Pubic hair

Pubic hair
Pubic hair on a mature male (left) and mature female (right)
Details
Identifiers
Latin	pubes
TA	A16.0.00.022
FMA	70754
Anatomical terminology []

Pubic hair is body hair found in the genital area of adolescent and adult humans, located on and around the sex organs, the crotch, and sometimes at the top of the inside of the thighs, in the pubic region around the pubis bone.

Although fine vellus hair is present in the area in childhood, pubic hair is considered to be the heavier, longer and coarser hair that develops during puberty as an effect of rising levels of androgens in males and estrogens in females. Pubic hair is part of a person's body hair and a secondary sex characteristic. Many cultures regard pubic hair to be erotic, and in most cultures pubic hair is associated with genitalia, which both men and women are expected to keep covered at all times. In some cultures, it is the norm for pubic hair to be removed, especially of females, a practice which is regarded as part of personal hygiene. In other cultures, the exposure of pubic hair (for example, when wearing a swimsuit) may be regarded as unaesthetic or embarrassing, and is therefore trimmed or otherwise styled to avoid it being visible.

The Tanner scale looks at the development of pubic hair. Before the onset of puberty, the genital area of both boys and girls has very fine vellus hair, referred to as Tanner stage 1 hair. As puberty begins, the body produces rising levels of the sex hormones, and in response the skin of the genital area begins to produce thicker and rougher, often curlier, hair with a faster growth rate. The onset of pubic hair development is termed pubarche. The change for each hair follicle is relatively abrupt, but the extent of skin which grows androgenic hair gradually increases over several years.

In males, the first pubic hair appears as a few sparse hairs that are usually thin on the scrotum or at the upper base of the penis (stage 2). Within a year, hairs around the base of the penis are numerous (stage 3). Within 3 to 4 years, hair fills the pubic area (stage 4) and becomes much thicker and darker, and by 5 years extends to the near thighs and upwards on the abdomen toward the umbilicus (stage 5).