Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39713809›Full record

SynthesisFrontiers in surgery2024

The effectiveness of waxing or epilation compared to conventional methods of hair removal in reducing the incidence of surgical site infections: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Joseph Cutteridge, Pierre Garrido, Tim Staniland, Arthur Lim, Joshua Totty, Ross Lathan, George Smith, Ian Chetter

Abstract readSystematic Review
In one paragraph

Synthesis in Frontiers in surgery, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

8 authors.

Joseph CutteridgeDepartment of Health Sciences, Faculty of Sciences, University of York, York, United Kingdom.
Pierre GarridoDepartment of General Surgery, Surrey and Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust, Redhill, United Kingdom.
Tim StanilandLibrary & Knowledge Services, Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, Hull, United Kingdom.
Arthur LimAcademic Vascular Surgical Unit, Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, Hull, United Kingdom.
Joshua TottyCentre for Clinical Sciences, Hull York Medical School, Hull, United Kingdom.
Ross LathanDepartment of Health Sciences, Faculty of Sciences, University of York, York, United Kingdom.
George SmithAcademic Vascular Surgical Unit, Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, Hull, United Kingdom.
Ian ChetterAcademic Vascular Surgical Unit, Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, Hull, United Kingdom.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Background: Surgical site infections (SSIs) pose a significant challenge to healthcare systems by elevating patient morbidity and mortality and driving up financial costs. Preoperative skin preparation is crucial for preventing SSIs; however, certain traditional methods of hair removal have been found to increase the risk of SSI development. Mechanical epilation and waxing constitute two relatively explored methods of hair removal, which may hold potential to accelerate wound healing due to the activation of stem cells within hair follicles. This review assesses the efficacy of preoperative hair removal via waxing and mechanical epilation in reducing SSI incidence. Methods: This systematic review was prospectively registered with PROSPERO (ref: CRD42023423798) and a protocol previously published in a peer-reviewed journal. All findings are reported according to PRISMA guidelines. A comprehensive search of Medline, Embase, CENTRAL, ClinicalTrials.gov and CINAHL. Inclusion criteria encompassed adult patients undergoing any surgical procedure, comparing waxing or epilation against other hair removal methods or no hair removal, with SSI incidence as the primary outcome. There was no restriction on study size or quality to ensure a comprehensive literature evaluation. Results: The review found no studies meeting the selection criteria out of 576 records screened. Discussion/conclusion: This review has identified no literature regarding the use of waxing and mechanical epilation as methods of preoperative hair removal. The lack of experimental evidence combined with the potential physiological advantages of these techniques indicate that this could be a valuable area of future research. These techniques may represent novel approaches to SSI prevention, particularly beneficial in high-risk surgical disciplines like vascular surgery. Systematic Review Registration: https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/display_record.php?RecordID=423798, PROSPERO (CRD42023423798).

Indexed as

epilationhair removalsurgical site infectionsystematic reviewwaxing

Identifiers

PMID39713809
PMCPMC11659287

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.