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Pubic Hair Grooming-Related Injuries Evaluated
JAMA Dermatol; ePub 2017 Aug 16; Truesdale, et al
Among US adults who reported pubic hair grooming, greater than one-fourth also report grooming-related injuries, a recent study found. The nationally representative cross-sectional study of 5,674 adults aged 18 to 65 years included a web-based survey with data collected from January 2014 and analyzed from August 1, 2016 through February 1, 2017. Researchers found:
- Grooming-related injuries were reported by 1,430 (25.6% weighted prevalence) participants, with more women reporting injuries than men.
- Degree of grooming was an independent risk factor for injury.
- Waxing may prevent repetitive injuries.
- 79 injuries among 5,674 groomers (1.4%) required medical attention.
Truesdale MD, Osterberg EC, Gaither TW, et al. Prevalence of pubic hair grooming–related injuries and identification of high-risk individuals in the United States. [Published online ahead of print August 16, 2017]. JAMA Dermatol. doi:10.1001/jamadermatol.2017.2815.
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A previous study showed that about 85% of adults report a history of pubic hair grooming, with older women being less likely to groom than younger women, and women with a college degree being 2 to 3 times as likely to groom as those who do not have a college degrees.1 The current study further informs us that grooming is not without risk, as a quarter of all adults who groom have had grooming-related injuries, with lacerations being the most common type of injury. That said, grooming injuries rarely are of a severity that require an emergency room visit or a hospital admission. However, with 85% of the population grooming, it is a subject to keep in mind. —Neil Skolnik, MD