Nonshaved cranial surgery in black Africans: a short-term prospective preliminary study

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. (C) 2008 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.