Nursing Student

Specialties Ob/Gyn

Published

I am a student nurse. I witnessed the other day a skin rash on a 20 yr old woman's mons from shaving. My supervising nurse advised the woman on treatment for the rash and told her to stop shaving for a while. The woman looked at her like she had said a bad word. I am so amazed at this trend -- you have to be bare.

Has there been any studies on this trend...how wide spread is the shave it all culture. Is it just the 20-30 yr old women are has it just spread to women of all ages.

I read that a medical journal addressed this issue last year but cannot find it. Anyone with any statistics or reason for such popularity.

Specializes in Specializes in L/D, newborn, GYN, LTC, Dialysis.

NO major reason for this anymore than the reason people are piercing themselves in "personal spots" other than the perceived impression of increased attractiveness. I see a lot of shaven folks and it's no more alarming to me than the tatoo'ing and piercing of private parts that is going on. All we can do is be aware, like you are, of s/s infection and irritation and educate patients as these issues come up.

A long time ago (when dinosaurs roamed the earth) shaving pubic hair was one of the first things done when coming in for a delivery, right up there with getting an enema, and only doing rectal exams! Sounds pretty barbaric.

Bikini shaves are pretty common here in the midwest (and I imagine in most other places) and if a little hair shaving is good, alot must be better right?

Also, when you're pregnant, you start getting hairer all over.

But yes, the bad part comes in ingrown hairs and infections.

:balloons:

Specializes in Junior Year of BSN.

Being former military, shaving was for hygiene. Imagine being in the fields for weeks on end or deployed. For example in the field, as females we are supposed to be allowed like every 3 days to go back to the rear and take a shower. That NEVER happened even when you were on your period. So I always shaved, I think it was also in one of the military field manuals too. You feel cleaner, even though u only use baby wipes. Being hairy in a hot place in the field with no shower? Don't think so. I don't know if its a trend or not but I still am shaven, I feel cleaner this way.

Being former military, shaving was for hygiene. Imagine being in the fields for weeks on end or deployed. For example in the field, as females we are supposed to be allowed like every 3 days to go back to the rear and take a shower. That NEVER happened even when you were on your period. So I always shaved, I think it was also in one of the military field manuals too. You feel cleaner, even though u only use baby wipes. Being hairy in a hot place in the field with no shower? Don't think so. I don't know if its a trend or not but I still am shaven, I feel cleaner this way.

Same here. My mind knew that I was cleaner with everything the way nature intended... but five days later I just felt cleaner with things "teken care of" down there. Especially when all I got was a baby wipe bath.

Wow, to the two PP ~ I have an even greater appreciation for our service men & women (especially women - having a period and NO BATH!!!! Yikes).

almost all of my patients seem to be shaved.

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