Times change, and so does the perception of our genitals and aesthetic habits. In recent years, hair removal of the genitals has become fashionable, and is an increasingly common practice among men and women. Can it affect health ?
The truth is that it is not clear, and there are not many conclusive studies on the matter. The last one carried out has been published in the scientific journal Sexually Transmitted Infections and includes the results of a macro-survey conducted on 7,580 Americans between 18 and 65 years old .
The data was adjusted to eliminate the effects of the participants’ age and number of sexual partners, and the results revealed a higher incidence of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) among people who reported having their genitalia ever waxed. On average, the prevalence of STDs was 13% for all participants, 8% for people who said they had never practiced pubic hair removal , 14% for those who had done it at least once, and 18% for the interviewees who affirmed to do so assiduously.
Does that mean that we must conclude that hair removal of intimate areas carries a greater risk of contracting STDs ? No, and the authors stress this point: a significant relationship has been found between both factors, but it is necessary to dig deeper to find the causes of this relationship.
According to the researchers, when epilating , small micro-cuts can be produced that make it easier for viruses and bacteria to penetrate the body and for infection to occur. That would be a possible explanation, which will have to be validated with a specific study. Another idea has to do with sexual habits : it is possible that people who wax have riskier behaviors when they have sex, for example. In addition, another limitation of the study, according to its authors, is that they did not ask any questions regarding the use of condoms to protect against STDs.
In any case, they conclude, measures could be taken such as reinforcing sexual education and recommending to followers of comprehensive hair removal to wait for their small wounds to heal before having sex , especially if it is with sporadic partners.
