Most people develop armpit hair and other types of body hair when they reach puberty. Armpit hair often comes with various pros and cons. Whether to keep or shave armpit hair will also depend on individual preferences and purposes.
1. Why do we have armpit hair?
Many people wonder, why do we have armpit hair? In fact, armpit hair usually starts to appear when you reach puberty. At the ages of 10 to 12 for females and 11 to 14 for males, the body's pituitary gland will activate and secrete a group of hormones known as androgens in the ovaries and testes. These are called sex hormones, which help the apocrine sweat glands start to function (your body usually has another type of sweat gland called eccrine sweat glands located on the palms of your hands and soles of your feet). The apocrine sweat glands will primarily connect with the hair follicles in the armpit and pubic regions.
The hair on your body will undergo many changes over time. When you were a baby, your body would grow lanugo hair to help regulate body temperature. It is often called "baby hair" or "peach fuzz" because the appearance of these hairs is short, thin, and very light in color. The areas where lanugo hair commonly appears include the ears, nose, and even the eyes.
However, by the time you reach puberty, the hair on your body continues to change. Lanugo hair will become terminal hair, appearing thicker, stronger, and darker than before. Additionally, for most people, sensitivity to androgen levels can also affect the location where terminal hair develops on the body. When androgen hormones are produced in greater amounts, there will be more areas of terminal hair growth, such as the legs, arms, chest, and feet.
For facial hair, armpit hair, and pubic hair, they all belong to the same type of hair, commonly referred to as terminal hair or adult hair. They usually start developing as fine hair, and by puberty, they change and progress into coarser and darker hair. These types of hair tend to shed frequently, and therefore, your underarm and pubic hair will grow less than 6 inches.
2. What is the function of armpit hair?
Although the presence of armpit hair can sometimes be inconvenient for you, it is similar to other types of hair on the body that provide certain benefits. Here are some notable benefits of armpit hair, including:
2.1. Good for Pheromone Production
Armpit hair can actually help you attract your partner. This is because the armpits secrete a substance that contains pheromones, a naturally produced chemical that has a sexual attraction effect, also known as an aphrodisiac. Keeping armpit hair will help prevent the smell caused by sweat sticking to the armpit hair. This even helps the pheromone sex hormone to work more effectively.
A recent study on 96 couples found that smelling the natural body scent of a partner can help reduce stress. And it has also been observed that there is a strange attraction coming from the natural scent of the body.
2.2. Helps reduce friction
Armpit hair also helps prevent skin-to-skin contact when you engage in certain activities, such as walking or running. This is also true for pubic hair, as it helps reduce friction during sexual intercourse and other activities.
2.3. Preventing other health problems
Besides reducing skin friction, keeping armpit hair can also help you prevent the following health issues:
- Getting pimples in the armpit
- Ingrown hair
- Skin irritation
- Excess skin tags
- Folliculitis due to ingrown hairs
3. Benefits of shaving armpit hair
Having smooth skin under your arms is not the only benefit you can expect from shaving your armpits:
3.1 Reduce armpit sweating
Are you tired of sweating too much or having to deal with sweat stains on your clothes? To solve this problem, you can shave your armpits because they help retain sweat on the skin.
However, some people naturally sweat more than usual. This condition is called hyperhidrosis, which causes you to sweat excessively in your hands, feet, and armpits.
3.2 Reduce armpit odor
Underarm sweat is directly related to body odor (BO), as it is the result of bacteria breaking down sweat. When you remove your underarm hair, it helps reduce odor. According to a recent study, men who remove armpit hair with a razor can significantly reduce armpit odor within 24 hours. In addition to cleaning armpit hair with a razor, you can also use hair removal methods or cleaning products that easily penetrate the skin and hair follicles.
4. Your armpit hair can’t grow: What does this mean?
If your armpit hair can’t grow, this may be the result of genetic factors or a certain health condition, including:
- Asthma
- Diabetes
- Kidney disease
- Pituitary and thyroid abnormalities
If you have undergone laser armpit hair removal, armpit hair will not grow back for about 6-12 months.
Once you have answered the question of what is the function of armpit hair, you will certainly no longer be bothered by hair in this area, as well as knowing the benefits and uses of armpit hair.
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Reference source: healthline.com
