Hair does grow on the scrotum, and it is entirely normal. The skin covering the testicles carries hair follicles just like most other skin on the body, and those follicles activate during puberty under the influence of rising androgen levels. That said, scrotal hair tends to be noticeably sparser and finer than the hair on the surrounding pubic mound or inner thighs, and there are biological reasons for that difference that go beyond mere aesthetics.
Why Hair Grows on the Scrotum
Pubic hair in general, including the hair on the scrotum, is driven by androgens. Testosterone is the primary hormone behind pubic and axillary hair growth, while its more potent derivative, dihydrotestosterone (DHT), plays a larger role in facial hair, broader body hair patterns, and prostate development.1Molecular and Cellular Endocrinology. Androgens and male physiology the syndrome of 5alpha-reductase-2 deficiency The scrotal skin has androgen receptors, so when testosterone rises during puberty, those follicles begin producing visible hair. This is also why scrotal hair does not appear in prepubescent boys and why individuals with certain rare enzyme deficiencies that limit DHT conversion may have absent or reduced body and facial hair even after puberty.
The distribution of this hair varies considerably from person to person. Some men have hair covering most of the scrotal surface, while others have only a few scattered strands concentrated along the midline raphe, the faint seam that runs down the center of the scrotum. Genetics, ethnicity, and individual hormone levels all play a role in how thick or thin that growth turns out to be. There is no “normal” amount of scrotal hair, just as there is no standard density for chest hair or leg hair.
Why Scrotal Hair Stays Sparse
If you have ever noticed that the hair on the scrotum is thinner and more widely spaced than the denser bush on the pubic mound, that is not a coincidence. The scrotum exists to keep the testicles a few degrees cooler than core body temperature, and everything about its design serves that cooling function. Scrotal skin is notably thin, carries almost no subcutaneous fat, and has a higher concentration of sweat glands compared to most other skin. The relatively scanty hair distribution on the scrotum is part of that same thermal package, allowing heat to escape more easily.2PubMed. The process of spermatogenesis liberates significant heat and the scrotum has a role in body thermoregulation
A thick mat of hair would act as insulation, trapping warmth against the skin and potentially raising testicular temperature enough to interfere with sperm production. So while pubic hair in general may serve functions like friction reduction and pheromone trapping, the scrotum itself keeps its hair coverage light by design. The fact that scrotal skin also wrinkles and relaxes in response to temperature, expanding in warmth and contracting in cold, reinforces how central thermoregulation is to this part of the body.
How Scrotal Hair Changes Over a Lifetime
Scrotal and pubic hair typically appear during puberty, with the exact timing depending on when androgen levels climb high enough to activate those follicles. For most boys this begins somewhere between ages 10 and 14, with scrotal hair arriving around the same time as or slightly after the first pubic hair on the mound. The hair generally starts fine and light, then gradually becomes coarser and curlier over the next few years.
At the other end of the age spectrum, declining testosterone levels in older men are associated with a reduction in pubic and scrotal hair. Research on elderly men has documented that pubic and axillary hair tend to thin out as testicular function declines with age.3The American Journal of Medicine. Declining testicular function with age: Hormonal and clinical correlates The hair may become sparser, finer, and lighter in color, much like the way head hair thins and grays. This is gradual and varies widely between individuals. Some older men retain robust pubic hair well into their later decades, while others notice significant thinning by their sixties.
Graying of scrotal and pubic hair follows the same melanocyte decline responsible for graying head hair. It is not unusual for pubic hair to gray several years after head hair does, but the process is the same. If you are noticing gray hairs on your scrotum, that is age-related pigment loss, not a sign of any medical issue.
How Common Is Scrotal and Pubic Grooming
Grooming pubic hair, including the hair on the scrotum, has become a widespread practice among men. Survey data from U.S. men found that the majority report grooming their pubic region, with a peak of about three out of four men in the 25-to-34 age group reporting regular grooming. The top reasons cited were preparation for sexual activity, hygiene, and routine personal care.4PubMed Central. Prevalence and Motivation: Pubic Hair Grooming Among Men in the United States Many men specifically groom in anticipation of receiving oral sex, and the expectation of a groomed or trimmed appearance has become increasingly normalized in recent decades.
The motivations men give for grooming are revealing. Research analyzing how men discuss groin shaving online found that men tend to frame the practice around heterosexual pleasure, cleanliness, and self-respect rather than admitting to aesthetic vanity.5Sexualities. ‘When there’s no underbrush the tree looks taller’: A discourse analysis of men’s online groin shaving talk The common saying about the “tree looking taller” when the surrounding “underbrush” is cleared captures a recurring theme: many men believe grooming makes their genitals appear larger or more aesthetically appealing, even if they do not always state that motivation outright.
Grooming frequency also differs by sexual orientation. Men who have sex with men tend to groom more frequently than men who have sex with women, which also correlates with a higher rate of grooming-related injuries in that group.6The Journal of Sexual Medicine. The Influence of Sexual Orientation and Sexual Role on Male Grooming‐Related Injuries and Infections
The Risks of Shaving Your Scrotum
The scrotum is one of the trickiest spots on the body to shave. The skin is loose, highly textured, and elastic, which makes it easy for a razor to catch and nick. It is not surprising, then, that genital grooming injuries show up regularly in emergency department data. A review of U.S. emergency department visits for pubic-hair-grooming injuries found that razors were involved in about 83% of cases, and lacerations were the single most common injury type, accounting for roughly a third of visits.7PubMed Central. Pubic hair grooming injuries presenting to U.S. emergency departments
Beyond cuts, the more routine complications of scrotal shaving are the same ones that plague anyone who shaves sensitive skin. In a large survey of both men and women who remove pubic hair, about 60% reported at least one health complication from the practice. The most frequently reported issues were epidermal abrasion (essentially razor burn) and ingrown hairs. Among those who experienced complications, the overwhelming majority, over 90%, were using a razor.8PubMed Central. Complications related to pubic hair removal
Ingrown hairs on the scrotum can be particularly uncomfortable because of the constant contact with clothing and the warmth and moisture of the area. An ingrown hair on the scrotal skin can swell into a painful red bump that resembles a pimple or cyst. In most cases these resolve on their own, but they can occasionally become infected, forming a small abscess that may need medical attention. If you regularly get painful bumps after shaving your scrotum, that is a sign the method is irritating the skin, not that something is wrong with the skin itself.
Alternatives to Razors
Given the injury rates associated with razor shaving, many men look for other ways to manage scrotal hair. Trimming with an electric body groomer set to a short guard is the simplest harm-reduction step. It shortens the hair without cutting at the skin surface, which dramatically reduces the risk of cuts, razor burn, and ingrown hairs. The trade-off is that it leaves a short stubble rather than a smooth surface.
Depilatory creams (chemical hair removers) can work on the genital area, but they carry their own risks. The scrotum’s thin, sensitive skin is more susceptible to chemical burns than, say, leg skin. Most depilatory products carry explicit warnings against genital use, and those formulated for sensitive areas still need a careful patch test before full application. Leaving the cream on too long or using it on already-irritated skin can result in a painful chemical burn.
Waxing is occasionally used for genital grooming, but most men find the scrotum far too sensitive for wax strips. The loose, mobile skin makes it difficult for wax to grip evenly, and the pull can cause bruising or tearing. Professional aestheticians who offer male genital waxing typically handle the scrotal skin very differently from flat areas, stretching the skin taut before each pull, but even then the pain factor is substantial.
Laser hair removal and electrolysis are longer-term options. Laser works by targeting the pigment in the hair follicle, which means it is most effective on dark hair against lighter skin. Electrolysis destroys individual follicles one at a time with an electric current and works on any hair color, but it is slow and can be quite painful in sensitive areas. Research comparing these methods for genital hair removal, particularly in the context of pre-surgical preparation for gender-affirming vaginoplasty, found that laser was associated with fewer sessions, lower cost, less pain, and higher patient satisfaction than electrolysis for patients with darker-pigmented hair.9Sexual Medicine. Comparison of Permanent Hair Removal Procedures before Gender-Affirming Vaginoplasty: Why We Should Consider Laser Hair Removal as a First-Line Treatment for Patients Who Meet Criteria While that study focused on a specific surgical population, the comparative findings about pain and efficiency apply to anyone considering permanent hair removal in the genital region.
Does Shaving Actually Cool Things Down
An interesting piece of older research found that simply shaving the scrotum caused a measurable decrease in scrotal skin temperature.10PubMed. Scrotal temperature reflects intratesticular temperature and is lowered by shaving The researchers proposed that scrotal shaving could serve as a basic tool for testicular cooling, since scrotal skin temperature closely mirrors the temperature inside the testicles. This fits with the thermoregulation picture described earlier: removing even the sparse hair on the scrotum allows slightly more heat to radiate away from the surface.
The clinical relevance of this is limited, though. For men with normal fertility, the temperature difference from shaving is tiny and unlikely to matter. The finding has more theoretical interest for men dealing with conditions where elevated testicular temperature is a concern, such as varicoceles. Even in those cases, scrotal shaving is not a standard treatment recommendation, just an observation that the hair, sparse as it is, does contribute a small insulating effect.
When Scrotal Hair Becomes a Surgical Consideration
Scrotal skin is sometimes used as donor tissue in reconstructive urological procedures. In complex urethral repair surgery, surgeons may harvest scrotal skin flaps to reconstruct damaged sections of the urethra. Because hair-bearing skin inside the urethra can cause complications like stone formation and chronic infections, surgeons address the hair follicles first. Techniques exist to create zones of permanent hair loss on predetermined areas of scrotal skin before harvesting it as a flap.11Journal of Urology. Scrotal Flap Epilation in Urethroplasty: Concepts and Technique
This same principle applies to gender-affirming vaginoplasty, where scrotal and penile skin is used to line the neovaginal canal. If hair follicles remain active in the transplanted skin, they continue producing hair inside the body, which can lead to discomfort, infections, and the formation of hair balls. That is why thorough genital hair removal before surgery is considered essential in these procedures, and why the choice between laser and electrolysis matters clinically, not just cosmetically.
Common Scrotal Bumps That Are Not Ingrown Hairs
Because grooming-related irritation is so common, many men assume that any bump on the scrotum must be an ingrown hair. That is often true after a fresh shave, but the scrotal skin is also home to a few benign conditions that have nothing to do with grooming and can confuse people who are paying close attention to the area for the first time.
Fordyce spots are small, pale or yellowish bumps that are simply enlarged sebaceous glands. They are completely harmless and extremely common on genital skin. Angiokeratomas are tiny, dark red or purple bumps caused by dilated blood vessels near the skin surface. They are also benign and tend to become more common with age. Sebaceous cysts, which feel like small, firm, pea-sized lumps under the scrotal skin, are another frequent finding. These are usually painless and only become a problem if they get infected.
None of these conditions are caused by shaving, and none are signs of a sexually transmitted infection. The concern they provoke usually comes from the fact that people only notice them when they are already looking closely at the area, which often coincides with a fresh shave. If a bump is painless, has been present for a while, and is not growing rapidly, it is almost certainly one of these harmless conditions. Any bump that is painful, ulcerated, rapidly changing, or accompanied by other symptoms deserves a visit to a doctor for evaluation.
Pubic Hair and Hygiene Myths
One of the most persistent beliefs driving genital grooming is that pubic hair is inherently unhygienic. The survey data showing that about 61% of men cite hygiene as a motivation for grooming reflects how deeply this idea has taken hold.4PubMed Central. Prevalence and Motivation: Pubic Hair Grooming Among Men in the United States In reality, pubic hair is no dirtier than hair anywhere else on the body, and regular washing with soap and water is sufficient to keep the area clean whether the hair is present or not.
Some dermatologists and gynecologists have pushed back against the hygiene narrative, pointing out that removing pubic hair can actually create more hygiene problems than it solves. Micro-abrasions from shaving create entry points for bacteria, and the warm, moist environment of the groin is an ideal setting for those bacteria to cause folliculitis or other skin infections. The hair itself may even serve a modest protective function by reducing direct skin-on-skin friction during physical activity and by acting as a barrier against certain external irritants.
This does not mean you should never groom your scrotal hair. It means the decision is genuinely cosmetic and personal, not a health imperative. If you prefer the look or feel of a trimmed or shaved scrotum and you manage the process without frequent complications, there is no medical reason to stop. If you have been shaving out of a vague sense that hair down there is unclean, you can let it grow without any hygiene consequences, provided you are showering regularly. The hair is supposed to be there.