A task as commonplace as pubic hair grooming could be hurting you more than you think.

According to a new study, one out of four individuals reported getting hurt while trimming their pubic hair. The more frequently and extensively one groomed, the more likely they were to injure themselves.

Ouch Factor In Pubic Hair Care

The study, surveying almost 7,600 U.S. adults ages 18 to 65, found that 50 to 87 percent had some form of pubic grooming. A staggering 94 percent revealed that they groomed themselves, and the most commonly used tools were razors, electric razors, scissors, wax, and laser hair removal.

About 26 percent disclosed having injuries while grooming, or over 560 men and almost 870 women. Of those who reported injuries, 61 percent experienced a cut, 23 percent had burns, and 12 percent suffered rashes.

Nine percent of those with injuries thought they had an infection after the grooming incident. Seventy-nine participants who had an injury needed medical care, with 49 using antibiotics and 36 having a cut fixed or an abscess drained.

The location of injuries varied between the sexes. In females, 51 percent reported being hurt in their mons pubis, or the site above the vulva. This was followed by the inner thigh, vagina, area located between the vagina and anus, and anus.

In males, on the other hand, the scrotum was the most common site of injury with 67 percent of injured subjects, followed by the penis and the mons pubis.

For both men and women, how frequently one groomed and how much hair was removed were both linked to individual injury risk.

Safety Considerations

Benjamin Beyer, study author and urologist at the University of California, San Francisco, said it could be difficult to say which grooming method is most dangerous to use.

“Razors were associated most [with injury], but they may be the ones that are by far used the most,” he said, adding that electric shavers don’t offer as fine a shave despite being unlikely to cause high degrees of injury.

The research is limited by the fact that it used self-reported answers, but the authors emphasized the need to prevent these grooming blunders. This could involve practicing it less frequently and taking off less hair in total.

Doctors, too, could identify patients with a higher risk for such injuries.

The study followed previous research from the same team that found 59 percent of over 3,300 women reported grooming their pubic hair for hygiene purposes.

The findings have been detailed in the journal JAMA Dermatology.