If you’re a pube shaver you could be putting yourself at risk of getting a sexually transmitted disease (STD).
Some medical professionals in California, US, have discovered that people who shave their pubes regularly stand a higher chance of catching an STD because of small cuts or tears in the skin, that are caused by the grooming process. They also found that people who regularly trim their bushes are more sexually active too.
The research is from the rather catchily titled, Sexually Transmitted Infections – a specialist BMJ journal and it makes for some sobering reading, the BBC reports.
Doctors suggest that the link between grooming your pubes and getting an infection was closely linked to cuts and abrasions caused by the grooming process rather than by sharing grooming equipment, like shavers or scissors. Waxing, shaving and even plucking hair can cause small cuts and tears in the skin.
Those who groom are more likely to engage in riskier sexual activities and findings have shown that they have more sexual partners.
So what do men use to shave their man bushes?
The electric razor is the most common tool for men to groom but one in five men uses scissors to give that man jungle a cutback.
The findings found that ‘extreme groomers’ (17%), those who shave it all off at least once a month, are three or four times more likely to catch an STI. Doctors point out that a skin to skin STI was more common for these people, leaving them susceptible to getting an STI like herpes.
So what advice can be given to those who shave regularly?
Doctors suggest holding off until your skin has completely healed before having sex or skin to skin contact and of course, always use condoms if you’re thinking about doing penetration.
Any good news?
It’s not all bad news, though. Groomers who shave off their pubes are less likely to get pubic lice. So that’s always a boon!
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