What Is Pubic Hair For, and Does Removing It Matter? What the Research Actually Shows

Humans have shed most of the thick body hair that other primates carry, yet three patches stayed: the scalp, the armpits and the genital area. Two researchers at UNSW, Brigitte Gerstl and Rebecca Deans, have set out what is known about why, and whether taking the hair off changes anything for health. Their piece was first published by The Conversation.

Pubic hair first appears in puberty, driven by androgens, the sex hormones that include testosterone. That tie to sexual maturity shapes some of the explanations researchers have offered for its survival. One holds that pubic and armpit hair trap and slowly release body scent. Sweat gland secretions mix with skin bacteria to produce odour, which can cling to hair. Some researchers have suggested the scent plays a part in sexual communication, but that idea is borrowed from work on other species and has not been established in people. A second theory is that the hair reduces friction and chafing during movement and sex. The authors call both plausible and neither conclusively shown.

On hygiene, they are blunt: there is no general medical or hygiene reason to remove pubic hair, even if some people find it dirty and prefer it gone. Ordinary washing is enough. For women, that means washing the external genital area, the vulva, with water alone or a mild unscented cleanser. The vagina does not need internal washing, which can disturb its normal bacterial balance. Nor is there any need to groom before seeing a doctor, since health professionals see a wide range of bodies.

Infection is where the evidence gets tangled. There is some indication that pubic lice, or crabs, have declined as hair removal has become more popular, since lice and their eggs attach to the hair. Beyond that, the picture is mixed. A 2024 review of 22 studies covering more than 73,000 women found that women who groomed were more likely to have had gonorrhoea or chlamydia, but showed no clear difference for viral infections such as genital herpes or genital warts. A 2026 review of 15 more recent studies linked frequent or complete removal to a higher risk of sexually transmitted infections, urinary tract infections and vaginal irritation. Against that, a US study of 214 female university students tested for chlamydia and gonorrhoea directly rather than relying on self-reports, and found no link between infection and frequent grooming.

Most of this work shows association, not cause. Shaving can produce small cuts and irritated skin, which might let infections in or help them spread. But people who groom may also differ in sexual behaviour from those who do not, and that could explain the pattern instead of the hair removal itself.

Removal is old; people have shaped or removed pubic hair for centuries. What has shifted in recent decades is how common extensive removal is. Some researchers have proposed that internet pornography changed expectations about genital appearance, including a preference for less hair. The authors' own research looked at young adults' attitudes, using the same anonymous online survey in 2014 and 2021, with 1,560 people aged 18 to 25 in total. About 73% of women and 65% of men said they had groomed in the past year, from partial to complete removal. Reasons included comfort in clothing, a neater or cleaner look, preparing for a health-care appointment, and religious practice. They did not ask about religion or ethnicity, so they cannot say how much religion explains the results.

On sex, most women said they preferred complete removal when receiving oral sex, and most men preferred it when performing oral sex on a female partner. Men's grooming before receiving oral sex was not asked about. Among those who groomed, 75.5% also reported viewing pornography, but the study did not compare them with non-groomers and could not say whether pornography influenced the choice. Because the two surveys captured different people at different times, it may reflect cultural change but cannot show how any individual's habits shifted.

Their conclusion is plain. Most injuries from waxing, shaving or trimming are minor, though removing all hair, and doing so often, raises the odds of ingrown hairs and skin irritation. Keeping, trimming or removing pubic hair is a personal choice, and from a health standpoint there is no need to remove it. Dr Gerstl has previously published peer-reviewed work on grooming, funded by The Rosa Institute and co-authored by Gabriela Rosa, then affiliated with that institute.