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A trend for shaving, clipping or waxing pubic hair
may encourage the spread of a skin virus, French
doctors suggested on Monday. Historically,
pubic hair used to be removed for religious or
cultural reasons, but in recent decades it has
become fashionable to shave it off, with men also
increasingly following the trend, say the authors.
Molluscum contagiosum is a pox virus, which is
relatively common in children and people whose
immune systems are compromised by illness or drugs.
But it can also be passed on through sex, and over
the past decade the number of sexually transmitted
cases has risen.
Four varieties of the virus are known to exist.
MCV-1 is the most prevalent and MCV-2 is seen
usually in adults and often sexually transmitted.
The virus is spread by skin to skin contact. Sexual
contact, scratching the bumps, and even using a
towel that a person who has the virus has used can
spread the infection.
Most people get about 10 to 20 bumps on their skin.
If a person has a weakened immune system, many bumps
often appear. People who have AIDS can have 100 or
more bumps.
Whenever you can see the bumps on the skin,
molluscum contagiosum is contagious.
The virus can be treated and cured with over the
counter medications, cryosurgery, laser surgery, and
in the case of immunodeficiency by immunotherapy.
Most cases die out naturally after nine months to
two years.
Once treated the virus does not remain in the body
but reinfection is possible.
The authors wanted to know if the rise in in the
number of such infections was connected to the
increasing popularity of pubic hair removal among
patients who visited a private skin clinic in Nice,
France, between January 2011 and March 2012.
Of the 30 cases infected with Molluscum contagiosum
during this time, six were women, and the average
age of the entire group was 29.5.
Signs of the infection (pearly papules) had spread
up to the abdomen in four cases and to the thighs in
one. In 10 cases, there were other associated skin
conditions, including ingrown hairs, warts,
folliculitis (bacterial skin infection), cysts and
scars.
Among the 30 patients, most (93%) had had their
pubic hair removed, with most opting for shaving
(70%). Among the rest, it had either been clipped
(13%) or waxed (10%).
As the Molluscum contagiousum can spread relatively
easily by self infection, such as scratching, hair
removal might also facilitate transmission as a
result of the micro trauma it causes to the skin,
suggest the authors.
They go on to speculate about the reasons for the
popularity of pubic hair removal.
"The reasons for choosing genital hair removal
remain unclear, but may be linked with internet
based pornography ... increased sexual sensation ...
an unconscious desire to simulate an infantile look
... or a desire to distance ourselves from our
animal nature," they write.
For more information
BMJ-British Medical Journal
American Academy of Dermatology
(MDN)
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