Getting a Brazilian wax or participating in similar forms of personal grooming may be all the rage, but they come with a heightened risk of acquiring a sexually transmitted disease (STDs), research suggests.

The study found that frequent groomers of pubic hair are three to four times more likely to contract a sexually transmitted infection, such as herpes, human papillomavirus (HPV) or syphilis.

“Grooming is linked to a heightened self-reported sexually transmitted disease risk, and for those who groom frequently or remove all of their hair often, the association is even higher,” says lead researcher Dr. Charles Osterberg. He’s an assistant professor of urology and surgery at the University of Texas Dell Medical School in Austin.

Still, the study didn’t prove a direct cause-and-effect relationship between pubic grooming and sexually transmitted infections, it was only designed to show a link between these factors.

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