Wax On, Wax Off: Pubic Hair Grooming and Potential Complications

Schmidtberger, Lindsey; Ladizinski, Barry; Ramírez-Fort, Marigdalia K.

doi:10.1001/jamadermatol.2013.8364

Cited by 18 publications

(14 citation statements)

References 6 publications

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“…Grooming–especially frequent grooming and removal of all pubic hair–can cause injury [10]. The process of stripping away pubic hair could cause microtrauma in the skin’s mucocutaneous barrier, thereby facilitating pathogen entry and transmission [11]. Alternatively, the observed relationship between grooming and STI could be due to confounding.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Association between pubic hair grooming and prevalent sexually transmitted infection among female university students

Luster

Turner²,

Henry

et al. 2019

PLoS ONE

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Recent findings have suggested an association between pubic hair grooming and self-reported history of sexually transmitted infection (STI), specifically gonococcal infection (GC), chlamydial infection (CT), or human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). We evaluated the association between self-reported extreme grooming and laboratory-confirmed prevalence of GC/CT. Between April 2017 and April 2018, we enrolled English-speaking, adult, female students at a large, Midwestern university who presented on-campus for STI testing. Participants completed a questionnaire on demographics and sexual and grooming behaviors, which was linked to their GC/CT test results based on nucleic acid amplification testing. We defined extreme grooming as removal of all pubic hair either at least weekly in the past 12 months or ≥6 times in the past 30 days. We used two separate logistic regression models to determine whether odds of GC/CT varied by extreme groomer status for either time interval. In the study sample of 214 women, prevalence of GC/CT was 9.8%. Nearly all participants (98.1%) reported ever grooming; 53.6% were extreme groomers in the past year and 18% in the past month. Extreme grooming was not associated with prevalent GC/CT in the past year (odds ratio [OR] = 0.8; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.3–1.9; adjusted OR = 0.7; 95% CI: 0.3–2.0) or in the past month (OR = 0.5; 95% CI: 0.1–2.0; aOR = 0.4; 95% CI: 0.1–1.9). Pubic hair grooming was common among female university students attending for STI testing. Findings do not support pubic hair grooming as an STI risk factor in this population.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Association between pubic hair grooming and prevalent sexually transmitted infection among female university students

Luster

Turner²,

Henry

et al. 2019

PLoS ONE

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“…In the current study, 5.3% of women attended beauty salons to have their pubic hair removed. Although uncommon, there is also a risk of contracting sexually transmitted diseases from waxing salons, and reports of primary genital herpes from contaminated waxing tools have been described in the literature [ 26 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Practices and complications of pubic hair removal among Saudi women

et al. 2018

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BackgroundPubic hair grooming, including the complete removal of pubic hair, has become an increasingly common practice, particularly among young women. Although widespread, there is limited data regarding the methods, products, reasons, and complications of pubic hair removal, particularly among Saudi women. The objective was to examine pubic hair removal practices and the prevalence of its complications among Saudi women living in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.MethodsIn this cross-sectional study conducted at King Abdulaziz University Hospital, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, Saudi women between 16 and 60 years of age who had the ability to read and speak Arabic, were eligible to complete an anonymous and self-administered survey on pubic hair removal practices and its complications.ResultsBetween December 2015 and September 2016, 400 Saudi women completed the survey. The age was 26.3 ± 6.9, 16–58 (mean ± SD, range) years. About three quarters (77.0%) self-removed their pubic hair, while the remainder made use of professional personnel in medical clinics (15.5%), beauty salons (5.3%), and professional services at home (2.2%). Many women (41.8%) used a combination of hair removal methods, with non-electric razor as the most common single method used (33.5%), followed by laser (8.7%), sugaring (6.0%), waxing (4.5%), trimming (2.0%), electric razor (2.0%), and cream (1.5%). Three-quarters of women (75.5%) reported complications, and although they were mostly minor injuries, treatment had to be sought for 17.9% of complications. Multivariable analyses showed that no variables remained correlated with the occurrence of complications (age of starting hair removal, income, BMI, level of education, mode of removal, advice on removal).ConclusionsSaudi women initiate pubic hair removal in early adolescence. While most complications are minor, close to one in five women experience complications.

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“…Besides the types of injuries noted above, the trend to shave/wax the bikini area is also reportedly raising the risk of infections, such as Molluscum contagiosum, folliculitis and warts. 4,5 Experts theorize this is a result of microtrauma to the skin (via nicks and abrasion) that provides entry points for viruses and bacteria. Researchers in France suggested an association between the trend of complete hair removal and a surge in cases of Molluscum contagiosum.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Schmidtberger and colleagues noted that ''waxing causes deficits in the microcutaneous barrier,'' thus potentially increasing opportunities for STIs to gain a foothold. 5 These authors even went so far as to recommend that individuals abstain from sex for a certain period after waxing pubic hair to limit the possibility of STI transmission.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Grinning and Baring it—the Downside of Genital Hair Removal

Rivers¹

2014

J Cutan Med Surg

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Wax On, Wax Off: Pubic Hair Grooming and Potential Complications

Cited by 18 publications

References 6 publications

Association between pubic hair grooming and prevalent sexually transmitted infection among female university students

Association between pubic hair grooming and prevalent sexually transmitted infection among female university students

Practices and complications of pubic hair removal among Saudi women

Grinning and Baring it—the Downside of Genital Hair Removal

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