tag:theconversation.com,2011:/africa/topics/hair-removal-3582/articlesHair removal – The Conversation2019-07-05T02:53:59Ztag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1135612019-07-05T02:53:59Z2019-07-05T02:53:59ZThinking of laser hair removal? Here’s what you need to know<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/282588/original/file-20190704-126350-erpzkn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Laser treatment may need to be repeated for permanent hair loss and isn't for everyone.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-illustration/3d-rendering-weakened-hair-concept-loss-1100682638?studio=1">from www.shutterstock.com</a></span></figcaption></figure><p><a href="https://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/health/conditionsandtreatments/hirsutism-excessive-hair-women">Unwanted facial and body hair</a> can affect the way we feel, our social interactions, what we wear and what we do.</p>
<p>Options to camouflage or remove unwanted hair include plucking, shaving, bleaching, using creams and epilation (using a device that pulls out multiple hairs at once).</p>
<p>Longer-term options include electrolysis, which uses an electrical current to destroy individual hair follicles, and laser therapy.</p>
<p>So what is <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/j.1468-3083.2005.01327.x">laser therapy</a>? What can it achieve? And what are the side-effects?</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/friday-essay-how-19th-century-ideas-influenced-todays-attitudes-to-womens-beauty-111529">Friday essay: how 19th century ideas influenced today's attitudes to women’s beauty</a>
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<h2>How does laser treatment work?</h2>
<p><a href="https://www.sciencenewsforstudents.org/article/explainer-what-laser">Lasers</a> emit a wavelength of light with a specific single colour. When targeted to the skin, the energy from the light is transferred to the <a href="https://www.medicinenet.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=4340">skin and hair pigment melanin</a>. This heats up and damages the surrounding tissue.</p>
<p>But to remove hair permanently and to minimise damage to the surrounding tissue, the laser needs to be targeted to specific cells. These are the hair follicle stem cells, which sit in part of the hair known as the hair bulge.</p>
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<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/282590/original/file-20190704-126369-rwjj7c.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/282590/original/file-20190704-126369-rwjj7c.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/282590/original/file-20190704-126369-rwjj7c.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=540&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/282590/original/file-20190704-126369-rwjj7c.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=540&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/282590/original/file-20190704-126369-rwjj7c.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=540&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/282590/original/file-20190704-126369-rwjj7c.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=678&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/282590/original/file-20190704-126369-rwjj7c.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=678&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/282590/original/file-20190704-126369-rwjj7c.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=678&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<span class="caption">The laser needs to be targeted to stem cells that sit in the hair bulge.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-illustration/3d-rendering-weakened-hair-concept-loss-1100682638?studio=1">from www.shutterstock.com</a></span>
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<p>As the skin surface also contains melanin, which we want to avoid damaging, people are carefully shaved before treatment.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/mondays-medical-myth-shaved-hair-grows-back-faster-and-thicker-6743">Monday's medical myth: shaved hair grows back faster and thicker </a>
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<h2>Will it remove hair permanently?</h2>
<p>Laser treatment can either permanently reduce the <em>density</em> of the hair or permanently <em>remove</em> unwanted hair.</p>
<p>Permanent reduction in hair density means some hairs will regrow after a single course of therapy and patients will need ongoing laser treatment.</p>
<p>Permanent hair removal means none of the hairs in the treated area will regrow after a single course of therapy and no ongoing laser therapy is needed.</p>
<p>Whether hair is removed permanently or just reduced in density is influenced by:</p>
<ul>
<li>the colour and thickness of the hairs being treated</li>
<li>the colour of the patient’s skin</li>
<li>the type and quality of the laser used, and </li>
<li>the competence and training of the person operating the laser.</li>
</ul>
<p>However, if you have grey hairs, which have no melanin pigmentation, currently available lasers don’t work.</p>
<h2>How many treatments will I need?</h2>
<p>The number of treatments you’ll need depends on your <a href="https://www.arpansa.gov.au/sites/default/files/legacy/pubs/RadiationProtection/FitzpatrickSkinType.pdf">Fitzpatrick skin type</a>. This classifies your skin by colour, its sun sensitivity and its likelihood to tan.</p>
<p><strong>Pale or white skin, burns easily, rarely tans (Fitzpatrick types 1 and 2)</strong>
People with dark hair can usually achieve permanent hair removal with 4-6 treatments every 4-6 weeks. People with fair hair will generally only achieve permanent hair reduction and after an initial course of treatment may need 6-12 treatments a month apart.</p>
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<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/282586/original/file-20190704-126340-14fcucf.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/282586/original/file-20190704-126340-14fcucf.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=859&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/282586/original/file-20190704-126340-14fcucf.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=859&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/282586/original/file-20190704-126340-14fcucf.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=859&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/282586/original/file-20190704-126340-14fcucf.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1080&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/282586/original/file-20190704-126340-14fcucf.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1080&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/282586/original/file-20190704-126340-14fcucf.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1080&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">Laser treatment work best in the hands of a professional.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
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<p><strong>Light brown skin, sometimes burns, slowly tans to light brown (type 3)</strong>
People with dark hair can usually achieve permanent hair removal with 6-10 treatments every 4-6 weeks. People with fair hair will generally only achieve permanent hair reduction and after an initial course of treatment may require 3-6 repeat treatments a month apart.</p>
<p><strong>Moderate brown to dark brown skin, rarely burns, tans well or to moderate brown (type 4 and 5)</strong>
People with dark hair can usually achieve permanent hair reduction with 6-10 treatments every 4-6 weeks. Maintenance will usually be required with 3-6 monthly repeat treatments. People with fair hair are unlikely to respond.</p>
<p>Re-treatments must be long enough apart to allow new hair growth to reach the level of the bulge.</p>
<h2>What side effects or complications should I be aware of?</h2>
<p>You will be advised to wear goggles during the treatment to prevent eye injury. </p>
<p>You will also experience some pain during treatment, especially the first few. This is mainly due to not removing all hair in the area to be treated before the procedure. Hairs missed while shaving absorb laser energy and heat the skin surface. There is less pain with repeat treatments at regular intervals.</p>
<p>Your skin will feel hot for 15-30 minutes after laser treatment. There may be redness and swelling for up to 24 hours. </p>
<p>More serious side effects include blisters, too much or too little skin pigmentation, or permanent scarring.</p>
<p>These generally occur in people with a recent suntan and the laser settings have not been adjusted. Alternatively, these side-effects can occur when patients are taking <a href="http://www.webstercare.com.au/files/Continuing_Education_March_2015.pdf">medications</a> that affect their skin’s response to sunlight.</p>
<h2>Does the type of laser matter?</h2>
<p>The type of laser not only influences how well it works, it influences your chance of side-effects.</p>
<p>Lasers suitable for hair removal include: <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10759801">long-pulse ruby lasers</a>, <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1090820X05000828">long-pulse alexandrite lasers</a>, <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12766964">long pulse diode lasers</a> and <a href="https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamadermatology/fullarticle/478428">long-pulse Nd:YAG lasers</a>.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/explainer-how-are-tattoos-removed-19078">Explainer: how are tattoos removed?</a>
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<p>Intense pulsed light (IPL) devices are not laser devices but flash lamps that emits multiple wavebands of light simultaneously. They work in a similar way to lasers, albeit less effectively and they are much less likely to permanently remove hair.</p>
<p>To minimise the risk of damage to melanin producing cells on the skin surface, the choice of laser and how it’s used can be matched to your skin type.</p>
<p>Fair skinned people with dark hair can use an IPL device, an alexandrite laser or a diode laser; people with dark skin and dark hair can use a Nd:YAG or diode laser; and people with blond or red hair can use a diode laser.</p>
<p>To control the spread of heat and unwanted tissue damage, short laser pulses are used. The energy of the laser is also adjusted: it needs to be high enough to damage the bulge cells but not so high to cause discomfort or burns.</p>
<h2>Can I buy a home laser device and do it myself?</h2>
<p>Home laser devices and IPL home devices are available in Australia and cost between $200 and $1,000. But they don’t tend to work as well and you need to use them repeatedly to maintain hair reduction.</p>
<p>Parameters are only set for people with fair skin (Fitzpatrick types 1 and 2) and dark hair. For safety, energy settings are capped. And in inexperienced hands, <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20625788">complications</a> may still arise. This includes burns, pain, blistering and changes to skin pigmentation.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/do-i-need-to-shave-my-pubic-hair-before-having-sex-114614">'Do I need to shave my pubic hair before having sex?'</a>
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<p>By contrast, medical grade lasers must be registered with the government regulator, the <a href="https://www.tga.gov.au/can-i-import-ithttps:/www.tga.gov.au/can-i-import-it">Therapeutic Goods Administration</a>. There are also national and state-based regulations about the <a href="https://www.arpansa.gov.au/understanding-radiation/radiation-sources/more-radiation-sources/lasers">facility</a> where the laser is used, <a href="https://www.lasersafetyonline.com.au/">compulsory laser safety training requirements</a> and state-based qualifications and licensing for laser operators.</p>
<p>So, a safe and regulated laser in the hands of a skilled professional is recommended.</p>
<h2>When to see your GP</h2>
<p>Not all excess hair is cause for concern. But severe <a href="https://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/health/conditionsandtreatments/hirsutism-excessive-hair-women">hirsuitism</a> (excess growth of dark and coarse hair over areas of the body where it ordinarily wouldn’t grow) or <a href="https://www.dermnetnz.org/topics/hypertrichosis/">hypertrichosis</a> (excess hair growth for someone’s age, sex or race) can be clues to underlying illness.</p>
<p>Hirsutism, especially when associated with symptoms including irregular periods or acne, can be caused by <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1586/edm.11.45?scroll=top&needAccess=true">extra androgen hormones</a>. Hypertrichosis later in life can be a sign of malignancy. </p>
<p>Your GP can investigate these.</p>
<p><em>Consultant dermatologist Nekma Meah co-authored this article.</em></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/113561/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Rodney Sinclair is the head of Sinclair Dermatology, which performs laser hair removal.</span></em></p>How well laser therapy works depends on your type of hair and skin, the type of laser and the skill of the person operating it.Rodney Sinclair, Professor of Dermatology, The University of MelbourneLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/338552014-11-07T06:13:26Z2014-11-07T06:13:26Z‘Woman tax’ on everything makes us buy into gender inequality<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/63874/original/8h3m7fcp-1415289684.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">The lady razor: pink, pricier, and less effective. </span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">MeePoohyaPhoto/Shutterstock</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Women are paid less than men for the same work, despite the Equal Pay Act in the UK. These are statistics that we are familiar with. Women earn <a href="http://www.fawcettsociety.org.uk/about/">85p for every £1</a> a man earns. </p>
<p>But, adding insult to injury, <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/nov/04/french-stores-woman-tax-pricing-investigation">a campaign</a> has also brought to attention that in France women not only earn less, they also pay more than men for everyday things like razors, deodorant, even ranging through to backpacks. They have christened this the “woman tax”.</p>
<p>It’s a striking irony that a shop called Monoprix – translated as “one price” – was one of the worst shops for overpricing goods targeted at women. Women being paid less and expected to pay more shows how gender inequalities are produced and perpetuated by the workings of contemporary capitalism. </p>
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<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/63878/original/bnymkfkn-1415293922.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/63878/original/bnymkfkn-1415293922.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/63878/original/bnymkfkn-1415293922.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/63878/original/bnymkfkn-1415293922.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/63878/original/bnymkfkn-1415293922.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/63878/original/bnymkfkn-1415293922.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/63878/original/bnymkfkn-1415293922.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">Not so mono.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/endymion120/5207431157">endymion120</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">CC BY</a></span>
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<p>But this story doesn’t only tell us about financial inequality. Consumerism does not only maintain gendered inequality through money - prices and pay – but also by what it means to be a woman. </p>
<p>The French secretary of state for women’s rights, Pascale Boistard, tweeted “is pink is a luxury colour?” to show her support of the feminist campaign. And herein we see the issue. “Luxury” should not be a word that even enters this arena. “Luxury” implies indulgence, but it’s used to describe products that are presented as necessities in the presentation of an acceptable female body. The campaign flags up that we are constantly told that to be a woman is to have a body that is not good enough, that needs altering, and to make it good enough requires work. </p>
<p>There has been a great deal of coverage of the extremes of these practices through stories of celebrity plastic surgery, such as Renee Zellweger’s “new” face, but much less concentrating on the mundane daily work on the body that most women are expected to engage in all the time: plucking, dyeing, pushing up, pulling in and shaving with razors they paid more for. </p>
<p>Femininity is a product of consumer capitalism. Advertising tells women they are faulty – but that through buying the right things and engaging in the right practices they can improve. This is not unique to women, there has been an increasing expansion of similar products for men, but the phenomenon is certainly more marked for women, especially in terms of the ageing female body.</p>
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<p>Yes, there are long standing feminist critiques of fashion and beauty culture as misogynistic and as patriarchal. But we must not throw the baby out with the bathwater – often when fashion and the beauty industry are presented as inherently evil, the pleasures that women can get from fashion and make-up are disregarded, along with the face that rituals of the body are something that everyone engages in. Clothing and adornment are present in all human cultures, globally and historically.</p>
<p>The crux of the problem instead is how our appearances have been taken up are reworked by consumerism. Constructing appearance has become “necessary” work (even when we are also being sold the means to do this as a “luxury”). This is not about individuals and their choices: our choices occur within, and are structured by, wider frameworks of inequality. Women are paid less, and pay more for things that they are expected to use to produce an acceptable female body. </p>
<p>The feminist campaigns highlighting this, along with campaigns such as <a href="http://www.pinkstinks.co.uk/">Pink Stinks</a>, give us much to be hopeful for. It is these mundane and everyday inequalities that need to be stressed so that things can change. </p>
<p>But this comes with a caveat. Given that the shaving of body hair was a debate within second-wave feminism, the fact that this example centres on the pricing of the humble razor and the cultural meanings and practices it entails, shows us just how far we still have to go.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/33855/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Sophie Woodward has received funding from the ESRC.</span></em></p>Women are paid less than men for the same work, despite the Equal Pay Act in the UK. These are statistics that we are familiar with. Women earn 85p for every £1 a man earns. But, adding insult to injury…Sophie Woodward, Lecturer in Sociology, University of ManchesterLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/87372012-08-19T20:07:05Z2012-08-19T20:07:05ZBare necessity? Public health implications of removing pubic hair<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/14377/original/wzzzq8hy-1345182128.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">The negative health effects associated with hair removal processes are of some concern.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Brian Wright</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Shaving. Waxing. Sugaring. Creams. Laser. Threading. Electrolysis. When it comes to pubic hair, there’s certainly more than one way to skin the [cat]! But more important than the exact method are the health implications of pubic hair and the risks associated with its removal.</p>
<p>What’s “normal” in the pubic hair landscape has changed considerably over the last 20 years. Research suggests that pubic hair removal is <a href="http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1743-6109.2009.01307.x/abstract">increasingly the norm in Australia, the United States, and the United Kingdom</a>; but has been documented as early as <a href="http://www.historyundressed.com/2008/03/ladies-have-you-ever-forgotten-to-shave.html">Ancient Egypt</a>.</p>
<p>Recent studies of hair removal in young Australian women show that <a href="http://www.springerlink.com/content/jl7rk8m44k78lg1g/?MUD=MP">almost 50% of female undergraduates</a> remove most or all of their hair. This trend is also present in men: about two-thirds of both gay and heterosexual Australian men <a href="http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1740144508000508">remove pubic hair</a>, mostly to improve perceived attractiveness. </p>
<p>Other reasons cited for hair removal include: possible increased skin sensitivity, perceived cleanliness, experimentation, and to <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i5Qhf99fiVQ">please a partner</a>.</p>
<h2>Pubic hair vs. going bare</h2>
<p>Pubic hair is an important marker of puberty, and signifies a transition toward adulthood. There’s a lot of debate about the actual function of pubic hair (cushioning, warmth, dust or bacteria catcher, pheromone transmitter), but no real conclusion. Keeping pubic hair doesn’t have any negative effects, other than the occasional <a href="http://www.cdc.gov/parasites/lice/pubic/">crab infestation</a>, but many people choose to remove some or all of their pubic hair, lest their pubic hair becomes <a href="http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=public%20hair">public hair!</a> </p>
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<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/14380/original/j62ncb9n-1345184049.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/14380/original/j62ncb9n-1345184049.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/14380/original/j62ncb9n-1345184049.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/14380/original/j62ncb9n-1345184049.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/14380/original/j62ncb9n-1345184049.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/14380/original/j62ncb9n-1345184049.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/14380/original/j62ncb9n-1345184049.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">Waxing pubic hair warrants caution.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Pam Junsay</span></span>
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<p>But what about going bare? Can a lack of pubic hair affect health? Well, yes. A lack of pubic hair prevents pubic lice transmission. In fact, as removing pubic hair became more common, <a href="http://sti.bmj.com/content/82/3/265.2.full">rates of pubic lice decreased</a>. So in the case of pubic lice, bare genitals win! </p>
<p>A lack of pubic hair doesn’t, in itself, affect health in any other way. But the method of hair removal <em>can</em> affect health. The infectious risks of these practises, particularly among those with a weakened immune system, is often under-appreciated. </p>
<p>Salon conditions and tools employed for removal can transmit bacterial infections. And shaving can cause small skin tears (even some that are not visible) that can provide additional sites for sexually transmitted infections (STI). A <a href="http://cid.oxfordjournals.org/content/45/3/e29.full.pdf">20-year-old Australian woman</a> with poorly controlled diabetes, for instance, had to go to hospital with life-threatening <em>Streptococcus pyogenes</em> and <em>Herpes simplex</em> infection of her genitalia following a routine Brazilian wax.</p>
<p>If you are going to wax, be informed! Careful hair removal, either on your own or at reputable salons, is the key to maintaining health when it comes to baring it all (or parts).</p>
<h2>Should it stay or should it go?</h2>
<p>Whatever you decide, here are <a href="http://www.livestrong.com/article/6326-need-pubic-hair-removal/">five things everyone should know</a> about pubic hair removal.</p>
<ol>
<li>It grows back: no matter what method you use to remove your hair (including more “permanent” methods such as laser), it will grow back. The texture of pubic hair may change when it grows back.</li>
<li>Shaving needs prep: trim your pubic hair with a trimmer or scissors before you begin to shave it, use shaving cream, and always test an area first!</li>
</ol>
<figure class="align-right ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/14378/original/cdrpwhjr-1345183529.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/14378/original/cdrpwhjr-1345183529.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=800&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/14378/original/cdrpwhjr-1345183529.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=800&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/14378/original/cdrpwhjr-1345183529.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=800&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/14378/original/cdrpwhjr-1345183529.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1005&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/14378/original/cdrpwhjr-1345183529.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1005&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/14378/original/cdrpwhjr-1345183529.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1005&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Shaving pubic hair needs preparation.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Mace Ojala</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<ol>
<li>Use chemicals with care: buy a depilatory designed specifically for pubic hair removal. Only apply it to the genital area after testing it on a smaller area first. This may not be a good option for you if you have sensitive skin. If your skin develops severe irritation afterwards, go see a doctor!</li>
<li> Waxing warrants caution: home waxing kits come in both cold and hot wax varieties – cold kits may not work as well but are certainly safer to use in the genital region. If you’re going to a salon, choose a professional location that makes safety a priority.</li>
<li> Laser or electrolysis lasts longer, but not forever – if you really want it all gone and for a long time, explore laser hair removal treatments or electrolysis. These treatments are done over several months and may cause some pain and skin irritation.<br></li>
</ol>
<p>And while we’re here, let’s also put an end to the <a href="http://www.pamf.org/teen/health/skin/pubichairremoval.html">three most common myths</a> about pubic hair removal:</p>
<ol>
<li>The rate of hair regrowth will not change because of hair removal.</li>
<li> Hair coverage will not change in density; your body has a set number of hair follicles.</li>
<li> Ingrown hairs are common but not impossible to avoid; everyone has different susceptibility to ingrown hairs. </li>
</ol>
<p>From a public health standpoint, pubic hair doesn’t have any advantages, but the negative health effects associated with hair removal processes are of some concern. And despite recent <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2012/aug/07/pubic-hair-has-job-stop-shaving">attacks against hair removal</a>, keeping pubic hair isn’t right for everyone. As long as you’re careful with the removal process, you can be just as healthy (or even more healthy!) with little or no pubic hair. </p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/8737/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Shaving. Waxing. Sugaring. Creams. Laser. Threading. Electrolysis. When it comes to pubic hair, there’s certainly more than one way to skin the [cat]! But more important than the exact method are the health…Spring Chenoa Cooper, Senior Lecturer, University of SydneyAnthony J. Santella, Lecturer in HIV, STIs and Sexual Health, University of SydneyLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.