Is it a common procedure to wash hair after SMAS facelift while still under anesthesia?

Question

No one ever told me or I have not read from anywhere that doctors and nurses wash patients hair while they are still under anaesthesia. I don't like to be under anaesthesia and that sort of hair washing adds up to time under and price of the surgery and it is not cheap.

Timothy R. Miller, MD · Answer

Yes, it is common to wash/rinse the hair after a facelift in the operating room.  It is typically done with sterile water and by an experienced surgical staff team. The washing cleans the area of blood and other elements that can pose infection risks.  Although it does add to surgery time, most experienced surgeons avoid taking short cuts (not washing the hair, for example) because of the risk of compromising results and the patient's health.I hope this helps.

Jeffrey J. Roth, MD, FACS · Answer

Thank you for your question. The professors and others who I learned from all wash the patient's hair at the end of a facelift case. There well be some blood that gets into the hair during the case. It is much better to get this taken care of at the time of surgery, as opposed to waiting until the dressings come off days later. The time to do this is not very long. Typically this is done after the last stitch is placed, and operative time ends. It is when the patient is slowly emerging from anesthesia. Best to ask your Board Certified Plastic Surgeon what protocol they have.

Jeffrey J. Roth, M.D., F.A.C.S.

Board Certified Plastic Surgeon

Las Vegas Plastic Surgery

Jeffrey J. Roth, M.D., F.A.C.S.

Board Certified Plastic Surgeon

Las Vegas Plastic Surgery

Jonathan Kulbersh, MD · Answer

It is common practice to wash or at least rinse the patient’s hair after an SMAS facelift. This helps to remove residual blood, anesthetics, and sweat. It only takes a few minutes and does not add to the price; it’s simply included in the procedure. If you would rather not have your hair washed while under anesthesia, you can discuss this with your facial plastic surgeon before your procedure.  I hope this helps.

Gary L. Ross, MBChB, FRCS · Answer

Hair washing is frequently performed during the procedure as it is in your best interests to remove any clotted / dried blood during the op as it is very difficult to remove later.

Larry Lickstein, MD · Answer

Cleaning the surgical field is a common practice before applying dressings for every operation, and for a facelift that includes rinsing the hair.  While it is important to remove surgical debris for health reasons and consideration of infection, it is also important to have a patient leaving the OR with a neat, clean dressing.  Rest assured, most surgeons are very aware of time and cost consideration and do these things quickly and efficiently.

Steven M. Daines, MD, FACS · Answer

Whether your surgeon spends a few minutes rinsing your hair or not is a matter of personal style and preference and should not affect your overall fee for surgery in any meaningful way.

William Portuese, MD · Answer

In our practice, we do rinse the hair very briefly at the end of the procedure as patients are waking up. This does not had any additional time to the procedure. In addition, we give patients a fixed price for both the operating room and anesthesia no matter how long the procedure takes. Most  Hi-SMAS facelift procedures in our  practice take two  and half to three hours to perform.

Joseph L. Kiener, MD, FACS · Answer

The reason hair washing is done  is to remove the antiseptic and other fluids which can be irritating to the scalp and skin.  This takes maybe 5 minutes which represents about 2 % of the total operating room / anesthesia time.   The benefit/cost ratio is decidedly in favor of hair washing. Regards.Dr. Kiener

Brooke R. Seckel, MD, FACS (retired) · Answer

Congratulations on your facelift.Yes it is quite common to wash the hair out after a facelift before you wake up.  The goal is to remove any blood that has accumulated in the hair and to provide you with clean hair after surgery as you recover.

Is it a common procedure to wash hair after SMAS facelift while still under anesthesia?

Answers (9)

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