Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsPubic Hair RemovalSTI RiskThe EvidenceReducing Your Risk
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
Pubic Hair Removal
STI Risk
The Evidence
Reducing Your Risk
As it’s become more common to shave yourpubic hair, a small but growing body of research has cropped up that suggests shaving or otherwise removing that hair may not be the best choice for your sexual health. Different methods of hair removal pose different risks. “Going bare” could also raise your risk ofsexually transmitted infections (STIs).
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Pubic Hair Removal Methods
There are several methods used to remove pubic hair, each with various risks for infection or other hazards. There are precautions you might take with each.
Shaving
Shaving you pubic hair is easy and can be done at home, but is it safe? Maybe not, unless you’re really careful. Shaving is associated with a number of possible negative outcomes, such as:
If you do want to shave it off at home, you should follow a few rules in order to protect yourself.
Rules for Safe Pubic Hair Shaving
Waxing
Waxing pubic hair can be done at home, but it is usually done in a salon. Waxing involves trapping hair in hot wax and then using a sheet of paper or cloth to rip out the hairs. It can be quite painful, but it does tend to last longer than shaving.
The skin can become inflamed after waxing. It’s also possible for it to become infected.
This may be particularly a risk with salons who do not regularly change their wax or clean their equipment between clients.As a result, it is possible for a waxing salon to transmit an infection from one client to the next over the course of a day, or even longer, depending on their practices.
Ingrown hairs and torn skin are also risks associated with waxing.
Waxing shouldn’t be done in genital areas due to the risks of irritation and infection.
If you choose to get your pubic area waxed, you should:
Dealing With the Side Effects of Waxing
Hair Removal Creams
Depilatory creams and gels use chemicals to help melt hair away. These creams can cause irritation, burns, or discomfort in sensitive regions of the body.Because of this, they are not generally recommended for the genital area.
If you must use these creams, look for one that says it’s safe to be used genitally. Then do a patch test on a less sensitive area of skin. It’s not a guarantee that you won’t have a problem using the cream in your genital area. However, it is at least a good first check to make certain your skin isn’t hypersensitive to the ingredients.
You can use these creams reasonably safely on the bikini line, presuming you follow the instructions.
Laser Hair Removal
Laser hair removal is generally not recommended for the pubic area for a number of reasons:
Pubic Hair Grooming and STI Risk
However, there are also several ways in which shaving or waxing pubic hair could directly increase infection risk:
To date, the evidence that pubic hair removal might affect STI risk has come primarily from small observational studies. Such studies cannot easily be used to prove that shaving or waxing pubic hair increases STI risk. They can only show that the two are associated.
However, in these studies, hair removal has been associated with the presence of viral STIs.Pubic hair removal has also been shown to increase the number of lesions and sores that are visible on the body.It is therefore entirely plausible that shaving or waxing could increase STI risk in all the ways mentioned above.
If pubic hair grooming is important to you or improves your self-image, don’t stress. The evidence out there isn’t strong enough to suggest you should stop.
If you want to try reducing any potential risks of hair removal, though, you can do several things that might make it safer:
Another choice that might reduce the risk of hair removal is to trim your pubic hair instead of removing it. Carefully trimming with scissors, avoiding damaging or disturbing the skin, and leaving enough hair intact to reduce skin-to-skin contact with your partner may be a safer way to indulge in pubic hair grooming.
Research on post-surgical infections suggests that clipping is less likely than shaving to lead to skin infections.No good research has been done on relative risk related specifically to STIs, but it seems likely that the same would be true during home pubic-hair removal.
A Word From Verywell
Removing or not removing pubic hair is a personal decision. The key is being aware of potential risks and taking steps to protect your health, no matter what you choose. If you have questions or concerns, bring them up with your healthcare provider.
The Best At-Home STI Tests
10 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Mount Sinai Adolescent Health Center.You asked it: STIs from shaving?Carniciu AL, Chou J, Leskov I, Freitag SK.Clinical presentation and bacteriology of eyebrow infections: The Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary experience (2008-2015).Ophthalmic Plast Reconstr Surg. 2017;33(5):372-375. doi:10.1097/IOP.0000000000000797American Academy of Dermatology Association.Hair removal: how to wax.National Eczema Association.Shaving, waxing and body hair removal guide.American Academy of Dermatology Association.Laser hair removal: FAQs.Desruelles F, Cunningham SA, Dubois D.Pubic hair removal: A risk factor for ‘minor’ STI such as molluscum contagiosum?Sex Transm Infect. 2013;89(3):216. doi:10.1136/sextrans-2012-050982Herbenick D, Hensel D, Smith NK, et al.Pubic hair removal and sexual behavior: Findings from a prospective daily diary study of sexually active women in the United States.J Sex Med. 2013;10(3):678-685. doi:10.1111/jsm.12031Center for Young Women’s Health.Removing pubic hair.Truesdale MD, Osterberg EC, Gaither TW, et al.Prevalence of pubic hair grooming-related injuries and identification of high-risk individuals in the United States.JAMA Dermatol. 2017;153(11):1114–1121. doi:10.1001/jamadermatol.2017.2815Tanner J, Norrie P, Melen K.Preoperative hair removal to reduce surgical site infection.Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2011;(11):CD004122. doi:10.1002/14651858.CD004122.pub4Additional ReadingCastronovo C, Lebas E, Nikkels-Tassoudji N, Nikkels AF.Viral infections of the pubis.Int J STD AIDS. 2012;23(1):48-50. doi:10.1258/ijsa.2011.010548.
10 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Mount Sinai Adolescent Health Center.You asked it: STIs from shaving?Carniciu AL, Chou J, Leskov I, Freitag SK.Clinical presentation and bacteriology of eyebrow infections: The Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary experience (2008-2015).Ophthalmic Plast Reconstr Surg. 2017;33(5):372-375. doi:10.1097/IOP.0000000000000797American Academy of Dermatology Association.Hair removal: how to wax.National Eczema Association.Shaving, waxing and body hair removal guide.American Academy of Dermatology Association.Laser hair removal: FAQs.Desruelles F, Cunningham SA, Dubois D.Pubic hair removal: A risk factor for ‘minor’ STI such as molluscum contagiosum?Sex Transm Infect. 2013;89(3):216. doi:10.1136/sextrans-2012-050982Herbenick D, Hensel D, Smith NK, et al.Pubic hair removal and sexual behavior: Findings from a prospective daily diary study of sexually active women in the United States.J Sex Med. 2013;10(3):678-685. doi:10.1111/jsm.12031Center for Young Women’s Health.Removing pubic hair.Truesdale MD, Osterberg EC, Gaither TW, et al.Prevalence of pubic hair grooming-related injuries and identification of high-risk individuals in the United States.JAMA Dermatol. 2017;153(11):1114–1121. doi:10.1001/jamadermatol.2017.2815Tanner J, Norrie P, Melen K.Preoperative hair removal to reduce surgical site infection.Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2011;(11):CD004122. doi:10.1002/14651858.CD004122.pub4Additional ReadingCastronovo C, Lebas E, Nikkels-Tassoudji N, Nikkels AF.Viral infections of the pubis.Int J STD AIDS. 2012;23(1):48-50. doi:10.1258/ijsa.2011.010548.
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
Mount Sinai Adolescent Health Center.You asked it: STIs from shaving?Carniciu AL, Chou J, Leskov I, Freitag SK.Clinical presentation and bacteriology of eyebrow infections: The Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary experience (2008-2015).Ophthalmic Plast Reconstr Surg. 2017;33(5):372-375. doi:10.1097/IOP.0000000000000797American Academy of Dermatology Association.Hair removal: how to wax.National Eczema Association.Shaving, waxing and body hair removal guide.American Academy of Dermatology Association.Laser hair removal: FAQs.Desruelles F, Cunningham SA, Dubois D.Pubic hair removal: A risk factor for ‘minor’ STI such as molluscum contagiosum?Sex Transm Infect. 2013;89(3):216. doi:10.1136/sextrans-2012-050982Herbenick D, Hensel D, Smith NK, et al.Pubic hair removal and sexual behavior: Findings from a prospective daily diary study of sexually active women in the United States.J Sex Med. 2013;10(3):678-685. doi:10.1111/jsm.12031Center for Young Women’s Health.Removing pubic hair.Truesdale MD, Osterberg EC, Gaither TW, et al.Prevalence of pubic hair grooming-related injuries and identification of high-risk individuals in the United States.JAMA Dermatol. 2017;153(11):1114–1121. doi:10.1001/jamadermatol.2017.2815Tanner J, Norrie P, Melen K.Preoperative hair removal to reduce surgical site infection.Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2011;(11):CD004122. doi:10.1002/14651858.CD004122.pub4
Mount Sinai Adolescent Health Center.You asked it: STIs from shaving?
Carniciu AL, Chou J, Leskov I, Freitag SK.Clinical presentation and bacteriology of eyebrow infections: The Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary experience (2008-2015).Ophthalmic Plast Reconstr Surg. 2017;33(5):372-375. doi:10.1097/IOP.0000000000000797
American Academy of Dermatology Association.Hair removal: how to wax.
National Eczema Association.Shaving, waxing and body hair removal guide.
American Academy of Dermatology Association.Laser hair removal: FAQs.
Desruelles F, Cunningham SA, Dubois D.Pubic hair removal: A risk factor for ‘minor’ STI such as molluscum contagiosum?Sex Transm Infect. 2013;89(3):216. doi:10.1136/sextrans-2012-050982
Herbenick D, Hensel D, Smith NK, et al.Pubic hair removal and sexual behavior: Findings from a prospective daily diary study of sexually active women in the United States.J Sex Med. 2013;10(3):678-685. doi:10.1111/jsm.12031
Center for Young Women’s Health.Removing pubic hair.
Truesdale MD, Osterberg EC, Gaither TW, et al.Prevalence of pubic hair grooming-related injuries and identification of high-risk individuals in the United States.JAMA Dermatol. 2017;153(11):1114–1121. doi:10.1001/jamadermatol.2017.2815
Tanner J, Norrie P, Melen K.Preoperative hair removal to reduce surgical site infection.Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2011;(11):CD004122. doi:10.1002/14651858.CD004122.pub4
Castronovo C, Lebas E, Nikkels-Tassoudji N, Nikkels AF.Viral infections of the pubis.Int J STD AIDS. 2012;23(1):48-50. doi:10.1258/ijsa.2011.010548.
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