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Friday, April 26
The Indiana Daily Student

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Discussing effects of hair removal on sexual sensation

Kinsey Confidential is a service of the Kinsey Institute for Research in Sex, Gender, and Reproduction. For more good sex information, podcasts or to submit a ?question, visit us online at ?kinseyconfidential.org.

I would like to know if having Brazilian laser hair removal will reduce or enhance sensation? Thank you for your answer.

There isn’t any standard terminology for pubic hair styles, but most people — when they refer to Brazilian style — tend to mean the removal of most, if not all, of one’s pubic hair. This can be done through shaving, waxing, the use of depilatory creams or through other hair removal methods such as laser hair reduction.

My research team has found that most women — even most young adult women — keep at least some of their pubic hair much of the time. That said, young adults are the most likely to remove all of their pubic hair, at least some of the time. For example, in one study of about 2,400 women we found that about 60 percent of the 18- to 24-year-old women removed all of their pubic hair at least some of the time, but few women were bare all of the time.

Frankly, there is very ?little research on pubic hair removal and few studies have assessed issues of pubic hair removal in relation to sexual sensation or pleasure. That said, in studies that ask women about their reasons for hair removal, some women report that they remove some or all of their pubic hair for reasons related to sexual pleasure or enjoyment. There is even less research on men and why they trim or remove some or all of their ?pubic hair.

Anecdotally, I have never heard from anyone who has reported increased or decreased sensation from pubic hair removal. If you are concerned about your genital sensation or sexual health, please check in with a health care provider. You can learn more about pubic hair removal in “Read My Lips: A Complete Guide to the Vagina and Vulva.”

Debby Herbenick, Ph.D., MPH is an associate professor at IU and a research fellow and sexual health educator at the Kinsey Institute for Research in Sex, Gender, and Reproduction. She’s the author of six books about sex; her newest is “The Coregasm Workout.” Follow Kinsey Confidential on Twitter @KinseyCon and visit us online at www.Kinsey?Confidential.org.

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