Is there a connection between a reported increase in the incidence of herpes in men and the rise in popularity of pubic area shaving and waxing? Some health care practitioners believe there is, and recently gave a series of interviews to discuss why they think the habit of shaving and waxing dramatically raises a man's risk of contracting HSV-2 (genital herpes).
Just How Popular is Pubic Shaving and Waxing?
Per Annette Milligan, New Zealand's Director of Independent Nursing Practitioners, "The habit of pubic shaving really is the norm. When we do genital exams on a 20-year-old and they have got pubic hair, we almost fall over with surprise." Milligan's opinions match those published earlier this year from a pair of Canadian research workers.
Presenting their conclusions in the Canadian Journal of Human Sexuality, Hannah Varto and Lenore Riddell reported that roughly 50% of respondents who participated in their voluntary questionnaire waxed or shaved some portion of their pubic region. On top of that, a full 30% of those interviewed stated that they frequently waxed or shaved the entire area. The study also observed that the second group of men suffered from a disproportionately high percentage rate of herpes and genital warts (HPV) infections.
Precisely how are Pubic Shaving and Waxing Linked to Herpes in Men?
Because both shaving and waxing result in injury to the skin, these grooming practices cause openings through which the HSV-2 virus responsible for genital herpes can potentially enter the body. The aforementioned Nurse Milligan addressed this phenomenon by explaining, "Our strong suspicion is that when they shave or wax, they get a whole lot of microscopic cuts, so if they shave or wax before they go out, and then they have sex with an infected person who is having an asymptomatic shedding episode, it's the perfect portal for entry for herpes virus."
The nurse's judgment was supported by a person with vast experience in the field - Lucy Cabral who teaches waxing for the Yorkville School of Makeup and Esthetics in Toronto. Cabral instructs her students that when waxing, "your follicles and your pores are opened, so you're now more susceptible to infection." While this lesson is supposed to highlight the significance of trying to keep their tools clean, it additionally indicates just how much the skin's resistance to disease is affected by these activities.
Conclusions
Even though there have been no conventional scientific studies into the issue (Varto and Riddell's analysis was based solely on surveys), there does seem to be some link between a stated growth in genital herpes infection rates and the large number of young men, specifically, who practice pubic shaving and waxing.
A long-time registered nurse from Milligan's own office said that she rarely encounters pubic hair on patients between ages 13 and 28 any longer, and that the rise of this grooming trend has perfectly coincided with an huge increase in the number of herpes in men incidents she has witnessed. Milligan agreed by saying, "It's very disturbing. We are seeing lots more cases of genital herpes than we saw 20 years ago."
Just How Popular is Pubic Shaving and Waxing?
Per Annette Milligan, New Zealand's Director of Independent Nursing Practitioners, "The habit of pubic shaving really is the norm. When we do genital exams on a 20-year-old and they have got pubic hair, we almost fall over with surprise." Milligan's opinions match those published earlier this year from a pair of Canadian research workers.
Presenting their conclusions in the Canadian Journal of Human Sexuality, Hannah Varto and Lenore Riddell reported that roughly 50% of respondents who participated in their voluntary questionnaire waxed or shaved some portion of their pubic region. On top of that, a full 30% of those interviewed stated that they frequently waxed or shaved the entire area. The study also observed that the second group of men suffered from a disproportionately high percentage rate of herpes and genital warts (HPV) infections.
Precisely how are Pubic Shaving and Waxing Linked to Herpes in Men?
Because both shaving and waxing result in injury to the skin, these grooming practices cause openings through which the HSV-2 virus responsible for genital herpes can potentially enter the body. The aforementioned Nurse Milligan addressed this phenomenon by explaining, "Our strong suspicion is that when they shave or wax, they get a whole lot of microscopic cuts, so if they shave or wax before they go out, and then they have sex with an infected person who is having an asymptomatic shedding episode, it's the perfect portal for entry for herpes virus."
The nurse's judgment was supported by a person with vast experience in the field - Lucy Cabral who teaches waxing for the Yorkville School of Makeup and Esthetics in Toronto. Cabral instructs her students that when waxing, "your follicles and your pores are opened, so you're now more susceptible to infection." While this lesson is supposed to highlight the significance of trying to keep their tools clean, it additionally indicates just how much the skin's resistance to disease is affected by these activities.
Conclusions
Even though there have been no conventional scientific studies into the issue (Varto and Riddell's analysis was based solely on surveys), there does seem to be some link between a stated growth in genital herpes infection rates and the large number of young men, specifically, who practice pubic shaving and waxing.
A long-time registered nurse from Milligan's own office said that she rarely encounters pubic hair on patients between ages 13 and 28 any longer, and that the rise of this grooming trend has perfectly coincided with an huge increase in the number of herpes in men incidents she has witnessed. Milligan agreed by saying, "It's very disturbing. We are seeing lots more cases of genital herpes than we saw 20 years ago."
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In addition to answering the common question what is herpes, check out Devin Brindinshire's recent article on how to answer the question what does herpes look like?
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