Puberty for boys

When you go through puberty you will start to grow hair on your  under your arms, on your private parts (pubic hair), on your legs and sometimes on other parts of your body.

It's your choice whether you decide to shave your pubic or body hair. If you decide to remove this hair, you can buy razors and shaving gel or cream from a supermarket or pharmacy. Some people prefer to use electric shavers.

If you have sensitive skin, you might have to be careful to make sure that you don't get a shaving rash from shaving. You can do this by washing your face before you shave. The blade on your razor will eventually become blunt. When this happens, you should change the blade or get a new razor.

You might not need to shave much at first. But as you get older you may have to start shaving more often.

An erection is when your penis goes hard and stiff. This usually happens when you're thinking about sex or someone you fancy. It's normal for an erect penis to be slightly bent or curved and this is nothing to worry about.

Sometimes you might get an erection even when you're not thinking about sex. When you're going through puberty, it's normal to get an erection at times when you don't expect it – like at school or on the bus. This may seem embarrassing but it happens to most boys. It's likely to happen less as you get older.

A wet dream is when you ejaculate ('come' or 'cum') and release sperm (male reproductive cells) in your sleep. It's normal to have sexual thoughts and feelings, especially during puberty when your body is changing. It can be confusing and strange at first but it isn't unusual. Your feelings should calm down after a while when your body adjusts to the changes.

Usually wet dreams happen during dreams that have sexual images. Sometimes you might wake up from a wet dream, but often you'll just sleep through it.

Find out more about sex.

As you go through puberty you might find you sweat more. This is because your sweat glands change and produce more sweat to help control your body's temperature. It's important to wash regularly and wear clean clothes so you don't smell. You can also wear deodorant or antiperspirant if you're worried about smelling.

Sperm are made in the testicles (balls) and make up the semen that you ejaculate ('come') from your penis. Every time you ejaculate you can release 100 million sperm!

Mood swings are completely normal when you're going through puberty. One minute you might feel happy and like it's easy to get on with people, and the next you might snap at people or get annoyed easily. It's normal to feel low or angry sometimes when you're going through puberty. But usually this is something you grow out of.

More about feelings and emotions.