Men intent on keeping things hairless down below are complaining of extreme pain after using hair removal creams with a little too much enthusiasm.

While women learn to cope with the hazards of hair removal, men are only just discovering that it's not all that easy to keep things smooth.

A new hair removal cream for men hit the UK markets in recent months offering a solution to back, chest, arms and legs, has been used by some brave menfolk to remove hair around their genital area - with disastrous results.

The popular Veet for Men hair removal gel was used by one consumer named Andrew who wrote on Amazon.co.uk that he decided to disregard the warnings on the packet and went ahead and smeared the cream all over his testicles and penis. The testicles he "knew and loved" have been replaced by "a maroon coloured bag of agony."

"I am suffering so that you don't have to. Heed my lesson," he warned other consumers.

Another reviewer's post entitled "Not for nose hair" defended his decision to use the cream in his nose area after finding no warning about it. "Although I understood the part about 'intimate use' I could not find anything about this not being for nose or ear hair."

"I rubbed it up into my nostrils and around the outside of my ears. Very soon the burn started and trust me it really makes your eyes water," he observed, explaining that he reached up to wipe his eyes with hands still smeared in the hair removal product.

"I look like I have been put on a sunbed for too long and people keep asking me why I am crying."

Another user summed up the problem: "Like 90 percent of the reviews on the page. I would say we have all suffered from making the terrible mistake of vandalising one's self in ways we shouldn't."

One user equated the pain he felt after misusing the gel with child birth.

Yet, while the stories of pain and discomfort pour in (of the 67 reviews, the majority tell of the pain they experienced), the gel is one of Amazon's best selling beauty products, which the Daily Mail suggests is thanks to a rise in awareness of men who want to take care of their appearance.

Other reviewers were more complimentary of the gel, saying that it was easy and simple to use, but that it is important to read the instructions.

Depilatory creams and gels contain an active ingredient that dissolves the hair in three to five minutes, but while it is an effective way to temporarily remove hair, the chemicals can also irritate the skin.