Prevalence of Pubic Hair Grooming–Related Injuries and Identification of High-Risk Individuals in the United States

Truesdale, Matthew D.; Osterberg, E. Charles; Gaither, Thomas W.; Awad, Mohannad A.; Elmer-Dewitt, Molly; Sutcliffe, Siobhan; Allen, Isabel Elaine; Breyer, Benjamin N.

doi:10.1001/jamadermatol.2017.2815

Cited by 15 publications

(35 citation statements)

References 22 publications

(61 reference statements)

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“…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%

“…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. 15 Ever having groomed has been positively associated with a history of self-reported sexually transmitted infections (STIs) after adjusting for age and number of lifetime sexual partners.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

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: Introductionmentioning

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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“…Pubic hair grooming could lead to increased STI risk via the sharing of grooming tools with an infected individual; however, fomite transmission of GC or CT has never been documented [7]. 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].…”

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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“…Table 5 summarizes three studies conducted on grooming practices in the United States. Two were conducted using female panelists (70, 71), and one was conducted among women and men (72). All three studies determined that the most popular methods of pubic hair removal among women is a non-electric razor (~60–90% of groomers).…”

Section: Unique Habits and Practices Effecting Genital Skinmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…All three studies determined that the most popular methods of pubic hair removal among women is a non-electric razor (~60–90% of groomers). In the study that included men as subjects it was determined that both non-electric and electric razors were commonly used for pubic hair removal (30.1 and 35.9%, respectively) (72).…”

Section: Unique Habits and Practices Effecting Genital Skinmentioning

confidence: 99%

Sensitive Skin in the Genital Area

Farage

2019

Front. Med.

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When evaluating sensitive skin, it is common to focus on the face. However, it is becoming increasingly clear that individuals can have different perceptions about the degree of skin sensitivity at distinct anatomic sites. Structural variations in the skin of different body sites can contribute to differences in barrier function, which may contribute to differences in skin sensitivity. Potential triggering factors for skin sensitivity would be expected to vary by body site. For example, the face is exposed to all ambient environmental conditions in the course of daily life, and to several products (e.g., cosmetics for women) and practices (e.g., shaving for men) that may lead to adverse sensations associated with sensitive skin. In contrast, the skin of the genital area is protected from ambient environmental conditions. However, the genital area can be exposed to conditions of higher temperature, different habits and practices and moisture due to the semi-occlusive environment. For some individuals, additional challenges such as incontinence can provide triggering factors for skin sensitivity that effect only the genital area. This article reviews data on the perception of sensitive skin of the genital area, differences based on gender, age, racial differences, and the effects of incontinence on skin sensitivity. The effects of menopause are also considered with regards to sensitive skin perceptions and to emerging differences in biomolecular and physical measures of the urogenital skin.

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Prevalence of Pubic Hair Grooming–Related Injuries and Identification of High-Risk Individuals in the United States

Cited by 15 publications

References 22 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

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

Sensitive Skin in the Genital Area

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