When someone describes the perfect man as having lustrous locks they can run their fingers through, chances are it’s a shimmering mane on his head they’re referring to, rather than a wiry, shag pile rug lurking due north of his bum crack.

A chronic hairy back, while not a medically recognised diagnosis, is a furry affliction that affects an alarming percentage of the male population. “These men often fall into two categories,” explains Natasha Darling, owner of Spartan Envy male grooming salon. “Either their hair grows in clumps mostly at the top and bottom of their backs or they have the gorilla effect – very dark dense hair all over the back.”

However, unlike a rugged, Tom Selleck-style chest hair, hair on the back of the torso tends to be more closely associated with subpar personal hygiene than virility and sexual machismo. “Put it this way: you don’t see many aftershave adverts featuring a hairy-backed man,” adds Tracy Davies of X-It! Male Body Hair Removal in London.

With that firmly in mind, if you’re planning to go shirtless at all this summer and are concerned about being mistakenly targeted by poachers while sunning yourself, it may be worth getting rid. But before you set about gaffer-taping your Bic razor to a broom handle and rearranging all the mirrors in your bathroom, let’s first take a look at the facts behind the fur and explore some of the more favourable manscaping methods to keep that back as un-primatelike as possible.

Why The Hairy Back?

Since it doesn’t really have any apparent function besides repelling potential romantic partners and keeping your back maybe an eighth of a degree warmer during the colder months, you’re probably wondering why you have this type of hair at all. The reason is down to your hormones.

In days gone by, both men and women were much hairier than we are today, something which is still reflected in our abundance of hair follicles. However, as we evolved, the need for thick hair all over our bodies became less and less. The difference is, testosterone, the hormone responsible for the growth of body hair, is much more prevalent in men than women. So, while the fairer sex shed the vast majority of their fluff, we men kept more of ours. And, given that some men have higher levels of testosterone than others, certain blokes are prone to excess body hair, including on their backs.