When James, 43, split with his wife of ten years, he decided he needed to make a major change to his image. He researched online, consulted his sister, and booked an appointment – to get his back hair removed.
In doing so, James became one of the rising number of middle-aged men in the UK who are now shaving, threading, plucking and lasering away their body hair in pursuit of the perfect appearance.
The phenomenon even has a name: manscaping.
Gone is the rugged appeal of hirsute Hollywood stars such as Sean Connery or David Hasselhoff. Instead, as laser hair removal clinician Sunaina Raju says: ‘The modern man is hairless.’ Everywhere, apparently.
Celebrities from Irish actor Colin Farrell, 48, to BBC radio presenter Roman Kemp, 31, have publicly discussed removing their pubic hair.
There is a rising number of middle-aged men in the UK who are now shaving, threading and lasering away their body hair in pursuit of the perfect appearance. Such is the demand that brands such as Gillette have created new tools for men’s intimate areas
Meanwhile, burly American football stars are increasingly appearing on the pitch with shaved armpits.
It’s an aesthetic that can be seen in the latest adverts for Kim Kardashian’s underwear brand Skims, where England star footballer Jude Bellingham, 20, poses proudly in his pants – chest smooth as a baby’s bottom (although whether this is natural for him is unclear).
Data from market research company Mintel suggests half of all British men now shave their bodies, with 57 per cent of 16 to 24 year old males removing ALL their pubic hair and 42 per cent their underarm hair. And the manscaping craze is not just a young man’s game.
Dr Aleksandar Godic, consultant dermatologist at Harley Street Dermatology Clinic, who offers hair removal services, says: ‘The typical demographic seeking hair removal used to be young women or, for men, young athletic types.
‘Now it’s shifting to a more mature population that’s equal across genders – I’m seeing more and more men wanting laser hair removal who are between the ages of 40 and 60. They want to feel more youthful.’
Such is the demand that razor brands like Gillette and Philips – as well as newcomer Manscaped – have created new tools for men’s intimate areas. Manscaped’s ‘Lawn Mower’ tool, for example, promises to be gentle on ‘thin, loose skin’, with LED spotlights for hard-to-see areas.
But are some men paying a heavy price for their desire to be hairless? Leading dermatologists have told The Mail on Sunday the trend is having serious consequences, with high rates of self-inflicted cuts, infections and painful skin rashes.
‘As demand increases, the more cases I see of skin rashes, folliculitis and ingrown hairs – which can then become abscesses,’ says Dr Godic.
Folliculitis – a skin condition that happens when hair follicles become inflamed and infected – is one of the most common issues faced by men looking to remove their body hair. Also known as ‘barber’s itch’, folliculitis looks like small pimples that gather where each hair grows.
While generally clearing up on its own after a few days, severe folliculitis can require antibiotics. And if left untreated, repeat infections can cause hair loss and permanent scarring.
Data suggests half of all British men now shave their bodies, with 57 per cent of 16 to 24 year old males removing ALL their pubic hair and 42 per cent their underarm hair
Dr Susan Mayou, consultant dermatologist at the Cadogan Clinic, says she generally sees men with skin issues from shaving their torso – both chest and back. ‘Men can get infections from any method of hair removal chosen,’ she explains.
‘And as they have a greater density of hair, they are more likely to end up with a problem. When the hair is coarse – which men’s body hair often is – the skin is more prone to folliculitis.
‘What we advise is that men shaving their bodies use an antibacterial cleanser and moisturiser to reduce the amount of bacteria on their skin.’
Dr Ellie Rashid, dermatologist at London-based clinic OneWelbeck, is an expert at treating folliculitis.
She told The Mail on Sunday she sees many men with follicular disorders caused by attempts to maintain their body free of hair.
‘Irritation from shaving is relatively common,’ she says.
‘I have one patient who comes in all the time to see me for treatment after developing infections from removing his underarm hair.
‘I think men have improved at looking after their skin when getting rid of body hair. But there’s a massive drive in the grooming industry to get men to buy skincare products, and they don’t always choose the right ones.
‘Some are using moisturisers after shaving that are far too thick and can clog up their hair follicles and cause folliculitis.’ And while shaving the face is a relatively risk-free daily ablution for millions of men, shaving the scrotum definitely isn’t, says Doncaster-based GP Dr Dean Eggitt. He warns it can result in serious infections and it’s common to see patients with pus-filled abscesses from tiny nicks in the skin.
‘While men tend to use hair removal creams on their chests, they usually use razors to remove hair from their genitals – more specifically, men’s razors, which are typically much sharper and more likely to cause cuts on uneven skin than those used by women to shave their bodies,’ he explained.
‘There’s a lot of bacteria in the genital area, so it’s not uncommon to get spots of folliculitis that can become abscesses.’
While folliculitis can be treated with oral or topical antibiotics, abscesses often require a doctor to puncture and drain them.
The latest adverts for Kim Kardashian’s underwear brand Skims, where England footballer Jude Bellingham, 20, is seen posing proudly in his pants, chest smooth as a baby’s bottom
The most severe – though rare – genital infection that can be caused by shaving is Fournier’s gangrene, a flesh-eating disease that affects the scrotum, penis and perineum. Men are ten times more likely to contract Fournier’s gangrene than women – with diabetics, older adults and obese people at higher risk.
While uncommon – between one and two cases are seen per 100,000 men – the infection can develop from specific strains of bacteria entering via cuts in the skin.
‘That bacteria can get under the skin after a nick from shaving and develops quickly because of the moist environment,’ says Dr Eggitt.
‘Then it begins to eat away at the flesh in the genital area.’ Scores of men have taken to online forums to share gruesome stories of shaving intimate areas. One user reveals he managed to scar his genitals by shaving with a cheap nose hair trimmer.
Another man says that his scrotum swelled dramatically after a slight cut from shaving became an abscess.
‘I had assumed a beard trimmer with a guard would be safe enough,’ he wrote on social network platform Reddit. ‘And for that, I have to deal with a throbbing crotch that hurts when my legs constantly rub it.’
Another poor soul managed to give himself a chemical burn on his genitals by applying hair removal cream and falling asleep for five hours.
Chris Henderson, 34, says he’s had plenty of times when his manscaping has gone a bit wrong.
‘I was on holiday for my 18th birthday and in my drunken 18-year-old mind I thought it would be funny to clean shave down there,’ he told The Mail on Sunday. ‘I had to have a very embarrassing conversation with my mum about it the next day.’
Chris says he likes to shave all over because it makes him more comfortable in his own body.
Jim Farina, 66, began to manscape two years ago after some of his younger colleagues told him how popular it was.
He told The Mail on Sunday: ‘The whole youth culture of manscaping was new to me but I wanted to embrace it. There was something about it that felt emancipating. It’s something men of my generation never did.’
Now Jim, who has been married for nearly 40 years, trims his pubic hair once a week.
At Pulse Light Clinic in London, manager Sunaina Raju says she has seen an increase in the number of men coming in for laser hair removal treatment.
‘It’s mainly for the hair on the back and shoulders or for the intimate areas, what we call the ‘male bikini’,’ she says.
‘Hair removal is more socially acceptable these days because of bodybuilding – men want to show off their muscles more. The modern man is hairless. So manscaping has become a form of self-care.’
By following a few simple rules, it is perfectly possible to shave hair anywhere on the body without incident, Dr Godic added.
‘If using a razor, men should spread a liberal layer of shaving foam on the area being shaved and leave it for some time to soften the hair,’ he says. ‘It’s also important to shave in the opposite direction of hair growth.’
But men be warned: women aren’t all convinced about the ‘bro-zilian’ look.
Molly, 25, told The Mail on Sunday: ‘I can’t remember the last man I saw naked that didn’t manscape. I haven’t seen men’s body hair in years. But I don’t mind either way. If I like someone enough, it’s not going to turn me off them. Just keep it tidy.’
*Names have been changed.
It’s a fact…
The UK’s male grooming industry is worth about £8 billion a year, and is expected to grow ten per cent by the end of the decade.
Removal cream scarred me for life
RAF-veteran Nate Hill suffered chemical burns to his skin after attempting to get rid of his body hair for the first time, using an ordinary removal cream.
‘It was the most intense pain I’ve ever experienced. I once got hydraulic fuel in my eye when I was in the air force but the burning was even worse than that,’ the 39-year-old says.
Nate decided to use hair removal cream to remove his pubic hair in a bid to spice up his sex life with his then fiancee. But about two minutes after applying the cream to his scrotum, inner thighs and buttocks, Nate began to feel an extreme burning sensation.
RAF-veteran Nate Hill suffered chemical burns to his skin after attempting to get rid of his body hair for the first time, using an ordinary removal cream
Nate thinks he may have been allergic to an ingredient in the cream or had an adverse reaction due to other medications he was taking at the time
‘I left it for four minutes but the pain was unbearable, so I tried to cool it down with cold water. It had already removed a few layers of skin,’ he explains.
‘I applied Sudocrem to the area but it was so raw and burnt the cream just sank straight in.’ At hospital, Nate was told he had sustained a chemical burn and had his genitals wrapped in burn dressings.
Nate thinks he may have been allergic to an ingredient in the cream or had an adverse reaction due to other medications he was taking at the time.
He says: ‘I’ll never use another cream again.’
While the pain went away after a month, Nate still has some skin discoloration.
‘I was trying to make myself look more appealing,’ he says. ‘Now I’ve been scarred for life.’
