Shaving is something that a lot of us learn to do. For me personally, I can get really hairy and since I sweat easily, I get rid of my body hair to stop any possible odors and help with the amount of sweat. My hair grows really quickly, so I used to shave quite often.
Before every shave, I would clean my razor with alcohol and I would switch it out maybe every three or four shaves. I would always clean it by putting rubbing alcohol on the blades and rinsing it thoroughly.
However, even if you are taking the proper safety precautions, shaving can cause many complications and even send you to the ER.
Here are three ways shaving can send you to the ER:
The latter is what caused my trip to the ER from shaving.
RELATED: 5 Real Reasons To Stop Shaving Your Pubic Hair
When I was about 18 years old, I decided it was time to shave my vaginal area again. It went well, I don’t recall accidentally cutting myself or anything of that nature. Per usual, I used my Aveeno shaving cream, rinsed, cleansed myself and continued my shower. Everything went normal!
Not too shortly after that, I noticed a large boil underneath my skin. Because of thigh chafing, I get bumps and the occasional boil between my thighs quite often. At first, I didn’t it pay much mind. I put tea tree oil on it (which I now know is not what you should do) and hoped it would shrink it and it would go away. A couple of days later, I noticed that the boil had not only gotten larger, it was harder and there was another one that appeared on my other leg. They were very tender to the touch and it hurt to walk because they protruded a little and rubbed together. I kept trying to
put things on them to lessen the boils (hot compresses and Neosporin), but the boils never came to a head.
About a week and a half or so later, I woke up and wasn’t feeling well. I tried to get up to go to the bathroom, only to fall from the pain in my legs. My thighs were swollen and very tender, the boils were huge and I couldn’t stand up.
My mom took off my pants only to see that there were multiple lumps in my groin area and between my thighs. She told me I felt warm and I told her I didn’t feel that great. I told her that I had some stubborn boils that wouldn’t go away, and she immediately called my aunt who is an ER physician in New Mexico. She told my mom that it sounded like MRSA and to take me to the ER. My mom had to basically carry me in the car, threw me in the backseat and sped to the ER.
Once we were there, the doctor said it was a Staph infection, and asked me if I had hurt myself in my groin/thigh area and then he asked me if I had shaved recently. I told him, yes, but I didn’t cut myself because there was no blood in the shower and I didn’t feel it. He told me that despite me not feeling it or seeing blood, bacteria must’ve gotten into a wound and that’s why I had the infection.
I thought that was the end of my visit until he told me he had to drain the boil that was the biggest on top of giving me antibiotics. The nurses and my mom held me down while he made a small incision in my thigh and squeezed out the smelliest stuff ever. After that, they wrapped my leg and wheeled me back to my car and told me to rest for a few days and to not shave anymore.
I haven’t shaved down there since!
READ: Embarrassing Bikini Waxing Questions Answered
Now, I get waxes. Personally, I enjoy the typical hard wax, but sugaring is great too. Waxing pulls hair out from the root and offers a longer term solution versus shaving. There are different types of waxes – sugar, hard and soft and you can get whatever you want depending on your skin type and personal needs.
I recommend sugaring for people with very sensitive skin and for people like me who have thicker hair, hard wax. After a Brazilian, you aren’t supposed to have sex for at least 24 hours to prevent infection since you’re wide open down there.
When I get Brazilians, I also don’t get that horrible itchy feeling you get when your hair starts to grow back, and my hair grows back much thinner and slower than it does when I shave.
My story isn’t one that happens often, but this is definitely a heck of a weird reason to give waxing a shot!
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