When talking about hair removal for childbirth, I immediately think of those foreign birth videos—natural births with a swollen vagina preparing for delivery, full of pubic hair not even trimmed for the occasion. This is completely normal in cultures where keeping things as natural as possible is valued, but I also think it’s because it can be a bit tricky to do hair removal on your own at this stage. However, for Brazilian women, this can be a totally different conversation!
In a country where the extra-skimpy bikini is always in style, hair removal is famous for being perfectly up-to-date and quite thorough, often leaving not a single hair in the intimate area to be seen. But not all women are that intense about hair removal.
Types of Hair Removal
There are many types of hair removal, and the choices are completely different for each woman1. Some prefer to get waxed by an experienced professional using hot wax. Others take care of everyday hair removal with cold wax at home or use the famous “razor” to get rid of hair.
There are also special devices for the process, like electric epilators that promise to remove hair at the root. But hair removal for childbirth is a topic all its own. We should remember that pregnant women should not use certain hair removal techniques, such as continuous or pulsed light laser hair removal, or even depilatory creams2.
The Ideal Hair Removal for Each Type of Birth
Hair removal for vaginal delivery is not essential. As we see in many videos on the internet, regardless of whether hair removal is up-to-date or not, birth will happen without major problems. However, for personal hygiene or aesthetic reasons, you may opt for a grooming trim, which removes excess hair around the groin and trims longer hairs.
If you can’t, or don’t feel comfortable, doing it yourself (your belly can get in the way a lot), you’ll need to ask a professional or even your husband for help. Your husband? YES! At the maternity hospital, in the three times I had a baby, it was common to hear women say their husband helped with hair removal before delivery!
Believe it or not, this is still a frequent story in conversations with new moms. Some specialists do not recommend full hair removal or even highly thorough waxing, so talk to your doctor about what should be done if you want a vaginal birth.
Hair Removal for Cesarean Section
And what about hair removal for a cesarean birth? This requires more attention, since the surgical cut is made in an area full of hair, like the bikini line. Doctors and nurses used to preparing women for cesarean sections say that a lower bikini line hair removal, close to the beginning of the labia majora divide, is enough for the procedure.
But if you want to remove more hair from the area, that’s possible, but not absolutely necessary. Hair removal for childbirth can be done with hot wax, cold wax, trimmers, or even razors. Full hair removal isn’t needed—it’s up to the pregnant woman.
When to Do Hair Removal
Hair removal should be done up to 2 days before the birth if using hot or cold wax. That’s because the open follicles left by waxing can cause a build-up of bacteria, which could occasionally lead to problems during delivery3.
Razor hair removal should be done on the same day as the procedure, because hair tends to grow back very quickly with this method. It’s important to remember that for cesarean sections, hair removal can be done at the time of the procedure—trichotomy is not exactly hair removal, but a way to clean the area for surgery.
Some salons have refused to do full hair removal in the last few weeks of pregnancy due to a myth that abrupt hair removal would trigger labor, but there is no concrete connection between these two things. Just avoid repeatedly pulling the skin. That’s it—if you don’t want to look like a jungle during childbirth, the minimum you can do is trim the hair short, but the choice is yours (except in cases of cesarean, where some hair removal is necessary). Full hair removal is optional.
See also: Induction of Labor – When Is It Indicated?
Photo: DAVID Swift, Gustavo L. Simianer Procat
