I Have a Loop of Hair That Got Caught in my Scalp Incision. Does It Need to Be Cut Out?

More details are needed to answer your question.  Is the hair caught in the skin or just under sutures.  Your surgeon should be able to address this.  If caught in the skin incision it should be removed.

Hair trapped through an incision and extending under the skin will allow bacteria to irritate the skin in this area - so make sure your surgeon is aware of this.  Even if you did nothing, the hair will eventually be broken down, will dissolve and either be expelled or dissolve and release on it's own. However, if it appears to be getting worse, your surgeon might decide to surgically deal with it, or have you apply antibiotic ointments or take antibiotics until the hair is no longer irritating the area.  Healing in that area may be delayed until it is dealt with, but chances are that it will cause minimal problems until then.

Your hair should not be caught within the facelift incision. Therefore, it is best to have your doctor examine you; it may just be some crusting but I recommend against self-treatment. 

I recommend seeing your surgeon to allow him/her to evaluate the incision and determine the appropriate management. You want your incisions to be as imperceptible as possible so caring for them in the perioperative period is critical. Best wishes.

Visit your surgeon. You should be in the office rather frequently after surgery. Your plastic surgeon should know about any concerns

Hello and thank you for your question.


If you are certain you have a loop of hair caught in your scalp incision it is possible that it may cause a delay in healing and possible infection so please see your plastic surgeon so that he/she may address the situation.

Best of luck to you

The hair in the incision should be removed, and this is a perfect task for your plastic surgeon to tackle for you.

Please see your surgeon to have this problem addressed. It will be a quick and simple appointment, but if you wait, it could cause a delay in healing.

Hello,

Thank you for the question.  Your plastic surgeons office will be able to help you take care of this issue.  You can always take care of things on your own but you have paid for the surgery and the after care so I would not hesitate to give your plastic surgeons office a call as I am sure they would be more than happy to help you.

All the best,

Dr. Remus Repta

Have your surgeon evaluate the area.  Do not try to treat it yourself.  Donald R. Nunn MD  Atlanta Plastic Surgeon