is understood not only as a secondary sex characteristic but above all as an enlargement of the evaporation surface for pheromones, as a protection of the genital region against pathogenic organisms and mechanical stress due to clothing and sexual intercourse. In addition, pubic hair contributes to temperature regulation of the skin of the genital region through air convection 2–5 …”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Since there are no standardized evidence‐based recommendations for non‐equipment‐based methods, the risk of complications is high during and after the procedure, especially in young and inexperienced users. Motivation is often generated though amateur communications within the users‘ personal circle or through social media, leading to self‐experimentation with methods that appear practicable as regards handling and require little financial expenditure 3–25 . Instructions are presented in internet forums, combined with supposed “Tips and tricks”, such as the use of shaving templates or after‐shave peelings, along with material recommendations of varying quality.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Epilation and depilation in the genital area – motivation, methods, risks and recommendations from a dermatological point of view

Mezin-Sarbu

Wohlrab

2023

J Deutsche Derma Gesell

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Pubic hair removal is a body modification practice done worldwide for different socio-cultural reasons, which is more common in women than in men, more common in younger than in older people, and more common in sexually active people than in abstinent individuals. Since there is no medical indication for genital epilation and depilation, with a few exceptions, there is only very limited evidence in the literature about the methods used and their risks. In order to provide users with guidance from a dermatological perspective on the use of different procedures and associated risks, the existing data were collected, analyzed and evaluated in a systematic literature search. For this purpose, a total of 290 articles in the English-and German-language scientific literature were identified in databases (PubMed, Google Scholar) according to defined search strategies, and 61 publications with scientific significance were identified after assessing relevance. It became clear that depilation methods (shaving, trimming, chemical depilation) are used more frequently compared to epilation methods (waxing, sugaring, mechanical epilation, electro-epilation, laser, intense pulsed light, drug epilation). The different risks and undesirable effects were analyzed in a method-associated manner and prophylactic strategies to avoid complications were developed.

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“…Darüber hinaus trägt die Genitalbehaarung zur Temperaturregulation der Haut des Intimbereiches durch Luftkonvektion bei. [2][3][4][5] Manipulationen an der physiologischen Körperbehaarung, insbesondere im Intimbereich, stellen eine Art der Körpermodifikation dar, die stark soziokulturellen Einflüssen unterliegt und die nicht nur in Mitteleuropa weit verbreitet ist. Die Hauptmotivation wird von Frauen (70,5%) im Rahmen der Körperhygiene und bei Männern (72,9%) durch den Wunsch, einem Schönheitsideal zu entsprechen, angegeben.…”

Section: Introductionunclassified

Epilation und Depilation im Intimbereich – Motivation, Methoden, Risiken und Handlungsempfehlungen aus dermatologischer Sicht

Mezin-Sarbu

Wohlrab

2023

J Deutsche Derma Gesell

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ZusammenfassungDie Haarentfernung im Intimbereich ist eine weltweite Praxis der Körpermodifikation, die bei Frauen häufiger als bei Männern, bei jüngeren häufiger als bei älteren Menschen sowie bei sexuell aktiven häufiger als bei abstinenten Personen mit soziokulturell unterschiedlicher Motivation Anwendung findet. Da es mit wenigen Ausnahmen keine medizinische Indikation für die Intimepi‐ und ‐depilation gibt, findet sich in der Fachliteratur eine nur sehr begrenzte Evidenz über eingesetzte Methoden und deren Risiken. Um den Anwendern aus dermatologischer Perspektive eine Orientierung beim Einsatz unterschiedlicher Verfahrensweisen und damit verbundener Risiken zu geben, wurden die vorhandenen Daten in einer systematischen Literaturrecherche zusammengetragen, analysiert und bewertet. Dazu wurden in Literaturdatenbanken (PubMed, Google Scholar) nach definierten Suchstrategien insgesamt 290 Beiträge in der englisch‐ und deutschsprachigen Fachliteratur identifiziert und nach Bewertung der Relevanz 61 Publikationen mit wissenschaftlicher Aussagekraft identifiziert. Dabei wurde deutlich, dass Depilationsmethoden (Rasur, Trimming, chemische Depilation) im Vergleich zu Epilationsmethoden (Waxing, Sugaring, mechanische Epilation, Elektroepilation, Laser, Intense Pulsed Light, medikamentöse Epilation) häufiger zur Anwendung kommen. Die unterschiedlichen Risiken und unerwünschten Effekte wurden methodenassoziiert analysiert und prophylaktische Strategien zur Vermeidung von Komplikationen erarbeitet.

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Prevention and Treatment of Injuries and Infections Related to Pubic Hair Removal

Cited by 9 publications

References 13 publications

Pubic hair grooming practices in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa: prevalence, side effects and association with sexually transmitted infections

Pubic hair grooming practices in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa: prevalence, side effects and association with sexually transmitted infections

Epilation and depilation in the genital area – motivation, methods, risks and recommendations from a dermatological point of view

Epilation und Depilation im Intimbereich – Motivation, Methoden, Risiken und Handlungsempfehlungen aus dermatologischer Sicht

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