The power of going bare ... down there: no one foresaw the changes the Brazilian wax has set off. Here, the surprising impact.(TOTALLY COSMO: The Sexy Issue)

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* A Brazilian, G-wax, airstrip, sphinx, full Monty--whatever you call it, the stripped-south-of-the-border trend has been embraced by scores of women. Although no official data has been collected on the number of chicks removing their pubic hair via waxing, shaving, and laser, there's an abundance of anecdotal evidence. "At least twice as many of my patients remove their pubic hair now compared to five years ago," reports Margaret Thompson, ob-gyn in Austin, Texas. "And about 75 percent of the women I treat who are in their 20s go bare."

While bikini grooming may seem like a frivolous topic, it tunas out flint the cosmetology craze has actually left a pretty incredible mark on the world at large. Allow us to explain.

A Burgeoning industry Has Been Spawned

As more women seek permanently fuzz-free va-jay-jays, laser hair removal is taking off. According to the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, nearly 1.5 million procedures were performed in 2006, a 60 percent increase since 2003.

"Ninety percent of our laser-hair-removal clients opt to zap their V zone," says Cindy Barshop of Completely Bare, a salon that specializes in eradicating unwanted fuzz. "It's the most popular area for permanent hair removal because Brazilian waxes are expensive to maintain. Plus, lasering this area yields fewer ingrowns and is less painful than waxing."

Guys' Expectations Have Shifted