(originally posted 7th August 2008)

LIKE Wayne Rooney, many men nowadays are getting everything possible off their chests – including their hair. The Man United striker celebrated the Reds’ Community Shield win on Sunday by showing off his super-smooth torso.

Wayne is not alone. For a survey out today has found that 13 per cent of British men remove hair from their chests, and a quarter have admitted to trimming it from their groin.

And the reason is vanity — more than half said they do it simply because it makes them look better, according to the Men’s Fitness survey.

Of course, hair removal is well established among sportsmen — bodybuilders do it to show off their muscles, while swimmers aim for optimum streamlining and cyclists are trying to cut friction.

But more recently smooth operators have gone more mainstream.

The first was actor Sylvester Stallone, who appeared naked and hairless on the cover of Vanity Fair in November 1993.

However since Chelsea midfielder Frank Lampard was snapped last summer displaying a hairless chest and armpits, the rugged and hairy look made popular by stars such as Sean Connery, Tom Jones and Tom Selleck has gone into decline.

Now other famous devotees include David Beckham, Gavin Henson, Freddie Ljungberg and Daniel Craig.

Even the UK Big Brother contestants Billi (straight) and Gerry (bisexual) were complaining about not being able to trim down below because of the cameras. And the cosmetic industry is making the most of it. In the last two years, Veet has launched a hair removal cream for men, and male-only beauty salons are popping up all over Britain.Hair removal is just one, er, growth area within the booming male grooming trend.

High street chains including Boots, Tesco and Superdrug are boosting their male beauty product ranges and in upmarket department stores a male concealer, eyeliner and foundation are already flying off the shelves.

Leading luxury brands such as Jean Paul Gaultier, Clinique and Clarins are scrambling to expand their lines to meet the boom in demand. Beauty for blokes is becoming big business.

In the UK, the male cosmetics market has grown by a staggering 800 per cent over the past seven years.

Boots reports that male grooming is growing faster than any other beauty sector, and Tesco say that men are responsible for “soaring” sales in skincare and hair removal products.

AMONG the other hair-raising Men’s Fitness survey findings are:

The full survey, which is sponsored by Wilkinson Sword, appears in Men’s Fitness, out tomorrow.

If you fancy watching the agony of the guy in the picture getting the full wax, click here!