Foreign body hair granuloma in barbers

Foreign body hair granuloma and draining sinuses may occur in the non-domin ant hand interdigital spaces of barbers. The client's hair penetrates the w eb space of the male barber's hand during repetitive finger movement, and t he constant opening and closing of the web space, typical of this occupatio n. Once inside the skin, the hairs cause a foreign body reaction and sinus formation, which may become infected later. We present three cases in which thorough local excision and primary closure, covered by peri-operative ant ibiotics, resulted in cure. The barber must regularly cleanse between his f ingers to avoid laceration, and occasionally wear gloves or mittens to prev ent recurrence. A high level of suspicion on the part of the medical team w ill prevent ineffective treatment and decrease morbidity.