Effect of craniotomy without shaving on patient mood [Saç kesilmeden yapi{dotless}lan kraniyotominin hasta ruh durumuna etkisi]

Background: shaving before cranial surgery has been a common practice for many decades. most of the studies were about the infection rates,but there is a few data about the effect of shaving on patient mood. the aim of this study was to determine the effects of not shaving when performing a craniotomy on the mood of the patients. methods: patients who underwent a craniotomy between september 2010 and september 2011 and agreed to complete a questionnaire after the surgery were included in the study. results: 207 patients included in the study. the mean age of the patients was 44.51±18.00 years. 114 patients (55.07%) did not think about shaving when they first learned they would undergo a craniotomy; 133 (64.2%) did not ask their surgeons about being shaved during the craniotomy. 30 patients (14.4%) pointed out that not being shaved was an important factor in choosing the surgeon. nineteen (9.1%) patients complained about the wide scar tissue and alopecia. conclusion: not shaving is a strong factor that affects the time necessary to get back to one's routine and orientation to social life after craniotomy without increasing infection rates. however,it is not a factor that affects the patient's choice of doctors.