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Although there’s no definitive answer, plenty of theories abound as to why human beings have hairy armpits and pubic regions, one of which seems pretty reasonable. "Deodorants change the composition of the microbiome," Berezow says. "The secretions our armpits make don't stink. Bacteria break down the compounds, and those breakdown products stink," says Berezow. The bacteria that live in the moist crevices of your armpits interact with your sweat, which contains volatile fatty acids and odorous steroids (among other compounds). That creates a product known as thioalcohols, whose oniony, meaty scents you're likely familiar with if you've ever been stuck in a crowded elevator, subway, or gym at peak workout time.
Underarm hair
I am usually late to catch on to shifts in the zeitgeist; this one came to my attention just recently. While watching the HBO show High Maintenance, I noticed that Lee, the protagonist’s hip and beautiful love interest, was sporting hairy armpits. Therefore, as the theory goes, pubic hair may trap pheromones, increasing how attractive we appear to potential sex partners.
What other common types of hair loss are there?
How Women Are Embracing Their Body Hair After Lockdown - Refinery29
How Women Are Embracing Their Body Hair After Lockdown.
Posted: Thu, 13 May 2021 07:00:00 GMT [source]
None of this means that there is necessarily anything wrong with choosing to trim or remove your pubic hair, however. It’s simply an indication that there isn’t a strong medical argument for removing it. Therefore, it reduces the irritation that friction can cause, for example, when you exercise. Not removing this hair considerably reduces the possibility of ingrown hairs, which can cause pain, discomfort, and infections. Such sex hormones make the apocrine sweat glands begin to function.
It prevents certain health conditions
Part of the reason people have armpit hair is due to hormone changes—especially surrounding puberty. While keeping or removing your armpit hair is very much a personal choice and one that shouldn't be judged either way, there's a lot of pressure for women to keep their pits smooth. Why are women expected to remove their armpit hair if it has so many uses? "There's this false association that hairlessness equals cleanliness, but that's not actually true as long as you're clean," said Gohara. While armpit hair has uses, that doesn't mean you are obligated to keep it if you don't want to. You should know, however, that shaving your armpit hair can lead to issues.
But it's also an important juncture that protects important lymph nodes and soft tissue. Mental Floss spoke to microbiologist Alex Berezow, a senior fellow of biomedical science with the American Council on Science and Health, about this often overlooked spot. Cushing syndrome is a hormonal disorder that occurs when there is too much of the stress hormone cortisol in the body. It can be caused by taking steroid medications commonly prescribed for asthma or arthritis, or by problems with the glands in the body that are involved in creating cortisol. Symptoms can vary from person to person but often include easy bruising, a "hump" on the back, and stretch marks.
Waxing or removing underarm hair is a personal decision
Researchers from Firmenich, a company in Geneva, set out to understand the subtle nuances in body odor to better market deodorant products to consumers. In their 2009 study, published in Chemical Senses, they discovered that your unique bouquet may be different depending on whether you're a cisgender man or woman. Women's sweat contained higher levels of an odorless sulphur-containing compound that produces a pungent oniony thioalcohol when combined with the bacteria in the underarm. Men's sweat held higher levels of a fatty acid that produced a "cheesy" scent when the bacteria of the armpit came in contact with it. While teenagers often exist in a funk so tangible you can almost see it, most children do not begin to have stinky pits until their tweens.
You’ll sweat less
Then dermatologist Kavita Mariwalla stopped by to chat about what’s going on beneath the surface, and share the pros and cons of the many ways to remove body hair, if you so choose. Either way, after reading the below — and hearing even more on our episode — you’ll never look at your body hair the same way again. You should remember that hair alone isn’t responsible for the body odor that can occur in this area.
The History of Body Hair Removal
Other animals send out chemical signals called pheromones to attract mates. We still don't know whether pheromones exist in humans, but plenty of evidence indicates we are highly sensitive to each other's biochemicals. If pheromones do exist, body hair around the groin and armpits could be a likely place to find them. But as "civilized" people, we believe the process of finding a partner lies in our hearts and minds—not in our armpits. Back before modern conveniences like showers, shaving body hair may have been considered a way to reduce odors, infections, and pests.
Armpit Hair Protects Your Skin
Learn more about the best ways to safely remove the pubic hair here. Pubic hair is normal, and the amount of hair in the pubic region varies from person to person. There is no standard for the amount, the thickness, or the area that pubic hair will cover. ” I cried to my husband, as though I’d unexpectedly spotted a T-shirt emblazoned with the name of my favorite obscure band. For the past couple of decades, I have seldom shaved my armpits.
“Hair is really, really useful.” Most mammals, including our closest relatives, the bonobo and the chimpanzee, are covered in hair. So for us to not have much body hair now is pretty noteworthy, Jablonski says. Now, before we talk about the what of body hair, we have to speak to the why.
According to Agbai, genetics, hormonal shifts, stress, underlying medical conditions, nutritional deficiencies, and scalp inflammation are notable factors. If you are stopping shaving to allow your razor bumps to heal, you should allow about 3-4 weeks of not shaving. If you are looking to decrease shaving as a long-term solution, even shaving every other day instead of every day can decrease the chances of a razor bump forming. Razor bumps typically appear within a day or two after shaving or hair removal, and they can last for a few days or up to a few weeks. Some people may be more prone to razor bumps than others. If you do develop razor bumps, there are a few ways to recognize them and get rid of them quickly.
Their findings reveal the existence of a naturally-occurring inhibitor secreted in developing hairless skin which blocks a signaling pathway, known as the WNT pathway, that controls hair growth. While fairly common, ingrown hairs can become quite painful and possibly lead to infection if left untreated. If having hair is so crucial to the function of our bodies, why have we been removing it for hundreds of years? This is a pretty recent obsession.” Jablonski estimates the practice of body hair removal started about only 500 years ago. Since giving birth to her son in January, Ashley Graham has been documenting the realities of postpartum life on social media. In many of the pictures she’s sporting underarm hair, no comment needed.
If you’re into removing your pubic hair because it makes you feel great, go for it. “A lot of women just like how it feels and find something aesthetically pleasing about it,” says Dr. Ross. Whatever makes you feel good is awesome, as long as it’s something you actually want to do. There are various reasons why people might decide to remove their pubic hair, but a lot of them are rooted in sexual health myths.
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