Abstract
Background Many studies on white populations have shown the absence of any scientific, or even beneficial, basis for the traditional preoperative ritual of shaving the operative field. We were not able to lay our hands on any document regarding this subject on any black African population. Methods We prospectively performed 17 cranial procedures in nonshaved fields in 15 selected black Africans in the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital, Ikeja, Nigeria. Results There was no serious complication recorded over a short-term follow-up of 2 to 6 months. The short, curly, crimpy, and densely knotted black African scalp hairs however did pose some unique perioperative challenges to us. Conclusions Nonshaved cranial surgery, as in whites/Asians, can also be safely carried out in black Africans. This however demands some attention to details in the perioperative care of the incision sites. We found this caveat to be particularly more imperative in black Africans because of their unique anthropological scalp hair characteristics.
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