Why does a bikini wax hurt so much?

We’re not going to lie — a bikini wax hurts a bit. But…it’s over very quickly and you don’t have to worry about your hair growing back for a whopping three to four weeks so it’s definitely worth it.

But why does it hurt so much anyway? Here are three reasons why waxing your bikini area feels painful:

1. Hairs that grow along the bikini line and in intimate areas are thick and coarse. Known as terminal hairs, these strands have deeper follicles than the finer (vellus) hairs that grow elsewhere, which is why why it can hurt more to remove them.
2. Hair growth is concentrated around the bikini area — there are more hairs growing closer together over a smaller space. That means a single wax strip will remove many hairs from their follicles and cause greater discomfort than targeting¬†a few sparse ones spread out over a larger surface area.
3. Intimate areas are extremely sensitive to both pleasure and pain. Waxing the bikini line causes trauma to the skin because each strip pulls out those individual, coarser, terminal hairs out from the root. And because this area is already sensitive it hurts more than waxing other parts of the body like the legs and underarms.

A bikini wax is easier to bear if you get regular treatments and go to an experienced therapist who’ll cleverly keep your mind distracted during the session and get the job done quickly. Scheduling your appointments around your menstrual cycle can help too — avoid the week before your period when your skin feels more sensitive to pain.