# Why does pubic hair grow so much faster than other hair? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 15, 2004, 9:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-pubic-hair-grow-so-much-faster-than-other-hair/234517 "2004-03-15T21:55:41Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Stainz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecd19e/32.png) [@Stainz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stainz)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2004, 9:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-pubic-hair-grow-so-much-faster-than-other-hair/234517/1 "2004-03-15T21:55:41Z")
I guess the post pretty much says it all. I’m wondering why pubic hair grows so much more quickly than leg hair or hair on one’s head … Is it due to the original function of pubic hair, which was to keep our genitals warm? Thanks, S. ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2004, 10:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-pubic-hair-grow-so-much-faster-than-other-hair/234517/2 "2004-03-15T22:23:09Z")
I’m afeared this may go the way of the thread where someone asked why eating pepperoni pizza made your testicles hurt, only to discover that wasn’t necessarily the case for everyone. I’m sorry my friend but my genital curls don’t outpace those on my head. Good grief, where would you keep flowing locks of pubes? ---
**Author:** ![J\_String](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ce73a5/32.png) [@J\_String](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/J_String)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2004, 10:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-pubic-hair-grow-so-much-faster-than-other-hair/234517/3 "2004-03-15T22:30:51Z")
Well lieu, it’s nice to see your expanding your “territory” to cover the pubic region as well. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![J\_String](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ce73a5/32.png) [@J\_String](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/J_String)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2004, 10:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-pubic-hair-grow-so-much-faster-than-other-hair/234517/4 "2004-03-15T22:32:12Z")
ACK! Change that first “your” to “you’re.” ---
**Author:** ![Stainz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecd19e/32.png) [@Stainz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stainz)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2004, 11:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-pubic-hair-grow-so-much-faster-than-other-hair/234517/5 "2004-03-15T23:17:06Z")
well,first of all I’m a chick - but I shave ‘down there’ and I shave my legs and armpits of course … and it just seems like the pubic hair growth is much faster than other hair. I’m just sayin … it’s weird! ---
**Author:** ![scm1001](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c4cdca/32.png) [@scm1001](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scm1001)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2004, 11:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-pubic-hair-grow-so-much-faster-than-other-hair/234517/6 "2004-03-16T11:41:12Z")
probably it just seems faster as it is thicker, and so you notice a hair there more than a fine downy one on your leg ---
**Author:** ![choosybeggar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8c91f0/32.png) [@choosybeggar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/choosybeggar)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2004, 3:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-pubic-hair-grow-so-much-faster-than-other-hair/234517/7 "2004-03-16T15:04:15Z")
I never knew it grew faster. Choosy (Derm Resident) ---
**Author:** ![Stainz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecd19e/32.png) [@Stainz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stainz)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2004, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-pubic-hair-grow-so-much-faster-than-other-hair/234517/8 "2004-03-16T17:09:42Z")
okay … never mind … i guess i’m just a hairy freak! 🙂 S. ---
**Author:** ![SimonMoon5](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@SimonMoon5](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SimonMoon5)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2004, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-pubic-hair-grow-so-much-faster-than-other-hair/234517/9 "2004-03-16T20:22:50Z")
Well, here’s a practical experiment: I underwent chemotherapy for Hodgkin’s disease a few years ago. One of the effects of chemotherapy is to kill off cells that grow quickly, such as cancer cells. Apparently, this also has an effect on hair, since hair grows quickly or something. Some of the hair on top of my head fell out and did not grow, while I was undergoing chemotherapy. Most of my pubic hair fell out and did not grow while I was undergoing chemotherapy. However, my facial hair (the one area where I might’ve enjoyed not having hair grow) continued at its normal rate. I don’t recall how my armpit hair and leg-hair were affected. So, my point is that from this experiment, it would seem that pubic hair does at least grow faster than facial hair.