Shaved Stomach?

1) were you shaved?

2) did you shave yourself or did the the hospital shave you? if hospital, when you were awake or under?

3) how much was shaved? up into your chest? down towards the pubic region?

4) did you have any issues with itching or ingrown hair? (I shaved my body once during a youthful college experiment and was miserable as it itched and rubbed during the grow back phase)

Thanks,

Todd

I would ask your surgeon if it needs to happen and if so, if you can shave yourself or if they can.  I can imagine how annoying the grow back phase would be. 

I wasn't told that I needed to and it didn't happen to me but since your male with possible chest hair, it might be a possibility.

If you are more than a little hairy, they will shave.  Ask your surgeon.  They usually do it in the room with clippers after you are asleep.  They will probably do a rather large area in case they have to do it as an open procedure.  I'd say that they would probably do most of your upper abdomen.

Also, they prefer to have the staff do it, as opposed to the patients, as the clippers don't tear at the skin the way a razor does.  We don't want there to be a lot of small open wounds (even at a microscopic level) that a razor done at home can cause.

Nothing was shaved for my surgery.  

I was told no shaving 5 days prior to surgery. The one exception was for men, they could only shave there face

Yup, they shaved my entire belly from just below the sternum all the way down to where my belly stopped. They did not shave the pubic area or my chest - thank heavens! That would have been really bad in the grow back stage, if they had. The belly hair did not itch growing in, which surprised me, but I was glad. (I, too, once shaved my body in my early 20s and it was hell when it grew back!)

Your surgeon will tell you if he/she will need to shave your abdomen. Mine took one look at me during my pre op exam the week before surgery and apologized in advance for needing to shave my belly!

if you are hairy in the area they will shave it.  but not with a razor blade, just trimmer type shave so they can more easily sterilize the area.  They did mine when i was under, under breast bone to bellow belly button.  it's fine and nothing to worry about.  I ended up having to shave the whole area a few weeks later to even it out ... they did less than a thorough or professional job!  lol

but do NOT do this yourself prior to surgery, let them take care of it.  the problems you discuss come from people doing it improperly.

I was not shaved at all.  I have some hair, but I'm no wookiee.