This Woman Nearly Died After Shaving Her Pubic Hair Off
After 21 surgeries, she's recovered, but her body is covered in scars and she can barely walk.
diy13 / Shutterstock If you think keeping your pubic hair short or removing it all together is healthier than a hairy bush, think again. Not only can shaving disrupt a woman's vaginal pH, it can do more harm than good, particularly if you're prone to developing small razor bumps or cuts after shaving your groin. After this story, you might want to hang up your razor.
Dana Sedgewick survived a fatal infection from shaving her pubic hair.
In 2012, just days after performing a quick trim of her pubic hair, she began a health battle for her life. After 21 surgeries and one coma later, doctors told her she would never walk again.
If you're a woman who shaves her hair rather than waxing, this story leading up to this very nearly fatal event will sound familiar to you.
Dana noticed that her bikini area was a little hairy. Preferring to keep her bikini line well groomed, she decided to take a new razor and quickly shave around her labia.
She did notice that she had a small nick from the blade and some razor bumps, but she dismissed the situation as harmless and went about her day.
A few days later, feeling unwell, she noticed that one of the bumps looked like a pimple that would not stop bleeding.
What woman who has shaved her lady bits hasn't experienced the same thing?
So, when the pimple would not stop bleeding, Dana suspected that her problem might be a little more serious.
After being prescribed with an antibiotic to fight off the infection from her doctor, she came home and went to lie down.
That's when Dana was found with her legs completely covered with a bloody rash that had spread all over her legs.
Hours later, Dana was diagnosed with necrotizing fasciitis, which is also known as flesh-eating bacteria.
Necrotizing fasciitis is a "Flesh-eating disease occurs when bacteria enter the body through a break in the skin."
The bacteria enters the body through any break in the skin. Once it enters the bloodstream, it rapidly spreads.
The symptoms involve blisters and fever as the skin turns purple. The only way to treat the disease is serious IV antibiotics and surgical removal of the skin.
Although this can happen to someone with a strong immune system, people who have weaker ones are more likely to get it.
To treat the infection, the skin has to be removed from all infected areas.
As in Dana's case, the doctors had no choice but to remove large sections of her skin around her legs and groin area.
If they didn't, the rotting flesh would continue to spread over the rest of her body and kill her.
The infection was so severe that Dana went into shock. was placed into an induced coma after her body went into septic shock during surgery. She had a 30 percent chance of survival.
She was in the hospital for 6 weeks, and despite the fact that she was told she might never walk again, she fortunately was able to survive this terrible ordeal.
This is a photo of her legs after recovering from surgery showing just how much damage this infection caused her.
It's important for anyone who shaves, but particularly women to know that when you get a cut, take it seriously.
Dr. Ron Daniels BEM, chief executive of the UK Sepsis Trust shared that this type of story isn't unusual and affects thousands of lives each year, some of them lost to sepsis.
Necrotising fasciitis is rare but serious condition that requires specific treatment. If a person experiences flu-like symptoms within days of getting a cut while shaving, it's important not to dismiss the coincidence.
Although it might be embarrassing to see your doctor for a little cut from a shaved labia, it's always better to be safe than sorry.
Aria Gmitter, M.S, M.F.A., is YourTango's Senior Editor of Horoscopes and Spirituality. She studies with the Midwestern School of Astrology and is a member of the South Florida Astrological Association.
Editor's Note: This article was originally posted on May 25, 2017 and was updated with the latest information.