My pubic hair is hurting me all the time. Could it be my underwear?
Thanks for your question! If your pubic hair hurts all the time, your underwear is probably not the culprit. Fortunately, painful pubic hair isn’t a common part of puberty. It’s hard to tell what might be causing the pain without understanding what you’re feeling a bit more. When you say your pubic hair hurts, do you mean that the skin around your pubic hair hurts? Or is the pain deeper? We recommend you make an appointment with your health care provider, who can tell you exactly what is going on, and how to stop the pain.
It’s possible your pubic hair hurts because of ingrown hairs.
These happen when the hair curls back inside the skin, rather than growing out of the skin like normal. This can cause irritating, itchy bumps that look like pimples. You may even be able to see the hair just underneath your skin. You can get them anywhere, but ingrown hairs are especially common around the pubic area because the hair there is usually curlier and wirier than in other areas of your body. Usually people get ingrown hairs after they’ve shaved, but you can also get them when your pubic hair is coming in for the first time (especially if you’re Black, Latinx, or have thick, curly hair).
You can avoid ingrown hairs by gently exfoliating your skin. This gets rid of some of the dead skin cells that can block hair follicles and lead to ingrown hairs. While your underwear isn’t causing the problem, wearing cotton underwear with no elastic, lace or other rough fabric that could irritate your skin may help with your pain. If you shave your pubic hair (and there’s no medical reason you need to!), always use a fresh razor, warm water and shaving cream. Shave in the same direction that your hair grows. Keep getting ingrown hairs? Consider trimming your hair instead of removing it, or using a depilatory cream to remove hair instead.
If you don’t have ingrown hairs, there may be something else going on.
If your pubic area itches, it’s possible that you have pubic lice or scabies. You don’t need to have had sex to get either of these, and having them does NOT make you “dirty.” If you’re having pain in your pelvic area or around your pubic region, it’s possible you have an infection. While sexually transmitted infections (STIs) are spread through sexual contact, you don’t necessarily have to have penis in vagin* sex to get one. Remember: Having an STI says nothing about who you are as a person.
Make an appointment with your health care provider. They can tell you if you’re dealing with ingrown hairs, an infection, or something else. Even if it ends up being nothing, you can relax knowing that you have nothing to worry about. If you live near NYC and are 10-22 years old, you can make a free, confidential appointment with an adolescent medicine specialist at Mount Sinai Adolescent Health Center.
FAQs
When the tip of a pubic hair folds back into the skin at the root, an ingrown hair can result. It can lead to a painful bump where the hair may be visible underneath. The bump may be hard or soft and pus-filled. It can become itchy, inflamed, or infected.
Why is pubic hair so uncomfortable? ›
Pubic hair can become uncomfortable because it's thick and prone to getting tangled. A great way to prevent this is by combing your pubic hair. After all, you most likely use a comb on your head, to stop your hair from getting tangled and knotted, so it makes sense to have a comb for downstairs too right?.
Should a 13 year old shave pubic hair? ›
Many tweens and teens want to shave, and there are no health reasons for them to wait. It's reasonable to allow them to shave when they think they're ready to do so. On the other hand, some tweens and teens will not be interested in shaving at all, and that is fine.
Why does pubic hair grow back painful? ›
Then there's the regrowth stage: Shaved hair grows back after a couple of days, and when it does it can be prickly or itchy. This can leave you feeling uncomfortable. There's also a chance some hairs will become ingrown. This means that the hair that's trying to grow back gets trapped under the skin.
What age does pubic hair stop growing? ›
longer than 4 years to reach the adult genital development stage. no pubic hair by age 15 years.
What happens if you never shave your pubic hair? ›
If you sense a little body odor, it's because your pubic hair is doing its job of trapping sweat, oil, and bacteria. To care for your pubic area, all you need to do is regularly rinse with water. Long story short, there is nothing dirty or unclean about pubic hair. There is no medical reason to remove it.
Does pubic hair turn gray? ›
As the follicles die and melanin decreases, the color of the hair fades to silver, gray, or white. This process happens with hair all over the body, including pubic hair. In some cases, hair may prematurely age and gray. Again, premature graying can affect hair anywhere, including on the pubic region.
Why does pubic hair pull out so easily? ›
Pubic hair loss may be due to excessive hair removal or underlying conditions like alopecia, hormonal changes, and cancer treatments. Pubic hair loss is not harmful to a person's physical health, but it may cause psychological distress. Some people may also feel concerned about the underlying cause of pubic hair loss.
Is it good to remove hair from private parts? ›
It is more hygienic not to shave it (although depilation does make pubic lice homeless). In removing their pubic hair, most women will get cuts or ingrown hairs, and some will develop inflammation of the hair follicles or hyperpigmentation.
Is it OK to cut pubic hair with scissors? ›
How to trim pubic hair at home? Trimming with scissors Using scissors can be a safe way to give the pubic area a well-groomed look. Since the operation does not come into contact with the skin, trimming the pubic hair with scissors has a relatively low risk of injury.
We can't stress enough that butt fuzz is totally normal. From a health standpoint, there's really no reason to get rid of it, so it's all about personal preference — your butt, your choice. If you're on the fence about whether to go bare, you can always opt to just do some light grooming.
Do swimmers shave their private area? ›
Swimmers maintain their bikini line and underarms on a weekly basis as they are practically living in a swimsuit 12 months a year. Shaving down is saved for the competitions where athletes are expected to perform their best. Such as the Olympic Games or World Championships. Generally this occurs only 1-2 times a year.
Why does pubic hair smell? ›
You're sweaty down there
“And so where you have sweat and moisture and especially where there's hair that can potentially trap moisture, and bacteria that's just a perfect setup for odor.”
Why is pubic hair so thick? ›
Based on these findings, we hypothesize that the thickened cuticle layer in pubic hair may have evolved as a defence mechanism against chemical damage from urine, urea and ammonia. Keywords: FT-IR imaging; cortex; curly hair; cuticle; hair; pubic hair; scalp hair; urine effects.
Is it better to shave or wax? ›
Although the results are fairly similar, there's one key difference: how long they last. On average, waxing lasts around 3 or 4 weeks because the hair is removed at the root. Hair grows back much faster with shaving, though — within 3 days to a week. This is because shaving only removes the top layer of the hair.
Why does my pubic hair hurt when I haven't shaved? ›
The pubic area is among the most vulnerable parts of the body for feeling itchy and irritated. Think ingrown hairs, razor burn and even post waxing irritation. The extra sensitive skin coupled with thick, wiry hair makes the pubic area prone to noticeable discomfort and itch during regrowth.
What are the symptoms of pubic lice? ›
Pubic lice
- itching, which is usually worse at night.
- small red or blue spots on your skin (lice bites)
- white/yellow dots attached to your hair (lice eggs)
- dark red or brown spots in your underwear (lice poo)
- crusted or sticky eyelashes, if they're affected.
Hair pain is a real thing! Technically, it's a pain radiating from your scalp to your hair follicles, not in your actual strands, but you get the idea. Many everyday stressors can hurt your hair follicles, including stress (naturally), a lack of sleep, and your hair-washing schedule.
