Way Too Many Men Suffer From Manscaping Injuries, But These 6 Tips Can Help

A study in the journal JAMA Dermatology revealed that nearly one in four men who shave ‘down there’ suffer from manscaping injuries.

In an online survey of 7,500 adults, Dr. Benjamin Breyer — associate professor of urology, epidemiology and biostatistics at the University of California, San Francisco — found that 67% of men groom their pubic hair. Of those, 24% experience manscaping injuries.

What are the most common manscaping injuries?

Unsurprisingly, cuts were the most common injury, as 61% of manscapers nicked themselves with a blade. Approximately 23% suffered burns caused by shaving too closely, or stinging chemical products. An additional 12% experienced rashes that can sometimes happen if a person doesn’t use shaving cream, shaves too aggressively or shaves with dull or dirty blades.

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A majority of these injuries occurred on the scrotum (67% to be exact). Nearly 35% occurred on the penis shaft itself and 29% occurred on the pubis, the pelvic mound just above the penis.

Luckily, only 1% of the injuries required medical attention.

How can men avoid manscaping injuries?

Dr. Breyer believes pubic grooming has become more popular because of the regular appearance of shortened pubic hair in mainstream porn, but the increased interest in men’s grooming overall undoubtedly plays a role, too. After all, some guys just feel cleaner with a trim, enjoy the sensation of freshly shorn genitals or prefer the appearance of clipped pubes.

Either way, there are a few simple things you can do to avoid manscaping injuries:

1. Don’t Use Dirty Tools

Regularly clean your grooming tools — clippers, scissors and blades — with alcohol to keep them sterile and reduce the possibility of infection.

2. Trim Before You Shave

It’s a good idea to trim your pubic hair with clippers down to 1/16 of an inch before taking a razor to them. That helps reduce ingrown hairs and keeps your blade from snagging on longer hairs.

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3. Shower First

Shaving after a hot shower will help keep the skin down there softer, more flexible and easier to shave.

4. Lube Up the Area

Shaving gel can help avoid dry (and painful) shaving, or better yet, use an alcohol-free gel with aloe to keep your blade sliding smoothly along.

5. Shaving Technique Matters

Shave in the direction of the hair (not against it), and if you cut yourself, use warm water, soap, rubbing alcohol and toilet paper to stop the bleeding and clean the area, otherwise the bacteria down there can potentially cause an infection.

6. Moisturize!

When you’re done, treat your entire groin to some moisturizer to help keep your equipment from getting irritated or itchy.

Do you have any tips of your own for preventing manscaping injuries?

This article was originally published on October 4, 2020. It has since been updated.