Beauty
No need to be concerned.
Female body hair may not be considered a “sexy” topic — historically, it’s been a subject shrouded in controversy and embarrassment — but it’s actually nothing to be concerned about. Beyond your armpits, legs, and nether regions, it’s common to grow hair underneath your belly button (aka a happy trail) and even on your fingers and toes.
"People see models without hair in magazines, in commercials, and on TV, and they feel that there is something wrong with them because they have hair in areas where these people seem to not," Christian Karavolas, owner of Romeo & Juliette Laser Hair Removal in New York City, tells Bustle over email.
Everyone has varying amounts of body hair, and this has to do with your ethnicity, sex, and family history, according to dermatologist Dr. Ava Shamban. “There are some ethnic groups that tend to have a bit more hair, but it’s completely normal and okay — unless it’s associated with other signs of high testosterone,” agrees Dr. Michelle Henry, MD, FAAD, a board-certified dermatologist at Skin & Aesthetic Surgery of Manhattan.
Henry points to an excess thick facial hair and irregular periods as signs of high androgen levels, which can mean testosterone-producing tumors or growths or polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). Unless you’re exhibiting those symptoms, your body hair is nothing to be alarmed about.
At the end of the day, it’s your choice whether or not you want to remove it — and if so, how you want to remove it — but know that female body hair is nothing to be ashamed about. “When it’s something that’s inherited or [something] we see more commonly in certain ethnic groups, it’s just that constant policing of female bodies,” adds Henry. “It’s not something that should be critiqued, but it’s an unfortunate truth.”
If you’ve wondered whether or not you should be worried about a particular area that has body hair, read on for expert-backed insight.
1Happy Trail (Below Your Belly Button)
That happy trail? Yup — lots of people have it. In fact, says Henry, hair below the belly button is “the most common area of all” when it comes to female body hair. “We have different stages of maturation — we call them Tanner stages — and that depends on the spread of hair we get, but [hair below the belly button] is most common.”
2Around The Nipple
If you have hairy nipples, you're certainly not alone. “Many, many women grow hair in that area,” says Henry. “I see it quite frequently, and I do a lot of laser removal on that area as some women are sensitive about it.” The purpose of the hair around the female nipple is unclear,” adds Dr. Amy Shamban, “but it is correlated with the presence of oil glands.”
3Around The Anus
Hair in between your butt cheeks and around the anus is 100 percent fine. What’s more, it serves a purpose: “We have hair to protect sensitive areas and any delicate orifices,” Henry adds. However, if you want to get rid of it, consider going the laser removal route. “We laser it off [women] every day. I’ll probably do two or three cases today.”
4On and In Your Ears
5Along Your Lower Back
According to Shamban, having hair around the lower back is quite common. Even if you may not love the way it shows in, say, a backless dress, it's no cause for panic. “As long as it’s not very, very thick,” adds Henry, “it’s completely normal.”
6Inside Your Nose
"Again this area is quite normal, but people do not like it for vanity reasons," says Karavolas. "Nose hair actually protects our nasal passages from infection."
7On The Back Of Your Neck
"This area is touchy for both men and women," says Karavolas. "Men can tend to the hairs on the back of their neck during regular hair cuts, but women can be embarrassed by an excess of hair in the area and choose not to wear their hair up. But in reality, this is not a weird area for extra hair."
8On The Face
Facial hair — from your cheeks to your chin to your upper lip — is totally healthy, so long as it’s not extreme or thick. “If you notice [a lot] of really, really thick hair, we start to get worried about excess androgen,” says Henry. “With a lot of chin hair [in particular], we worry about PCOS and things of that nature.”
Dermatologist Dr. Alan J. Parks agrees: "If a woman has excessive facial hair, however, this can be caused by heredity, hormones, medications, and polycystic ovary disease," he says.
9On Your Inner Thighs
"Thick hair growth the inner thighs is usually normal in women," Dr. Tsippora Shainhouse, MD, FAAD, a board-certified dermatologist at SkinSafe Dermatology and Skin Care in Beverly Hills, tells Bustle via email. "However, if it doesn’t run in your family, your periods are not regular, and you have cystic acne and difficulty losing weight, you may have [PCOS].”
10On Your Fingers And Toes
Though she does see it more in men than women, Henry says hairs dotting your fingers and toes is not at all cause for concern. However, as with most areas of your body, “excess hair on the fingers and toes could be concerning, but a little hair should not pique your concern in any meaningful way.”
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