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.
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.
Leg hair and arm hair developed to help prevent chafing so we could move around without causing friction.
Hair on the underarms, legs and pubic areas stops growing after three to six months. And even if you've never shaved at all, there's a limit to the length, ranging from 2.7cm to 5.4cm long.
All body hair that sprouts during puberty—think hair on your underarms, genitals, and chest hair on guys—is controlled by hormones. Since our estrogen levels drop as we reach middle to later age, body hair growth corresponds by becoming sparser and thinner, too.
It's the bacteria in your armpits that causes odor—bacteria that thrive in warm, moist places (your pits) and get especially "trapped" in the hair that grows there.
Hormonal changes
During puberty, an increase in hormones called androgens triggers the growth of pubic hair . As a person ages, their body begins to produce fewer androgens. This may result in pubic hair loss.
It protects the body against trauma and also against ultraviolet damage. Hair coloration helps to camouflage against predators and in some instances serves as a sexual attractant like the mane of the male lion. Endowed richly with nerve fibers, it has tactile and communicative functions.
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.
Pubic hair and hair on the body doesn't usually grow back after the menopause, this is due to levels of estrogen and progesterone remaining low as we continue to age.
Does pubic hair cease growing once it's reached a certain length? All hair grows at a contstant rate, but eventually falls out. With body hair, which typically does not grow as long as head hair, the rate at which it falls out is greater. This results in hair that appears to reach a certain length then stops growing.
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.
As bipeds, or animals that walk upright on two legs, our heads are directly exposed to the sun. Near the equator, where humans evolved, sun exposure can be overbearing, and head hair helps people avoid overheating. "It's sort of a built-in hat," Pagel said.
Just like the hair on the head, the hair on the rest of the body, including the pubic area, is subject to graying. As people age, their skin produces less melanin. Melanin is the pigment responsible for giving skin and hair its color.
But pubic hair isn't actually unhygienic. Like other hair on your body, your pubes trap sweat, oil, and bacteria. So, they might have a slightly stronger odor than other areas of your body. As long as you wash regularly, this shouldn't be cause for concern.
Marc Glashofer, a dermatologist and fellow of the American Academy of Dermatology, claims that the texture of pubic hair tends to be thicker and more coarse than hair on the rest of our body because of its origins as a buffer. “It prevents friction during intercourse that can cause skin abrasion and rashes,” he says.
Many hair follicles stop producing new hairs. Men may start showing signs of baldness by the time they are 30 years old. Many men are nearly bald by age 60.
In response to rising levels of androgens (mainly dihydrotestosterone) during and after puberty, the skin of the abdomen begins to produce coarser, longer and more pigmented hair (terminal hair). This process primarily affects men.
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.
Quite simply, body hair is no longer a feature of the ideal body. But it is not just the ideal body that is hairless — every body has to be hairless every day. It is the hairy body that stands out, which is deemed abnormal and unnatural, even though hair grows on our bodies every moment of our lives.