To shave or not to shave: That’s a question countless moms-to-be wonder about in the days, or hours, leading up to the birth of their babies? While many midwives and other experts say the decision should be left up to the mom – some hospitals, such as Netcare, specifically ask their patients not to shave before any procedure – including the delivery of their baby.
Dr Caroline Maslo, senior clinical advisor and head of infection control of Netcare’s hospital division explains the reason indepth:
- Shaving down there can potentially introduce additional infection risk.
- Several studies and reviews of the literature have shown that the incidence of surgical site infection (SSI) is higher when hair removal is performed with a razor, as compared with clippers, and most studies support that hair removal, if any, should be done immediately before the operation.
- American and European guidelines recommend not removing hair unless it will interfere with the operation. When hair removal is considered necessary, it should be performed by clipping before surgery, and not shaving with a razor.
- Although the use of depilatory hair removal creams have been associated with a lower SSI risk in some studies, depilatories sometimes produce hypersensitivity skin reactions and are therefore not considered ideal. Where hair removal is deemed necessary, only clippers should be used. In such instances, this hair removal should only be done within two hours of the procedure, and not within the theatre.
- Where hair removal by clipping is required, the patient will then need to shower to reduce the risk of bacterial contamination of the surgical site.
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