Manscaping – removal of the penis hair –has been going on for millennia. However, it has become more prevalent in recent years. As long as he is careful with the razor, there’s no reason why a guy who wants to manscape shouldn’t do so. But how many men do manscape? And when they do, how do they do it, and why?
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The first line of defense against penile skin dryness, itching, redness, and loss of sensitivity.
Who Removes Their Penis Hair – Stats on Manscaping
There have been few peer-reviewed surveys about pubic hair removal, but a couple are worth looking at. A 2014 study entitled “Pubic Hair Preferences, Reasons for Removal, and Associated Genital Symptoms: Comparisons Between Men and Women” [i] looked at 1,110 men and women of college age – 671 women, 439 men. It focused on whether participants had groomed their pubic hair within the last four weeks. Perhaps surprisingly, 95% of respondents had indeed done so at least once. Of the men, 397 of 439 (or 90.4%) answered that they manscaped in some fashion during that time.
By contrast, a 2016 study entitled “Prevalence and Motivation: Pubic Hair Grooming Among men in the United States” [ii] found that far fewer men manscaped. Out of the 4,198 men studied, only 2,120 (or 50.5%) said that they manscaped regularly. Why the significant discrepancy? One likely reason is that this study looked at men aged 18 to 65, whereas the earlier study had looked solely at college men. And this study did find that manscaping was much more common among younger men. Those who groomed regularly had an average age of 41.4 vs. 48 for those that did not groom. Interestingly, education may also be a factor; Almost 40% of groomers had completed college instead of non-groomers.
How Low do They Go?
But precisely what do these guys mean when they talk about manscaping? Are they talking about shaving all the hair away down to the skin? Or a trim? Or what? Again, there’s considerable variation.
In the first survey, about 19% of the men shaved it all off regularly, and about 22% sometimes did a to-the-skin shave; while 24% removed some of their pubic hair, but not all; and 22% went in for just a trim, instead of total removal of the penis hair.
The latter survey did not differentiate between how much hair was trimmed or removed, but it did offer insights as to where hair was groomed. Results showed that 87% of men groom the hair in the crotch above the penis, 66% groom the hair on the scrotum, and 57% groom the hair on the penis shaft.
Why Do Men Choose to Trim?
But what about why men choose to manscape? In both surveys, sex and hygiene were the top reasons why a guy would pubically groom. In some cases, men felt that having a hair-free pubic area would increase their likelihood of oral sex, or a partner would appreciate it.
Some men also felt that a groomed pubic area was more comfortable and more appealing. And some reported grooming before a trip to the doctor or to have a surgical procedure performed.
Interestingly, although many men reported that there were drawbacks –such as the possibility of a razor nick or a temporary increase in penile itching immediately following shaving – these did not seem to be a cause of great concern.
Penile itching and other minor discomforts from manscaping to different causes can often be addressed using a superior penis health crème. Keeping penis skin moisturized is highly recommended, especially for those shaving down to the skin, so select a crème with a combination of hydration, vitamin E, and natural shea butter. It also pays to find a crème with retinol (aka vitamin A), which has anti-bacterial properties that can help fight the persistent penis odor that offends so many partners.
Sources:
[i] https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/jsm.12763
[ii] http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/1557988316661315Most men understand that maintaining penis health is the key to healthy sex life. With that in mind, men often take pains to keep their penis in good working order. But some aspects of penis health are dependent on other parts of the body – including the heart. Understanding how the gut affects penis function can help a man maintain his sexual wellbeing.
Man1® Man Oil®
The first line of defense against penile skin dryness, itching, redness, and loss of sensitivity.
The Heart and Erectile Dysfunction
As noted by ClevelandClinic.org, there are three things needed for an erection:
The nerves to the penis must be functioning correctly.
The blood circulation to the penis must be adequate.
There must be a stimulus from the brain.[1]
Cardiovascular issues (that is, heart issues) can impact the second requirement, blood circulation to the penis.
Berkeley Wellness notes that “a man’s heart is connected to his penis in more than a figurative way.” [2] The erection depends upon a good influx of blood to the penis, which fills the spongy tissue of the organ, allowing it to expand and harden. For this to occur, the heart must be able to pump the blood at a healthy rate. In addition, the penile blood vessels must open up to allow for a sufficient amount of blood to come in.
When either of these aspects is not working well, it can lead to erectile dysfunction. The extent of the dysfunction depends upon the severity of the problem with the heart and blood vessels.
When the Heart-Penis Connection Breaks Down
Cardiomyopathy (the technical term for a weak heart) happens for many reasons: some medical, hereditary, and lifestyle-related.[3] This may result in the heart’s chambers getting more extensive, making the heart work harder for less effect. It might also narrow the arteries that deliver blood to the heart, making the heart pump less efficiently. Sometimes the heart muscle thickens, which prevents blood from leaving the heart efficiently.
Problems with penile blood vessels often have to do with cardiovascular issues like high blood pressure, high cholesterol, or hardening of the arteries.[4] In each of these conditions, the blood vessels of the penis can become narrower, keeping blood from rushing in as needed.
It’s easy to see how heart issues can affect erectile dysfunction. But erectile dysfunction can sometimes be an early warning sign of heart issues as well. One study showed that 57% of men who underwent bypass surgery and 64% of those who had a heart attack had a history of erectile dysfunction. And erectile dysfunction is considered as significant a risk factor for heart disease as smoking.[5]
A Two-way Street
This connection between heart health and erectile dysfunction is a two-way street. If a man has regular erectile dysfunction, he should consult with a doctor to determine the cause. This may warn him of possible heart issues at an early stage. Similarly, developing heart disease symptoms may let a man know that erectile dysfunction could be in his future, providing him with more impetus to treat the heart disease issues early and consistently.
The narrow blood vessel issues that can impact both the penis and the heart often respond to nitric oxide in the blood. Check the label of a superior penis health crème (health professionals recommend Man1 Man Oil, clinically proven mild and safe for skin) to see if it contains an L-arginine amino acid. This ingredient is part of the complex process by which nitric oxide is formed, which can help open up penile blood vessels. A good crème will also help address other common penis health issues, such as dry or cracked penis skin, which requires moisturizing agents like Shea butter and vitamin E.
Sources:
1. https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/articles/heart-disease-and-erectile-dysfunction
2. http://www.berkeleywellness.com/self-care/sexual-health/article/men-and-sex-ed-heart-link
3. https://medlineplus.gov/ency/article/001105.htm
4. https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/articles/heart-disease-and-erectile-dysfunction
5. https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/articles/heart-disease-and-erectile-dysfunction