title: Long-term effects of postoperative razor epilation in pilonidal sinus disease.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To study potential benefits of postoperative epilation after pilonidal sinus surgery, the long-term effect of hair removal on pilonidal recurrence was investigated.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 1,960 patients with pilonidal sinus treated surgically from 1980 to 1996 in three hospitals of the Deutsche Bundeswehr were eligible for the study. Regular hair removal with a razor was recommended for all patients after surgery. A randomly selected sample of 504 patients was contacted for a follow-up telephone interview.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The mean follow-up time was 11.3 (standard deviation, 6.4) years. Overall, pilonidal sinus disease recurred in 111 (22 percent) of the 504 patients. A total of 113 patients followed the recommendation to perform epilation (mean duration, 7.5 months), and 391 patients did not. Recurrence was observed in 30.1 percent (34/113) of patients who performed postoperative epilation and in 19.7 percent (77/391) of patients who did not perform postoperative epilation (P = 0.01).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Razor hair removal increases the rate of long-term recurrence after surgery for pilonidal sinus disease and therefore should not be recommended. However, the rationale for hair removal in pilonidal sinus disease is compelling. Other epilation techniques such as laser hair removal should be investigated in appropriate studies.
authors.affiliation: First Department of Surgery, Asklepios Hospital Altona, Hamburg, Germany. sv.petersen@asklepios.com
authors.forename: Sven
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Petersen
authors.forename: Kai
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Wietelmann
authors.forename: Theo
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Evers
authors.forename: Norbert
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Hüser
authors.forename: Edouard
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Matevossian
authors.forename: Dietrich
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Doll
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D006204:Hair Removal / Q000379:methods; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010864:Pilonidal Sinus / Q000601:surgery*; D011182:Postoperative Care; D055502:Secondary Prevention