MoxVlog

MAINTAINING hair down there is an essential part of grooming for many women, with some opting to remove it all entirely.

But your Brazilian or Hollywood wax can actually be bad for your health, leaving you at risk of infections and irritation.

For those who don't know, a Brazilian wax leaves a small triangle of pubic hair at the front but removes all the hair from the bikini line and all the way around to your bum.

A Hollywood wax is the full removal of any pubic hair.

And they are popular trends with the ladies - a YouGov poll in 2016 found almost 50 per cent of women under 35 opt to go completely hair free.

Shows like Sex and the City have been blamed for the growing expectation women need to be hair-free, after all who could forget the episode when Carrie, Miranda, Charlotte and Samantha go to get a wax.

But Dr Vanessa Mackay, s spokeswoman for the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, warned women to keep their pubic hair.

"Pubic hair offers a natural barrier to keep things clean, to decrease contact with viruses and bacteria, and to protect the tender skin of the area," she said.

"While protecting against diseases and skin problems, public hair also prevents foreign particles like dust and pathogenic bacteria from entering the body, and helps to control the moisture of the area which decreases the chances of yeast infections.

"Shaving or waxing your pubic hair puts you at higher risk of contracting venereal disease, like genital warts.

"Although pubic hair doesn’t completely prevent sexually transmitted infections, it helps avoid skin on skin contact with someone who may already have it."

Not only does removing your lady bush put you at a greater risk things like thrush and genital warts, it can also leave you at risk of bacterial infections that aren't so common down there.

FREE YOUR BITS The skin-crawling reason all women should ALWAYS go commando – like Bella Hadid, Amanda Holden and Lauren Pope

The sole problem with waxing is that it damages the hair follicle.

Hair removal essentially rips the hair from the follicle, which leaves your skin covered in tiny wounds that are invisible to the naked eye.

Something else that is invisible to the naked eye, but small enough to get into these wounds, is bacteria.

Bacteria can cause all forms of rashes, swelling, heat and redness which can be uncomfortable to say the least.

"Removing pubic hair also irritates and inflames the hair follicles left behind, leaving microscopic open wounds," Dr Mackay added.

"When that irritation is combined with the warm moist environment of the genitals, it becomes a happy culture medium for bacterial pathogens."

And if some of the infections are serious enough it can prove life-threatening.

Several years ago a woman in the US ended up in hospital after contracting cellulitis - a bacterial infection of the skin and underlying tissue.

The woman had gone for a bikini wax the day before but 24-hours later had a fever and pain in her left thigh.

For mild cases your GP will treated it with a course of antibiotics, but for more severe cases you may need hospital treatment.

MORE ON SEXUAL HEALTH

If left untreated cellulitis can become serious very quickly.

Cellulitis can spread to other parts of the body including your blood, muscles and bones - this can be life-threatening.

You should seek urgent medical care if you have a temperature, rapid heartbeat, purple patches on the skin, feel faint, have clammy skin or lose consciousness.

So next time you are thinking of booking into a salon to get your downstairs hair waxed off, you may want to think twice.

We pay for your stories! Do you have a story for The Sun Online news team? Email us at tips@the-sun.co.uk or call 0207 782 4368

ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7tbTErKynZpOke7a3jp%2BYm62cpMK0e5RvaGxxYWx8o77As6CloZGjerit12aZmpxdnbKiuNOhZKKmlpqwtbXOp2Y%3D