During the process of shaving with a razor, the skin may sustain microscopic cuts and abrasions. It is suggested that micro‐organisms are able to enter and colonise these cuts, thus contaminating the surgical incision site and causing SSIs (Briggs 1997).
Routine shaving should be stopped at least two days before your surgery on all areas of your body, including the legs and underarms. This is to prevent any skin irritation which could lead to an infection. Continue to wash/shower or bathe with your regular products at home. You can continue to shave your face and neck.
Do not shave near where you will have surgery. Shaving with a razor can irritate your skin and make it easier to develop an infection. At the time of your surgery: Speak up if someone tries to shave you with a razor before surgery.
Shaving can nick the skin and increase the risk of wound infection.
Clipping immediately before surgery (rather than shaving) will likely have an even lower incidence of surgical site infection than shaving. Clipping of some hair-bearing areas should be avoided (such as the eyebrows), while other areas (such as the pubic regions) are very commonly clipped.
Increased Risk of Infection during and after Surgery
Simply put, if there are wounds on the skin around the treatment area, there is a higher risk of infection during and after surgery. You've essentially increased the exposure area. Even the tiny nicks you take for granted could be bacterial breeding grounds.
removing hair with clippers and cream may make little to no difference to the number of infections; Clippers and hair removal cream probably cause fewer infections than shaving using a razor. Removing hair on the day of, rather than the day before surgery may slightly reduce the number of infections.
If you do want to shave before surgery because it's part of your normal grooming routine, it's best to stop shaving about 48 hours before your surgery.
Do NOT Shave over the surgical site. Using a razor over the surgical site produces microscopic cuts and scrapes which fill immediately with millions and billions of bacteria. One of the worst actions you can do prior to a surgery is to shave your legs or arms. The surgical team loves to see hairy legs and armpits.
Do not shave your abdomen (stomach) or pubic hair. Shaving before your surgery gives you a higher chance of getting an infection. A person from the health-care team will use clippers to get you ready for surgery if hair needs to be removed.
You can't wear deodorant during surgery because it can leave a residue on your skin that's difficult to remove. This residue might make it challenging for the surgeon to cut through the incision site or accurately assess your skin circulation during surgery.
Shaving or trimming your beard prior to your anaesthetic will assist in assessing and managing difficult airways. If your anaesthetist has reason to suspect you have a potentially difficult airway due to other factors they may strongly advise shaving.
The surgeon will shave your abdomen at the time of surgery and you will also have a rectangular area of one thigh shaved to facilitate the safe usage of a surgical electrocautery device.
Hair: Many hair products and hair pieces contain highly flammable products. Your safety is our first priority. That's why we require that you wash your hair the night before or the morning of surgery using only shampoo and conditioner.
No as shaving prior to surgery is associated with higher rate of wound infection. It is best that this is done on the day of surgery by admission nursing staff using hair clippers in conjunction with prep as they know exactly the extent and area that needs to be done.
You should not shave around the area of your surgery at least 2 days prior to surgery. Shaving can nick your skin that can cause an infection.
Do not shave any areas where surgery will be performed. You may shave your face. Dry with a fresh clean towel. Dress with clean freshly washed clothes.
Important: Do not shave your body below your neck seven days before your surgery. The night before surgery, take a bath or shower. Wait one to two hours. Wipe your skin well with the Sage cloths.
From AORN to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, most authorities favor clippers as a safer option than razors for pre-op hair removal. Clippers have fine teeth that cut the hair extremely close to the skin, leaving very short stubble and intact skin with less of a risk of micro-abrasions and SSIs.
Hair should not be removed at the operative site unless the presence of hair will interfere with the operation. Do not use razors.
Surgical paperwork will be administered by the nurses and the anaesthetist will meet with you to ask a few questions. A hospital gown will be given and the operation site will be shaved and cleaned.
If you want to avoid the stubbly look you can get from shaving, you can use depilatories or wax. A depilatory is a cream or liquid that removes hair from the skin's surface. Depilatories work quickly, are available at drugstores and grocery stores, and are painless.
Electrolysis is your best option for permanent hair removal, but it can be expensive. For more permanent results, laser hair removal can also help you remove pubic hair for a hefty price. You can also opt to do occasional grooming with trimming or tweezing to avoid going completely bare.
Shaving is the best way to get rid of pubic hair at home without pain, while trimming the hair at home is a painless method for a tidy-up.
Wash your hair as usual with your normal shampoo. Rinse your hair and body thoroughly to remove any soap and shampoo residue. The night before surgery: Turn the water off to prevent rinsing the soap off too soon.