Hair in the Mouth: A Rare Presentation

Sir, An important though rare side effect of reconstruction surgery in oral cavity is persistent hair growth in the recipient site due to intact hair follicles.[1] Hair growth in the transplanted site may be due to the dominant nature of the underlying skin.[2] A 40‐year‐old male came to the dermatology outpatient department with a complaint of excessive hair growth in the oral cavity 2 months after oral reconstructive surgery. The patient was a diagnosed case of low flow vascular malformation palate. He had undergone palatal excision and reconstruction with left anterolateral thigh flap 2 months back. The graft took well only partially leaving a defect, and after 2 months of surgery, the patient returned to his surgeon to complain about the excessive hair growth on the flap and remnant palatal defect. He was referred to a dermatologist for opinion regarding hair removal at this unusual site. On examination of the oral cavity, we noted a large amount of hair on the flap which was used for repair of palatal defect. The hair was long, thick, and coarse [Figure 1]. Posterior to the flap, an oval defect of 2 cm × 3 cm was appreciable [Figure 2]. The patient had difficulty in eating and chewing as the food got entangled in the tuft of hair. The patient had Fitzpatrick’s skin Type 5 and had thick dark hair all over his body. He was advised to have laser intraoral hair removal, but he refused despite adequate explanations of the procedure.