Pubic Hair Grooming Injuries Presenting to U.S. Emergency Departments

doi:10.1016/j.urology.2012.08.025

Urology

Volume 80, Issue 6, December 2012, Pages 1187-1191

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.urology.2012.08.025 Get rights and content

Objective

To describe the demographics and mechanism of genitourinary (GU) injuries related to pubic hair grooming in patients who present to U.S. emergency departments (EDs).

Materials and Methods

The National Electronic Injury Surveillance System contains prospectively collected data from patients who present to EDs with consumer product-related injuries. The National Electronic Injury Surveillance System is a stratified probability sample, validated to provide national estimates of all patients who present to U.S. EDs with an injury. We reviewed the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System to identify incidents of GU injury related to pubic hair grooming for 2002-2010. The variables reviewed included age, race, gender, injury type, location (organ) of injury, hospital disposition, and grooming product.

Results

From 2002 to 2010, an observed 335 actual ED visits for GU injury related to grooming products provided an estimated 11,704 incidents (95% confidence interval 8430-15,004). The number of incidents increased fivefold during that period, amounting to an estimated increase of 247 incidents annually (95% confidence interval 110-384, P = .001). Of the cohort, 56.7% were women. The mean age was 30.8 years (95% confidence interval 28.8-32.9). Shaving razors were implicated in 83% of the injuries. Laceration was the most common type of injury (36.6%). The most common site of injury was the external female genitalia (36.0%). Most injuries (97.3%) were treated within the ED, with subsequent patient discharge.

Conclusion

Most GU injuries that result from the use of grooming products are minor and involve the use of razors. The demographics of patients with GU injuries from grooming products largely paralleled observations about cultural grooming trends in the United States.

Section snippets

Data Source

The National Electronic Injury Surveillance System (NEISS) is operated by the U.S. Consumer Products Safety Commission (CPSC) and is used to monitor injuries treated in hospital EDs. NEISS contains prospectively collected data from >100 hospital EDs, selected from those with ≥6 beds and open 24 h/d in the United States and its territories. Each of these hospitals collect patient information for every ED visit involving an injury and designates those associated with consumer products. Secondary

Demographic Features

From 2002 to 2010, 335 actual ED visits for GU injury secondary to grooming products were observed. This provided an estimated 11,704 (95% CI 8430-15,004) grooming-related GU injuries or 3.0% of the total 394,438 GU injuries estimated to occur during the study period.

The overall mean age of the patients with GU grooming product injuries was 30.8 years (95% CI 28.7-32.9). The mean age of the men was 38.3 years (95% CI 34.3-42.2) vs 25.2 years (95% CI 23.5-26.8) for the women. Close to one-half

Comment

In the United States, the prevalence and nature of urologic injury from personal grooming products is largely unknown. In a national stratified probability sample of consumer product-related injuries presenting to U.S. EDs, we found a modest rate of GU injuries related to grooming product usage (3% of all GU injuries documented). Injuries occurred slightly more often in women (56.7%). When stratified by sex, differences in product type and injury diagnosis were observed. For both sexes, the

Conclusion

Depilatory practices account for a small portion of GU injuries presenting to U.S. hospital EDs. Most injuries are related to nonelectric razors, are minor, and are managed with outpatient treatment. The demographics of patients with GU injuries from grooming products largely parallel observations about cultural changes and grooming practices in the United States. Although hair removal products account for a small proportion of GU injuries, the increasing number of incidents in both men and

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Cited by (36)

The influence of pornography on heterosexual black men and women's genital self-image & grooming
2024, Body Image
Pornography consumption may negatively impact Black men’s and women’s genital self-image. Poor genital self-image is linked to negative mental health outcomes and sexual dysfunction. Despite this, little work has examined genital self-image among Black men and women, a group whose genital self-image may be informed by racist-gendered stereotypes and perceived expectations for genital grooming. The purpose of this multigenerational qualitative study is to examine how pornography impacts genital self-image and grooming for Black heterosexual men and women. Semi-structured qualitative interviews were conducted with participants (n = 20) across four generational cohorts. An inductive content analysis resulted in three categories and four subcategories. All participants reported pornography consumption at some point in their lifetime. The degree of influence on their genital self-image and grooming was categorized in four ways: no influence, perceived influence, and direct influence, and resisting influence. There were four subcategories within the perceived and direct influence categories: pubic hair grooming & preferences, designer vaginas, penis size, and partnered expectations. Black men and women differed in their reported influence of porn on genital self-image and grooming. Implications of findings for pornography creators, sex educators, and sex partners are discussed.
“To Shave or Not to Shave”: Pubic Hair Removal and Its Association with Relational and Sexual Satisfaction in Women and Men
2019, Journal of Sexual Medicine
Pubic hair removal (PHR) is a widespread practice that entails certain health risks; however, there remains a lack of scientific information on the prevalence and antecedents of PHR, as well as on its association with sexual behavior and relational satisfaction.
To explore women’s and men’s attitudes regarding PHR and their PHR practices and the associations with demographic, relational, and sexual characteristics.
A total of 2,687 men and 1,735 women living in Flanders (the Northern part of Belgium) completed an online survey. Participants ranged in age from 15 to 60+ years; they self-identified as heterosexual, bisexual, or homosexual and reported various relationship statuses.
Demographic items (ie, age, religion, partner relationship status), sexuality-related items (ie, sexual activity, sexual orientation, age at first intercourse, number of sexual partners), PHR items (ie, reasons, inclination to have or not have sex after PHR, perceived partner preferences, partner’s PHR), and relationship satisfaction, assessed with the Maudsley Marital Questionnaire.
Fewer men (39.1%) than women (80.3%) reported (partially) removing their pubic hair. In both men and women, the practice was associated with age, sexual activity, relationship status, and partner’s PHR practice and expectations. In men, sexual and relationship satisfaction were correlated with their partner’s PHR practices and whether these were in line with the men’s expectations. In women, sexual and relationship satisfaction were mostly correlated with whether both partner’s expectations were met. Although both men and women reported that the reasons for PHR were related to their sexual experiences and to their partner’s preference, only women reported that PHR was a way to enhance feelings of femininity. Finally, the reasons for not engaging in PHR were related to partner preferences and side effects.
PHR is a widespread practice and seems strongly associated with personal, partner-related, sexual, and relational factors. Strategies to prevent men and women from being confronted with health risks should take all these factors into account.
Enzlin P, Bollen K, Prekatsounaki S, et al. “To Shave or Not to Shave”: Pubic Hair Removal and Its Association with Relational and Sexual Satisfaction in Women and Men. J Sex Med 2019;16:954–962.
Prevention and Treatment of Injuries and Infections Related to Pubic Hair Removal
2017, Nursing for Women's Health
Citation Excerpt :
Epilation through waxing also causes a breakdown in the microcutaneous barrier (Schmidtberger, Ladizinski, & Ramirez-Fort, 2014). Microtears and breakdown in the microcutaneous barrier are thought to potentially increase the risk of epithelial penetrance by sexually transmitted infections (STIs), including the human papillomavirus, which causes condyloma acuminata, and poxviruses, which cause molluscum contagiosum (Desruelles, Cunningham, & Duboius, 2013; Glass et al., 2012; Osterberg et al., 2017; Veraldi, Nazzaro, & Ramoni, 2016). Osterberg et al. (2017) also reported an increased risk for herpes and syphilis in individuals who are high-frequency groomers.
The 21st century has witnessed an increasingly prevalent trend of women removing their pubic hair. Body hair removal norms have changed significantly over the past several decades. Regardless of the motivation or technique behind pubic hair grooming, this trend is presenting a unique challenge for health care professionals with regard to health education about safe removal and treatment for associated injuries and infections. To provide appropriate education to women, nurses and other clinicians should be familiar with cultural norms, motivations, expectations, methods, dangers, best practices, and treatment options. They should be comfortable discussing grooming practices with women and be prepared to provide guidance on best practices. Women should also be made aware that pubic hair removal may put them at increased risk for transmission of sexually transmitted infections.
The influence of sexual orientation and sexual role on male grooming-related injuries and infections
2015, Journal of Sexual Medicine
Citation Excerpt :
We explored differences in personal grooming injuries and infections among MSM and MSW and by MSM sexual role during anal sex. As seen in Table 3, the majority of injuries for both MSM and MSW were to the scrotum, pubis, or penis, which mirrors the results from our previous study, which showed these sites as the most common male GU injury presenting to the ED from 2002 to 2010 [2]. These sites have thin, delicate skin with folds and surfaces that may be hard to visualize and makes these areas more prone to injury.
Pubic hair grooming is a common practice in the United States and coincides with prevalence of grooming‐related injuries. Men who have sex with men (MSM) groom more frequently than men who have sex with women (MSW). We aim to characterize the influence of sexual orientation and sexual role on grooming behavior, injuries, and infections in men in the United States.
We conducted a nationally representative survey of noninstitutionalized adults aged 18–65 residing in the United States. We examined the prevalence and risk factors of injuries and infections that occur as a result of personal grooming.
Of the 4,062 men who completed the survey, 3,176 (78.2%) report having sex with only women (MSW), 198 (4.9%) report sex with men (MSM), and 688 (16.9%) report not being sexually active. MSM are more likely to groom (42.5% vs. 29.0%, P < 0.001) and groom more around the anus, scrotum, and penile shaft compared with MSW. MSM receptive partners groom more often (50.9% vs. 26.9%, P = 0.005) and groom more for sex (85.3% vs. 51.9%, P < 0.001) compared with MSM insertive partners. MSM report more injuries to the anus (7.0% vs. 1.0%, P < 0.001), more grooming‐related infections (7.0% vs. 1.0%, P < 0.001) and abscesses (8.8% vs. 2.5%, P = 0.010), as well as lifetime sexually transmitted infections (STIs) (1.65 vs. 1.45, P = 0.038) compared with MSW. More receptive partners report grooming at the time of their STI infection (52.2% vs. 14.3%, P < 0.001) compared with insertive partners.
Sexual orientation, and in particular sexual role, may influence male grooming behavior and impact grooming‐related injuries and infections. Anogenital grooming may put one at risk for an STI. Healthcare providers should be aware of different grooming practices in order to better educate safe depilatory practices (i.e., the use of electric razors for anogenital grooming) in patients of all sexual orientations. Gaither TW, Truesdale M, Harris CR, Alwaal A, Shindel AW, Allen IE, and Breyer BN. The influence of sexual orientation and sexual role on male grooming‐related injuries and infections. J Sex Med 2015;12:631–640.
Pubic Hair Preferences, Reasons for Removal, and Associated Genital Symptoms: Comparisons Between Men and Women
2015, Journal of Sexual Medicine
Citation Excerpt :
According to the U.S. National Electronic Injury Surveillance System (NEISS), 335 pubic hair grooming‐related genitourinary injuries resulting in emergency department visits occurred between 2002 and 2010. Extrapolating from the data provided by the NEISS, it was estimated that 11,704 (95% confidence interval = 8,430–15,004) emergency room visits occurred nationally during that time period [13]. A recent study assessed the prevalence of lifetime pubic hair removal and grooming‐related complications among a sample of 333 women who attended a reproductive health clinic.
Pubic hair grooming and removal are common behaviors among men and women. However, little is known about the reasons for grooming, preferred pubic hairstyle of sexual partners, and symptoms associated with regular grooming.
This study aims to assess pubic hair removal/grooming practices, pubic hairstyle preferences, and genital outcomes associated with pubic hair removal among men and women in a college sample.
Data were gathered from 1,110 participants (671 women and 439 men) at a large public Midwestern university and a small Southern public university.
Items assessed demographics, pubic hair grooming and removal practices in the past 4 weeks, reasons for pubic hair status, preference for pubic hairstyle of sexual partners, and symptoms associated with removal and grooming.
Most (95%) participants had removed their pubic hair on at least one occasion in the past 4 weeks with shaving being the most commonly reported hair removal technique by women (82%) and men (49%). Women were significantly more likely to report their typical status as hair‐free (50% vs. 19%; χ² = 165.528, P < 0.001) and men were significantly more likely to prefer a hair‐free sexual partner (60% vs. 24%; χ² = 211.712, P < 0.001). Genital itching was experienced on at least one occasion by 80.3% of pubic hair groomers and was the most commonly reported side effect.
Genital grooming and pubic hair removal are common practices among both men and women of college‐age. Women are likely to report stronger associations with feelings of cleanliness, comfort, sex appeal, social norms of their peer group, and affordability as reasons for their chosen pubic hair style. Women also report more experiences with genital side effects of pubic hair removal, an expected result as women are removing pubic hair more frequently and more completely than their male counterparts. Butler SM, Smith NK, Collazo E, Caltabiano L, and Herbenick D. Pubic hair preferences, reasons for removal, and associated genital symptoms: Comparisons between men and women. J Sex Med 2015;12:48–58.
Infectious cellulitis of the penis and scrotum
2018, Annales de Dermatologie et de Venereologie

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: Financial Disclosure: The authors declare that they have no relevant financial interests.

: Financial Support: B. N. B. was supported by National Institutes of Health grant K12KD083021. This project was supported by the National Center for Research Resources, the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences, and the Office of the Director, National Institutes of Health, through UCSF-CTSI grant KL2 RR024130. Its contents are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health.

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Ambulatory and Office UrologyPubic Hair Grooming Injuries Presenting to U.S. Emergency Departments

Objective

Materials and Methods

Results

Conclusion

Section snippets

Data Source

Demographic Features

Comment

Conclusion

J Sex Med

Body Image

Burns

J Pediatr Adolesc Gynecol

Am J Prev Med

The hairlessness norm extended: reasons for and predictors of women’s body hair removal at different body sites

Sex Roles

Body hair removal: the “mundane” production of normative femininity

Sex Roles

Evulvalution: the portrayal of women’s external genitalia and physique across time and the current Barbie doll ideals

J Sex Res

The incidence, attitudes and practices of the removal of pubic hair as a body modification

J Pediatr Adolesc Gynecol

Ambulatory and Office Urology
Pubic Hair Grooming Injuries Presenting to U.S. Emergency Departments