There’s nothing better than that smooth feeling after a full-body shave or bikini wax – if having a hairless vulva is your thing, of course....CONTINUE READING
But if you’ve done it in anticipation of a hot date or you’re eager to have sex with your partner, you might want to hold off.
In fact, according to sex education platform Yoxly Health, if you’ve shaved, waxed, used an epilator or any other similar method of hair removal, you should wait at least 24 to 48 hours before having sex.
Why? Superintendent pharmacist at Chemist Click, Abbas Kanani, tells Metro.co.uk: ‘Waiting 24-48 hours to have sex after a wax is usually recommended because this gives the skin time to heal.
For those of us opt for pubic removal, it may be obvious that we feel a little raw after a wax or shave, but this can have unforeseen health complications if we then immediately have sex.
Abbas explains: ‘Waxing can cause open wounds to hair follicles which may become infected easily from sweat, yeast and bacteria being rubbed in the area.
If you’re waxing or using another form of hair removal in the pubic area then make sure to wait two days to have sex.
‘While waxing does not cause STIs, the damage or tears to the skin may allow for easier transmission.’
Essentially, waiting 48 hours to have sex after hair removal reduces the likelihood of sexually transmitted infections spreading through micro-tears in the skin.
‘Studies have shown that techniques of body hair removal which result in trauma may increase the risk of HPV-associated lesions,’ Abbas adds. ‘This is because human papillomavirus (HPV), a common sexually transmitted infection, is commonly found on pubic and perianal hairs.’
It’s not just partnered sex but masturbation that’s advised against too. This way you can minimise potential skin irritation in sensitive areas.
What is HPV and what are the symptoms?
HPV is the name for a group of STIs.
Despite HPV being extremely common – according to The Eve Appeal website, 80% of us will get a strain of HPV in our lifetimes – HPV is rarely discussed.
In fact, 40% of people have a poor understanding of it and 30% haven’t heard of it at all. And, due to its connection to cancers such as neck, anal, vaginal, vulval, cervical and penile cancer, HPV can feel like an extremely scary topic.
According to the NHS website, there are over 100 types of HPV and, while HPV on its own doesn’t have any symptoms, some strains can cause painless genital warts around the vagina, penis and anus, while others can cause abnormal and potentially cancerous cells to form.
As Karen Hobbs, of The Eve Appeal, explains, HPV is passed on through sexual and skin to skin contact. This can include oral sex as well as vaginal and anal sex and sharing sex toys.
Yes, HPV can lead to cancer, specifically, it can cause cervical, vaginal, vulval, anal, penile and head and neck cancers. However, Karen says, it ‘typically takes years for HPV to develop into a cancer but most people with HPV won’t know they have it and won’t develop cancer.’
Is HPV treatable?
There is no treatment or cure for HPV but, Karen explains, our immune system is designed to ‘get rid’ of HPV, like it does with colds.
‘Most HPV infections will go away on their own within two years,’ she says. ‘But it’s difficult to know whether a strain of HPV has completely gone away or is lying dormant, as some people are shown to have the same type of HPV more than once.’
HPV is a very common sexually transmitted disease (Picture: Getty Images/Science Photo Libra)
Although HPV is a sexually transmitted disease, you can’t always use condoms to protect yourself against HPV.
‘Using condoms can help protect against HPV only if the affected area is covered with the condom,’ explains Karen. ‘But using condoms consistently doesn’t mean that you won’t ever get HPV, as HPV is also passed on through skin to skin contact and can infect areas that condoms don’t cover, such as the scrotum.’
STI hotspots in England
London is the country’s STI capital, with a new diagnosis rate of more than twice that of any other region.
While you should practice safe sex regardless of where you live, there are certain hotspots in the UK where you should be particularly aware of high transmission rates.
You should also make sure to wait those allotted 48 hours after hair removal to really diminish the chances of STI transmission.
Lambeth was found to be the local authority area with the highest level of new STI diagnoses in London and in England as a whole, with 3,573.57 new diagnoses per 100,000 people.
Interestingly, Bexley was the London borough with the lowest rate of STI diagnoses, with 491.19 new diagnoses per 100,000 people. However, compared to all local authorities in England, this is still slightly higher than most.
Outside of London, Lincoln had the highest rate of STI diagnoses with 1,974.98 new cases per 100,000 people. It was also named England’s chlamydia capital, with 1,608.52 diagnoses per 100,000 people in 2022…CONTINUE READING>>
