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The term chest hair is generally used to describe hair that grows on the chest of human males, in the region between the neck and the abdomen. Chest hair, which is a secondary sex characteristic, is developing during and after puberty.
Development and growth
Although vellus hair is already present in the area in childhood, the term chest hair is generally restricted to the terminal hair that develops as an effect of rising levels of androgens (primarily testosterone and its derivatives) due to puberty. Different from the head hair it is therefore a secondary sexual characteristic. In contrast to women the body of men turns to be covered far more with terminal hair, particularly on the chest, the abdomen and the face.The development of chest hair begins normally during late puberty. It can also start later, between the age of 20 and 30, so that many men in their twenties have not yet reached their full chest hair development. The growth continues subsequently. In older adult years androgenes cause thickening of the hair.
Patterns and characteristics
The individual occurrence and characteristic of chest hair depend on the genetic disposition, the hormonal status and the age of the person. The genes primarily determine the amount, patterns and thickness of chest hair. Some men are very hairy, while others have very little chest hair. Each pattern of hair growth is normal. The areas where terminal hair may grow are the periareolar areas (nipples), the centre and sides of the chest and the clavicle (collarbone).Considering an individual occurrence of chest hair as abnormal does not implicitly depend on medical indications but primarily on cultural and social attitudes. An excessive growth of terminal hair on the body of men and women is called hypertrichosis. This medical term has to be distinguished from hirsutism that just affects women. These women can develop terminal hair on the chest following the male pattern as a symptom of an endocrine disease.
Ethnic varieties
It seems that men of Middle Eastern, South Asian and European descent tend to have more chest hair, while men of American Indian, African, and East Asian, Central Asian or Southeast Asian ancestry tend to have less. Exceptions and variations abound; for example, among Caucasian men, Mediterranean men are known for abundant chest hair while Scandinavian men tend to have much less. And among Asians, men of North Asian, Central Asian, Korean, and Japanese descent almost exclusively have much less body hair than Southeast Asian men.Cultural and social attitudes
The attitudes towards chest hair vary between different cultures and times. In some cultures it is a symbol for virility and masculinity, other societies display a hairless body as a sign of youthfulness. In ancient Greece and ancient Rome male statues did not show any chest hair. Even on paintings and sculptures from Middle Ages to modern times men were normally portrayed without any hair on their anterior torso.While in the early and middle twentieth century the attitude towards hair on the chest was largely indifferent, it has now become a trend within Western societies to remove chest hair. It is now quite common for young men in their teens and twenties, especially in the United States, to remove their chest hair. The removal of body hair (depilation and epilation) by men is sometimes referred to as manscaping. This public trend, distributed by the media, has begun in the United States and is becoming ever more popular throughout other Western societies. Many companies have even started catering to men looking for ways to remove their chest hair. Such as Nair for Men and Nads for Men. It is due to the general image of the male sex symbol in present mainstream advertising and movies. Exceptions remain adherents of naturism and the so called bear community, a gay subculture that exhibits a hypermasculine image. Removing or maintaining chest hair finally depends on the individual preference.
See also
Further reading
The following journal articles include sketches of different chest hair patterns and observed percentages of men exhibiting each pattern.
- Variations of the hair patterns of the chest of white males. Journal of the National Medical Association. 1965 May;57(3):211-4
- The circumareolo-pectoral series of chest hair patterns. Journal of the National Medical Association. 1963 May;55:233-4
- The sterno-infraclavicular chest hair pattern. Journal of the National Medical Association. 1962 Jul;54:486-7
- The distribution of chest hair in Caucasoid males. American Journal of Physical Anthropol. 1961 Sep;19:285-7
- Bare areas in regions of pilosity of the chest and abdomen. Journal of the National Medical Association. 1961 Jul;53:394-5
External links
- Lloyds of London chest hair insurance policy
- The Chest Hair Fanlisting
- Chest hair in Chinese and Caucasian men
"Chest hair"