- British ladies Olympic cycling team told not to wax or shave off hair
- Hair removal damages outer layer of the skin, causing pain and problems
- Instead, female cyclists are advised to use bikini trimmers
Anna Hodgekiss for MailOnline
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It’s a ritual that many women consider an essential part of their grooming regime.
But bikini waxes have been blacklisted for one group of ladies this summer – the British ladies Olympic cycling team.
The rule was enforced after team bosses were warned a lack of pubic hair contributes to saddle soreness – a problem hampering the team’s performance.
‘The world?class expert advice from a professor at Cambridge was that waxing and shaving didn’t help our fight against saddle issues,’ Phil Burt, British Cycling’s physiotherapist, told The Guardian.
Ladies in the British Olympic cycling team have been told not to remove their pubic hair with bikini waxes or by shaving. Instead, they are advised to use a bikini trimmers. Joanna Rowsell-Shand, Elinor Barker, Laura Trott and Katie Archibald celebrate winning gold
A lack of pubic hair contributes to saddle soreness – a problem hampering the team’s performance. Some sufferers are prescribed a cream containing a local anaesthetic, to soothe chronic pain
Pubic hair helps with the transport and evaporation of sweat away from the skin and also provides some friction protection.
But hair removal methods, such as waxing, shaving, depilatory creams and epilation, damage the top layer of skin – the epidermis.
They also increase the risk of ingrowing hairs and hair follicle infections.
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‘It is no wonder that cycling causes problems,’ Mr Burt told British Cycling.
‘It’s an unnatural and prolonged contact between the body and the saddle. This contact leads to friction, pressure and occlusion (restricted blood flow).
‘When healthy, the outer layer of our skin, the epidermis, is flexible, protective and constantly renews itself.
‘However, rubbing and pressure can cause sensitivity, soreness, chafing, blisters and ulcers.
Hair removal methods such as waxing damage the top layer of skin and can case soreness, chafing, blisters and ulcers
‘If damage causes the epidermis to be completely lost, complete recovery can take up to a month.
‘Below the epidermis is the dermis. This layer contains both blood and lymphatic vessels and damage to it results in bruising, puffiness and swelling.’
The discovery meant Britain’s elite cyclists were strongly advised to stop shaving, waxing and depilating – and use a bikini trimmer instead.
As for broaching the delicate subject, Mr Burt admits it was ‘a tricky one’.
‘But we knew that we had to try to persuade the girls to stop shaving and waxing if we were going to sort out the saddle pain we knew all of them were suffering with.
‘At one point we were saying: “Should we be buying the girls beard-trimmers?”‘
Saddle pain is common among all cyclists and has caused an increasing number of female cylists to undergo surgery for vulval disfigurement.
Many others are prescribed a cream containing a local anaesthetic, to soothe chronic pain.
Research by Mr Burt and his team revealed all 18 riders were suffering with saddle problems affecting their ability to train and compete.
‘With a male doctor, physio and predominately male coaching staff, they didn’t feel comfortable in mentioning it,’ he added.
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