Thinking about lasering off your pubic hair? You might want to read this.

Much like with fashion, pubic hair (or the lack of it) has changed with the times. 

“Removing all pubic hair has really been popularised since the advent of the Brazilian wax of the 1990s,” Dr Raelia Lew, a leading gynaecologist, told Mamamia. But she says over the last 10 years there’s been an obvious shift. 

“When I started my career, most people had pubic hair and somewhere over the last decade there’s been a very noticeable change in the fashion, so to speak.

“It went from a landing strip to a bald eagle and now it’s permanently gone.” 

Watch: The hairy history of pubic hair. Post continues after video.

Yes, permanently. For good. Because thanks to the joys of modern technology, laser hair removal is helping women to reclaim that fresh faced look, uh, down there by getting deep into the follicle and targeting the pigments inside. 

From someone who once cried during a waxing appointment when the beautician yelled “IT ISN’T NICE FOR ME EITHER NOW STOP SQUIRMING”, laser hair removal has been an absolute dream. A literal breath of fresh air on my now completely bare skin. And I’ve never looked back (unless it’s to admire the technician's handiwork). 

Sure, it may take a dozen or so sessions to achieve it, and you might need a buzz every now and then to keep your lady garden looking tidy, but you’re essentially hairless wherever that laser light hits you. 

Which I didn’t think was a problem. Until now. Dr Lew points out that there are potential “long-term consequences” for those who use laser hair removal in that area. 

“What that means is that there’s an entire generation of women whose labia have not had the benefit of the protective function of pubic hair,” she said. 

Say what?? Pubic hair actually has a purpose?!

Easy, breezy bare skin - but what are the consequences? Image: Supplied by Lovers.

Why is pubic hair so darn good in the first place? 

It turns out that pubic hair is there for a reason. 

Like it has a literal job as “a kind of protective mechanism to the female genitalia”.

“So, our vulva and vagina have this transition from what we call stratified squamous epithelium, which is the skin-like tissue on the external aspect, to this mucous membrane, which is this delicate, moistened thin layer of intimate skin,” Dr Lew explains. 

This fancy-sounding stratified squamous epithelium is where the pubic hair grows. And gee, are those follicles on a mission. 

“Having that pubic hair basically adds cushioning and padding, friction protection, and moisture retention to the whole general area,” the gynaecologist explained.

And it’s not just for sexy-time. 

“Friction can be generated not just sexually but also for things like walking, sitting and wearing clothing,” she added. “So it's a kind of cushioning and padding that protects those inner and delicate skin areas.”

Listen to Mia feeling sad about pubic hair. Post continues after podcast.

So, what happens if we remove this cushioning?

Essentially, getting rid of all pubic hair changes the environment of the vulva. 

“It does have an impact on the type of bacteria that are present on our skin.” Dr Lew told Mamamia. “When women do have pubic hair, there's a slightly different flora pattern [the bacteria that lives in the vagina and protects against infections) than women who don't.” 

Basically, the vagina is an ecosystem and we’ve just committed deforestation.

“If you imagine a forest and cutting down the trees, the forest floor is going to be vulnerable,” she said. “So I suppose that's the kind of analogy, that if you remove these protective structures the underlying skin is more vulnerable to things like flora imbalance.”

And disturbing that delicate balance of vaginal bacteria can be a literal pain in the behind if it leads to thrush, which is caused by an overgrowth of yeast, or vaginosis, which happens when there is too much of a certain bacteria. 

I know, she’s a fussy one. 

Then there’s the fact that going bare means the skin is constantly being exposed to the elements. 

“So the skin can become more dry and more fragile and there can be microabrasions and a tendency for friction injury,” Dr Lew continued. 

“It's a really common problem and one that I've seen much more as a gynaecologist since laser hair removal became popular, particularly in combination with things like skinny jeans and leggings being very popular as well, which are kind of adding some friction stimuli.” 

Laser hair removal has become much more popular in recent years. Image: Getty Images.

Can pubic hair help prevent STIs? 

While past research suggested that removing all pubic hair increased the risk of catching a sexually transmitted infection (STI), a study from the US in 2019 found that women who shave or wax aren’t more likely to get chlamydia or gonorrhoea. 

But what can increase your chance of being vulnerable to an STI, is a flora imbalance. 

“Our protective good bacteria is one layer of our defence against sexually transmitted infections,” Dr Lew said. “Obviously, it's not failsafe, but if we do have vulnerabilities then we're more likely to get an infection.”

“So, I don't think pubic hair in itself is protective against an STI per se, but anything that weakens our natural defences makes us more vulnerable.”

Ok, it’s all gone – now what?

If you’re like me and as fresh as a daisy but now seriously reconsidering all your life choices, don’t panic. 

She just needs a lil TLC and self-care is all (and really, don’t we all?).

“You can say that a vulva that has pubic hair doesn’t need skincare on a daily basis because we make the natural oils from our sebum glands around our hair follicles,” Dr Lew said. “But what we’ve done with laser is actually dry those out and desiccate them, so we’re not getting that natural moisturisation of the skin to protect it.”

She recommends regular moisturising to look after the delicate external vulva skin that’s dried out and is now exposed. 

This self-care is one of the reasons Dr Lew established her own range of lubricants, Lovers, so that they could also be used as a “daily skin treatment”. 

“Giving a gentle skincare regimen as a barrier function can be helpful for some women,” she said.

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A post shared by Dr Raelia Lew (@drraelialew)

What about just showering more? 

“No, not helpful at all,” according to the doctor. In fact, that kind of just washes it all away. 

“It may seem counterintuitive, but often when we wash we actually remove moisture from areas,” Dr Lew explained. 

“The skin is often drier after we wash it, particularly if we’re using detergents, so I don't recommend that, it’s more about protecting.” 

There’s no right or wrong.

Now, wherever you sit on the fence of ‘to remove or not to remove’, it’s important to point out that there is no right or wrong when it comes to pubic hair.

Shaving, waxing, trimming, tidying, or letting your bush fly free, it’s a person's own choice and you do you.  

The best thing we can do is arm ourselves with knowledge. 

“I think in removing our pubic hair, maybe a lot of women haven't been counselled on the possible problems that can result,” Dr Lew tells Mamamia. “So maybe we should have some better informed consent at the point of laser hair removal, so when making a choice, women can make an informed choice.”

But at the end of the day, the gynaecologist doesn’t want anyone panicking. 

“What’s done is done”, she says, and there’s no reason to stress. We now know the risks, and the solutions, and let me tell you, I’m actually looking forward to a little more self-care. 

“I really think that it's every woman's individual choice what they do with their body in every way, and that there's no right or wrong from that perspective,” Dr Lew says. 

Image: Supplied by Lovers.

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