Manscaping, nut care, trimming the sack, shaving the balls, or the wax job from hell, men, like women, are removing their pubic hair en-masse.  A prior blog post was predominately focused on the disappearance of pubic hair for women, so I was asked, well, what about men?  Should we be removing ours?  Does the hair on our balls even serve a purpose?

Ball hair does have a purpose

You will see on the internet that “nobody likes ball hair.” Seems a bit excessive, like nobody?  A naturally occurring phenomenon nobody likes?  Or is it just that we have been conditioned through mediums like porn that a hairless genital region is infinitely more attractive or appealing?  The very medium of porn creates this construct for both sexes that the genitalia we see online is considered the ‘ideal’ rather than the exception.  

Ball hair or genital hair on men serves quite an essential function regarding friction, reducing chafing, and collecting bacteria.  Genital hair, both for men and women, works like dry lubrication.  It acts as a buffer between both bodies.  First, think about how sometimes skin-to-skin contact can cause friction, the chafing feeling.  Now think about how when you rub your hair strands together, they glide against each other.  This is what pubic hair is meant to do.  Enable those areas to glide smoothly against one another.   Like other hair on our body, ball hair also traps dirt and bacteria from entering this area.  Much like nose hair or eyelashes, they filter dirt and bacteria from the site.  People often say their genital area smells much better from shaving or waxing, and smell is often one of the reasons why people remove genital hair.  Well, yes, that is understandable.  The hair is collecting dirt and bacteria, no different from the hair on your head, yet we aren’t shaving or waxing our heads due to the smell.  So what do we do instead?  Well, we wash it.  Pubic hair is no different. 

Balls are meant to be hairy, and they were never intended to be attractive

Most people reading this have seen a scrotum, with more than half having one.  So it goes without saying that the skin of the scrotum is quite sensitive.  This is because there are lots of nerve endings down there.  So the idea of ripping the hair from this area seems quite excessive, yet many men wax, shave or use other devices to remove the hair from their balls each year.  This skin of the scrotum is quite unique, with lots of nooks and crannies, wrinkly and bunched up.  These areas have been proven to trap a massive amount of bacteria.  Pubic hair helps trap that bacteria so it doesn’t lay dormant on the scrotum skin.

This is why it is imperative to be mindful of any minor cuts or abrasions when grooming this area.  Bacteria lying within the folds of the scrotum skin can quickly get inside, leading to cellulitis, abscesses, and in very rare conditions, Fournier gangrene.  Now I don’t recommend that any of you look up what the latter is.  Suffice it to say it is basically flesh-eating bacteria of the balls.  Those words should be enough to highlight the importance of grooming care in this area.  It is estimated that around 83% of penile injuries involve a razor, with groin shaving mishaps increasing five-fold in emergency rooms over the years. 

So why are we removing our ball hair?

Like pubic hair for women, men remove their ball hair because it feels more comfortable, fresher, and cleaner for partner preference or self-confidence.  Some other reasons include that it feels less hot and makes the penis look more prominent.  Now in regards to sweating, the groin area contains sweat glands.  So it’s meant to sweat.  On top of that, this area is typically contained within a variety of fabrics and levels of constriction.  All contributing factors for increased sweat.  That’s not to say I’m advocating for not wearing pants, but it is something to be mindful of regarding ball sweat, in that hey, they are meant to sweat, and they will sometimes feel hot.  Ball hair actually helps in the cool-down process.  It draws the sweat into the hair and helps with temperature control.

In regards to making your penis look bigger?  Well, yes, it will.  Pubic hair is coarse, wiry, and can bush out, often obscuring the base of the penis.  So by default removing it can make it look like you have grown a couple of inches.  Let’s be honest, though.  The inches were already there, so we are only talking aesthetics here.  That pesky ‘looking good’ syndrome of ours. 

So do I shave or not?

Look, at the end of the day, your pubic hair serves a purpose.  However, does removing it do you any harm?  No.  I would encourage anyone to consider why they are removing it and be mindful of good hygiene practices concerning maintenance.  Choose the option that is right for you.