HEALTH – There are still misconceptions about HIV. That waxing the bikini line is a risk factor is one of them, as we recently saw in a press article relayed by Florence Thune, general manager of Sidaction.
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In a tweet shared on Monday February 17, she comments on an article by Biba Magazine entitled “Epilation of the bikini line: these dangers that lie in wait for us”. In it, it is written that in addition to the possible redness and itching, partial or total hair removal of the bikini line “can lead to the development of much more serious infections such as vaginosis – which results in an imbalance of the flora microbial vagina – yeast infection or abscesses and STIs (Sexually Transmitted Infections) such as herpes, Papillomavirus and AIDS ”.
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What Florence Thune refutes.
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????? But nooo!@bibamagazine… You cannot write that waxing the bikini line poses a risk of HIV infection !! No but help … https://t.co/KxKgdrR60M
– Florence Thune (@FlorenceThune) February 17, 2020
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So, I repeat that there is no risk of being infected with HIV by removing hair from your bikini line. And that we, women living with HIV, are not at risk of transmitting HIV either if we strip our swimsuits (no, because as long as we are there, you might as well specify it too) @bibamagazine
– Florence Thune (@FlorenceThune) February 18, 2020
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Contacted by The HuffPost, the general manager of Sidaction is astonished, it is the first time that she sees an established link between the epilation of the swimsuit and the transmission of HIV. She is however adamant about the lack of link between the two.
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As a reminder, the AIDS virus is transmitted during unprotected sexual intercourse with a condom, during contact with contaminated blood or from mother to child in the event of the mother’s lack of treatment, also during breastfeeding.
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Generally, the fear of transmission via blood is more than hair removal, piercing or tattooing. But as Sidaction points out in a fact sheet on HIV, the use of sterile equipment prevents this potential transmission.
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A study published in 2019 in the journal PLoS One confirms that, contrary to popular belief, removing pubic hair does not increase the risk of developing an STI. This study, conducted with 214 women aged 15 to 24 who were sexually active, showed that 10% of them had already contracted gonorrhea or chlamydia infection. But researchers could not establish a cause and effect link between frequent hair removal (daily or weekly for some) and the prevalence of these STIs.
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An older study, published in 2016 in the journal JAMA Dermatology, showed that 84% of the 3316 respondents questioned at least sometimes waxing the bikini line, and 62% had at least once performed full hair removal. Hygiene is one of the arguments put forward to justify this practice.
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Florence Thune recalls that prejudices about HIV transmission die hard. Among these, “the fact that HIV is transmitted by kissing on the mouth or by a mosquito bite”. According to a 2019 Ifop poll for Sidaction, 28% of young people aged 15 to 24 believe that HIV can be transmitted by having safe sex with someone who is HIV positive. Evidence that as HIV cases decrease, there is still a long way to go in terms of knowledge on the subject.
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