If I have brain surgery do I have to shave my hair?

[rondohandles]

Do we have anyone here who is a surgeon or has had surgery like this? (I realize this is very off-topic so I am sorry)

[Poseidon]

Hi rondohandles. I've been a neurosurgeon for the past 2 years now and I get this question asked a lot. As a general rule, yes, they will shave either a spot or all of your hair. I know that most people tend to shave the whole thing just because a bald spot at a strange spot on the head will look strange. So I hope that answers your question. Best of luck with the surgery.
 
May I ask what kind of surgery you are getting?

EDIT: Woah what just happened!? I just got 13 TPs in 5 minutes!

[Lucky17]

I have no idea, but I'm giving you a TP to help pad that magnificent TP-per-post ratio you've got going on.

[Quinn]

Hi rondohandles. I've been a neurosurgeon for the past 2 years now and I get this question asked a lot. As a general rule, yes, they will shave either a spot or all of your hair. I know that most people tend to shave the whole thing just because a bald spot at a strange spot on the head will look strange. So I hope that answers your question. Best of luck with the surgery.
 
May I ask what kind of surgery you are getting?

EDIT: Woah what just happened!? I just got 13 TPs in 5 minutes!

Because you're the type of person that should be making 5 million dollars a year.

[Poseidon]

Hi rondohandles. I've been a neurosurgeon for the past 2 years now and I get this question asked a lot. As a general rule, yes, they will shave either a spot or all of your hair. I know that most people tend to shave the whole thing just because a bald spot at a strange spot on the head will look strange. So I hope that answers your question. Best of luck with the surgery.
 
May I ask what kind of surgery you are getting?

EDIT: Woah what just happened!? I just got 13 TPs in 5 minutes!

Because you're the type of person that should be making 5 million dollars a year.

I wish  .

[Quinn]

i said SHOULD be. :/

[Poseidon]

i said SHOULD be. :/

In that case, thank you very much.

[feckless]

Do we have anyone here who is a surgeon or has had surgery like this? (I realize this is very off-topic so I am sorry)

Wife had brain surgery for epilepsy about 10 years ago now.  They did shave the area of her head where they operated.  Nurses told her to take pre-natal vitamins after, claiming the vitamins made hair grow faster??

[Poseidon]

Do we have anyone here who is a surgeon or has had surgery like this? (I realize this is very off-topic so I am sorry)

Wife had brain surgery for epilepsy about 10 years ago now.  They did shave the area of her head where they operated.  Nurses told her to take pre-natal vitamins after, claiming the vitamins made hair grow faster??

Very interesting. How is she doing? About the prenatals- I've had some patients who took them that claim that they work. Some patients, however, see no change in hair growth what so ever. So I'd be curious to know if she noticed any increased hair growth.

[drza44]

Do we have anyone here who is a surgeon or has had surgery like this? (I realize this is very off-topic so I am sorry)

Not to contradict the neurosurgeon, but I've worked in the OR of several Parkinson's disease DBS implant surgeries and the patients did not have to get their heads shaved.  I remember being surprised at the time and asking the surgeon about it, and he said that it wasn't a sanitary risk.

I guess it depends on the type of surgery.

[feckless]

Do we have anyone here who is a surgeon or has had surgery like this? (I realize this is very off-topic so I am sorry)

Wife had brain surgery for epilepsy about 10 years ago now.  They did shave the area of her head where they operated.  Nurses told her to take pre-natal vitamins after, claiming the vitamins made hair grow faster??

Very interesting. How is she doing? About the prenatals- I've had some patients who took them that claim that they work. Some patients, however, see no change in hair growth what so ever. So I'd be curious to know if she noticed any increased hair growth.

Thanks for asking.  She had some seizures in the 1st 6 months post surgery, since then she has been seizure free.  Surgeon removed her right hippocampus.  As for the vitamins her hair seemed to grow back quickly!