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Brazilian waxing can cause viral disease
Last reviewed: 01.07.2025
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Experts from France reported that the popular Brazilian hair removal can be dangerous to health. According to experts, hair removal can lead to skin infection. As a result of hair removal, microtraumas are formed on the skin, which create favorable conditions for the reproduction and further development of molluscum contagiosum.
Molluscum contagiosum is a dangerous viral skin disease that can be transmitted through household items or direct contact with an infected person. According to statistics, the infection most often occurs in children under 12 years of age. In adults, the infectious disease is typically accompanied by the formation of pale pink nodules on the surface of the skin. Skin lesions are not accompanied by pain, so the disease often goes unnoticed. This pathogen belongs to the group of smallpox viruses and can only affect humans, without affecting the health of animals. Medicine knows several types of this virus, one of which is sexually transmitted and, accordingly, occurs in adults. Those people who have problems with the immune system are most susceptible to infection.
Direct signs of infection are formations on the skin, which are also called papules. They appear mainly on the thighs, arms, abdomen and genitals. The disease is almost never accompanied by pain, so you can notice it only by paying attention to the bumps that have appeared on the skin.
Papules may not be hollow, but have a so-called core of a light, almost white color.
Recently, experts have linked the infectious disease to a popular method of removing unwanted hair. The connection between the skin viral disease and Brazilian hair removal was established by experts from Nice after several people with the molluscum contagiosum virus were admitted to a dermatologist at one of the clinics over a short period of time. The clinic's specialists reported that over the course of one year, more than 30 people came to them with this disease.
It was noteworthy that 27 out of 30 people were infected with the molluscum contagiosum virus after visiting a beauty salon. Four patients discovered unknown formations on the skin of their abdomen a week after visiting a cosmetologist, three on the inner thigh, and the rest on the genitals and skin around the genitals.
Doctors managed to find out that almost all patients had undergone hair removal procedures in a beauty salon using wax or shaving. In addition to infection with molluscum contagiosum, patients also had other unpleasant consequences of epilation: ingrown hairs, small warts and scars that occur in the case of careless handling of shaving accessories.
Previous studies have shown that since the popularity of beauty salons and professional hair removal, the number of women admitted to hospitals with genital injuries has increased significantly. Experts believe that the passion for grooming one's own body can be dangerous and cause negative consequences. However, there is an undeniable positive aspect to the fact that hair removal has become popular: the problem of pubic lice has practically disappeared.
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