Put down that razor. Step away from the wax. That Brazilian might be causing the spread of a sexually transmitted infection, according to a new study.  

A dermatologist in Nice, France, observed more and more patients coming to his office with molluscum contagiosum virus (MCV) outbreaks in their nether regions (molluscum contagiosum, incidentally, sounds more like a “Harry Potter” spell than a virus). About 93 percent of these 30 patients, both male and female, shaved, waxed, or clipped their pubic hair. This made Dr. Francois Desruelles, MD, wonder about the relationship between grooming downstairs and the spread of MCV.  

“Pubic hair removal is a body modification for the sake of fashion, especially in young women and adolescents, but also growing among men,” writes Desruelles in a letter published online in the British Medical Journal. “Anyway, pubic hair removal may be a risk factor for STMC [sexually transmitted MCV] or perhaps other STIs …”

MCV, a pox virus, spreads by skin-to-skin contact, from sharing items such as towels or clothes, or sexual contact. It causes pearly papules with dimples in the middle. While MCV looks unsightly, it is not painful and often goes away without treatment. Although a few bumps might be an inconvenience, some people develop hundreds of these papules, which can be embarrassing and disfiguring.

After looking at cases of sexually transmitted MCV, Desruelles believes that people are self-inoculating, meaning they are giving themselves pubic MCV from grooming. A person might shave a papule on her leg, for example, and the virus remains on the blade, which transfers it to her lady parts.

This is a common way to spread bacteria or viruses, explains Dr. Robert T. Brodell, MD, a professor and chief of the division of dermatology at the University of Mississippi Medical Center. People often spread warts this way.  

“You cut through a wart … and pull [the HPV] along a line so you end up with warts in a line. You have the original wart and nine more.”

Brodell, who did not participate in the study, believes there are a few other reasons why pubic hair grooming might cause the spread of MCV. People may share razors—so one person with MCV might pass it onto his roommate because they used the same razor (ew, people, get your own razors, especially if you are using it to trim your business). Or tiny abrasions from shaving makes it easier to contract MCV from a paramour.   

“You have sexual contact with someone who has it and it is easier to pick up the virus,” Brodell says. He recommends that people abstain from sex with someone who has an outbreak of MCV. If people suspect they have MCV or warts they should shave around the bumps, not through them, he adds.

While grooming likely increases the spread of sexually transmitted MCV, it doesn’t mean we must go au naturel. Brodell notes there is nothing inherent about pubic hair that protects people from MCV or STIs. “The hair itself is not a defensive barrier.”    

Related:

Pubic hair grooming injuries on the rise, researchers find

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AP Photo/Mike Groll

Zhang Jie of China reacts while competing during the men's 62-kg weightlifting competition at the 2012 Summer Olympics, Monday, July 30, 2012, in London.

What's the most shocking sight in the Olympics so far?  It’s not Michael Phelps failing to medal in the 400 IM.  Nor is it Jordyn Weiber getting eliminated from the gymnastics all-around finals. 

The most shocking sight to me is Chinese weightlifter Zhang Jie’s big, hairy facial mole.

Zhang sports a mole on the side of his chin that must measure at least half an inch in diameter.  Long, wiry, black hair protrudes from it, resembling the whiskers of a cat. 

As a plastic surgeon, I recommend that he have the mole removed.  It resembles a congenital hairy nevus, which carries a 0.8-4.9 percent risk of turning into skin cancer. The best treatment for moles like this is surgical excision. 

So why hasn’t Zhang had it cut off? 

Even more important, why doesn’t he clip those hairs?

According to the Chinese Fortune Calendar, dark moles are often considered good luck. Hairy moles signify even better luck than bald ones, as they are regarded as healthier. This belief may actually be supported medically: Cancerous moles often lose their hair, as the cancer cells invade the hair follicle, causing the hair shafts to fall out.  Therefore, hairy moles are considered less likely to be cancerous than non-hairy ones.

So was Zhang’s congenital hairy nevus good luck? 

Not really. Although he was the favorite to win the 62-kilogram competition, Zhang ended up placing fourth. 

Time to call the plastic surgeon.   

Dr. Anthony Youn is a Michigan-based cosmetic surgeon and frequent NBCNews.com and TODAY.com contributor. He is the author of the book "In Stitches," a humorous memoir about becoming a doctor. 

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Courtesy of Dana Marie Flores

Dana Marie Flores, a 42-year-old mother of two from Phoenix, has struggled with the compulsive urge to pick at her skin for years.

From time to time, everyone picks their skin, whether it's squeezing a pimple or removing peeling skin. But for people with compulsive skin picking, "We just take it to a whole new level," says Dana Marie Flores, who has struggled with this disorder for 30 years.

Flores started by picking at pimples on her face when she was 12 or 13. She'd spend hours with her face an inch away from the bathroom mirror picking at any acne bumps she saw and using her pinky fingernails to squeeze out the pus.

To her, picking served a useful purpose. "When I first started to pick, it was self-soothing," admits Flores.  "If something came out [like pus], it's affirmation that something was in my skin." There was a feeling of satisfaction and relief.

Flores said picking at her face then evolved to picking at any bump she'd find on her arms or legs. "I'd think of it as fixing a problem, removing an ingrown hair, evening things out on my skin," she recalls.

When doing it, Flores says her mind enters a trance-like state. "It's really an escape, like a drug. It's so self-soothing you lose track of time," she explains.

Although the urge to pick is incredibly strong and it can seem hard to fight, the 42-year-old mother of two from Phoenix eventually recognized her behavior was "a grooming habit gone terribly wrong."

Compulsive or pathological skin picking, which is also known as dermatillomania, falls under the umbrella of a "body-focused repetitive behavior," says Dr. Ted Grosbart, PhD, a Boston-based clinical psychologist who specializes in dermatology.

People with this impulse-control disorder have a strong urge to pick at their skin over and over again to a significant enough degree that it does noticeable tissue damage and they experience it as a problem, Grosbart explains.

He says the condition, which is more common in women, has a genetic basis. And there's often an emotional stressor or hormonal trigger (like puberty), which touches it off.

"Skin picking is not a character flaw, and it's not a bad habit," Grosbart points out. "It's a real medical condition with a biochemical underpinning." Researchers are also noticing slight variations in brain structure and function in people with the condition.

According to Grosbart, skin picking is a "hidden epidemic." "We used to think it affects 3 to 4 percent of the population, but the latest studies suggest the lifetime incidence may be closer to 15 to 16 percent," he says.

Sufferers may at first rationalize the picking as a type of skin care but it then crosses the line into a form of skin abuse.

"The shame is huge," says Flores. "You assume you're the only person doing this, and you feel like a freak.

"The shame felt is often more damaging than the physical damage done to the skin," she adds.

Many skin pickers feel so ashamed they hide the behavior from their family members, spouses and friends. They conceal any scabs under clothing, or by wearing Band-Aids, or with makeup.

They might pick skin in less noticeable places, like the scalp or chewing the insides of their mouths. Or they make up excuses: A bad reaction to a new medication or an attack by mosquitoes.

If they finally open up and confide in someone, that person may have difficulty understanding why pickers just can't stop.

As Flores put it, "The 'just-stop theory' sounds great." But your skin is always available and you can't exactly get away from it, she says.

Flores makes the analogy that the strong temptation to pick her skin is like being a recovering alcoholic with hundreds of bottles of beer and booze tied to your body. With 24/7 access to her skin, picking is an easy behavior to fall into when she feels angry or stressed.

Flores' path toward healing began seven years ago when she saw a TV news story about people who compulsively pull out their hair, or trichotillomania. The story referred her to a website for the Trichotillomania Learning Center, a nonprofit educational organization, where she finally discovered information about skin picking.

"After 23 years of doing this, I could not believe there were other people out there like me," admits Flores. She joined a local support group, attends their annual retreats, and serves on their Board to help get the word out. 

She's learned new tools for keeping her hands busy -- playing with bubble wrap to give her the same tactile sensation of popping pimples -- to help curb the behavior. Still, it remains an ongoing struggle to battle the impulse.

"I don't base my recovery on how my skin looks, but on how I feel inside," Flores says. "And that has changed 1,000 percent."

Related:

• Sorry, guys: We judge you by your facial hair
• What caused the N.J. tanning mom's leathery look?
• Taking a skin allergy and making it art

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