By sharing her story, Dana Sedgewick made an attempt to warm all women about the possible dangers of a habit that most of us do on a daily basis- shaving.  She spoke out after almost losing her legs as a result of a deadly infection she developed.

Namely, she cut herself while shaving her pubic area with a brand new razor, and she developed a red rash that eventually turned black due to necrotizing fasciitis, a flesh-eating infection.

In the interview for Daily Mail, Dana said:

“Like a lot of women, I tried to keep a tidy bikini line. So I had a quick trim with a new razor, but over the weekend, I felt unwell and noticed a little pimple on my groin which kept bleeding. I didn’t think anything of it as I often got a rash from shaving. Little did I know that this tiny pimple would almost cost me my life.”

She immediately went to the hospital and doctors decided to remove the rotting skin. During the procedure, she developed sepsis and was placed in a coma. According to doctors, she had only a 30% chance of living.

Dana experienced kidney failure and her heart stopped four different times. Fortunately, she survived.

She was shocked when she saw her legs for the first time after the unpleasant event:

“It was horrific. All of my muscle had rotted away, and I had a crater of skin near my groin. I felt like I was going to throw up,” she said. “But I knew that it could have been much, much worse. I could easily have lost my legs – or worse, died.”

After 6 weeks in the hospital, she was discharged but underwent 21 surgeries in order to improve the skin on her legs.

She confessed:

“It didn’t feel like my own body anymore, but with Mat’s support, I grew to see the scars as a reminder of how brave I’d been, and how lucky I was to survive. It’s incredible to think a tiny shaving spot could have killed me. I had a very close shave indeed.”

Numerous doctors warn about the variety of side-effects that can occur due to their grooming habits, and most of them are very strict when it comes to shaving the pubic area.

According to Dr. Vanessa Mackay, a member of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, pubic hair is essential for preventing pathogens entering the vagi*a. She explains:

“Pubic hair offers a natural barrier to keep things clean, to decrease contact with viruses and bacteria, and to protect the tender skin of the area. While protecting against diseases and skin problems, pubic hair prevents foreign particles like dust and pathogenic bacteria from entering the body. It also helps to control the moisture of the area which decreases the chances of yeast infections.”

Therefore, she warns:

“If you shave your pubic hair, you are putting yourself at a higher risk of contracting genital warts. Although pubic hair doesn’t completely prevent it, it helps avoid skin on skin contact with someone who may already have it. Removing pubic hair also irritates and inflames the hair follicles left behind, leaving microscopic open wounds.”

These claims are confirmed by many other experts, such as Dr. Arikawe Adeolu, who maintains:

“When you completely shave the pubic hair, it re-grows in a slanted fashion with the tip sometimes growing into the pubic skin, which can crack open the skin. It is usually a small crack which cannot be seen with the naked eyes but due to this crack and loss of integrity of the skin at that level, there is increased risk of getting an infection.

Complete shaving can also cause boils to develop in that region. This is because when you shave, you cause some level of abrasion in the area which opens up the skin. These small openings cannot be seen with the eye but they are big enough for the microorganisms to get into the body. Also, because the pubic area is always moist, this serves as breeding ground for organisms like bacteria.”

He adds:

“You also have an increased risk of contacting other STIs such as HIV, Hepatitis, genital warts, by complete shaving of the pubic hair. ’’

Hence, we strongly advise you to rethink your attitudes towards shaving or at least pay more attention to the hygiene of your genitals and the procedure of shaving, in order to prevent such complications.