Why Do We Have Pubic Hair?

Are we doing ourselves a disservice by removing pubic hair?  There are multimillion dollar businesses that cater to the styling or removal of pubic hair.  Anyone who has had waxing or laser treatments down in the genital area will admit to some significant discomfort.  However, the more it is done; some admit that it’s like getting the eyebrows done. It hurts like heck the first time, but gets easier thereafter.

Pubic hair can be annoying to some people. Maybe they are embarrassed about the amount of hair they have, or maybe they just feel they look better when it is trimmed or removed.  However, when removing pubic hair are we going against how our pubic area is designed for protection against infection and injury?

Purpose of pubic hair

• The purpose of pubic hair is to:
• Keep the genitals warm, and to protect the genitals from injury during intercourse
• Prevent infections such as yeast and other forms of bacteria
• Keep the vaginal area moist
• Carry the pheromones for male and female arousal
• Draw attention to genitals

We humans have a similar amount of body hair that apes have, but ours is much finer; thus we don’t look so hairy. However, the hair in the genital region is a conveyer for the pheromones which attracts sexual partners.  We have apocrine and sebaceous glands in that area and in other places on the body which release secretions on the skin.  The apocrine glands release a type of sweat that combines with the secretions from the sebaceous glands. Together these secretions are a breeding ground for bacteria. Bacteria on the skin decompose the secretions. The pheromones get caught up in that mixture of secretions in the pubic hair and some people are attracted to the scent.

We humans don’t rely so much on our noses to smell the pheromones of a person.  On some base level we may be attracted to the pheromones, but we are also attracted to looks, intellect and much more.

Back in the days before females wore underwear, pubic hair prevented dirt from getting into the vaginal area.  It is believed that pubic hair has a similar function of eyebrows, eyelashes and nose hairs.  The eyebrows tend to shade the eyes against bright light, and they also tend to catch falling debris from the skin.  The eyelashes protect the eyes, and the nose hairs protect the respiratory system. Hence, the pubic hair protects the genitals from getting infected, and it also prevents micro-tears from occurring during sex.  The pubic hair actually acts as a cushion between the two people during sex so that injury doesn’t occur.

Sources:

Dr. Oz

Go Ask Alice