While there are no true health benefits to shaving the arms, some people prefer the look and feel of hair-free arms and others find that having hairless armpits minimizes body odor associated with armpit sweat.
As with shaving any part of your body, shaving your armpits also opens up the possibility of getting razor burn, ingrown hairs and irritation, and the underarm area is definitely one of the more uncomfortable areas to experience this in.
Culturally, the Chinese consider it bad luck to alter their physical appearance in any way. Women in the U.S. have been on quite a roller coaster ride when it comes to their armpit hair, or lack thereof, over the past century.
The main role of pubic hair is to reduce friction during sex and other forms of exercise, protecting the delicate skin around the genital area. Just like eyelashes and nose hair, pubic hair helps prevent the transmission of bacteria, trapping any dirt, debris, and microorganisms that could be harmful to the body.
Development and growth
Although vellus hair is already present in the area in childhood, chest hair is the terminal hair that develops as an effect of rising levels of androgens (primarily testosterone and its derivatives) due to puberty. Different from the head hair, it is therefore a secondary sexual characteristic.
Leg hair and arm hair developed to help prevent chafing so we could move around without causing friction.
Everyone has some hair in the area between their butt crack. This hair wicks away moisture and protects the sensitive skin around your anus.
Many theorize that its purpose is similar to hair on other parts of the body that regulate body temperature. As sweat is produced from the sweat glands, hair provides more surface on which it can evaporate faster. In cooler climates, it can also serve as a form of insulation that allows you to trap more body heat.
Men all have roughly the same amount of testosterone. Certain genes make your hair follicles more or less sensitive to the amount of testosterone in your body. Basically, an enzyme converts testosterone into a substance that shrinks hair follicles.
What Percentage Of Guys Have Chest Hair? A study of over 1100 men ages 17 - 71 found that only 6% had no chest hair at all, while 56% displayed a moderate amount of chest hair. 38% of men displayed a light amount of chest hair.
Hormones called androgens, which are present in both sexes, stimulate body hair (known as vellus hair) to darken and coarsen. Men have higher levels of androgens than women, so their body hair tends to be more prolific.
As we age, our prolonged exposure to testosterone starts to play a visible role on other body hair as well. Just like it transforms the vellus hair on a young man's face into a thick beard, it also changes the nearly invisible hair that grows in places like our ears into thicker strands.
Bacteria can cling to hair. In the vaginal area, that is both a good thing and a bad thing. You need your good vaginal bacteria to prevent an overgrowth of yeast, but when bacteria mix with the sweat and oil on your pubic hair, it can produce a smell.
Friction. On a completely different note, some scientists think that the coarseness of pubic hair serves a biological function. The idea is that coarse hair creates a durable, fluffy layer that helps reduce friction during intercourse.
When the hair wicks sweat off the skin (to keep you dry and cool), it collects, along with pheromones and bacteria, in that area. "The hair traps the smell," Michael Cackovic, M.D., an ob/gyn at Ohio State Wexner Medical Center, tells SELF.
Men report grooming their pubic hair for various reasons including sex and hygiene, comfort, and curiosity. Reasons for pubic hair grooming by age are reported in Figure 1. The majority of men report grooming in preparation for sexual activity with a peak prevalence of 73% among men aged 25 to 34 years.
If you take attractiveness out of the equation, there are a few reasons to trim or shave your chest hair for your own sake: to lend extra definition to your muscles, streamline your body for swimming, to keep it from poking out of your shirt. All good reasons.
Like so many things, it comes down to a mixture of genetics and hormones. We know that at least some of the genes for hairiness are carried on the X chromosome – and the way these genes are expressed varies between different men and ethnic groups – but hairiness also correlates with high testosterone levels.
Bald men are no more virile and they don't have higher testosterone levels, though they do tend to have hairier arms, legs and chests. Perhaps most surprisingly, bald men don't actually have any fewer hairs on their heads.
One study found that 17% of women preferred a fully shaved chest, whereas 53% wished men would trim their chest hair. This shows that women actually prefer chest hair, but it should be maintained or trimmed nicely if the hair is bushy or hair sticking out of a man's shirt.
The longest chest hair (male) is 28.20 cm (11.10 in), and was achieved by Vittorio Lullo (Italy) in…
Excess testosterone can lead to more aggressive and irritable behavior, more acne and oily skin, even worse sleep apnea (if you already have it), and an increase in muscle mass.