What do systematic reviews say?

Shaving vs clipping

Shaving probably leads to higher wound complications compared with clipping (moderate certainty).

• Preoperative hair removal to reduce surgical site infection 2021 · Cochrane Headline outcomes only
  RR 1.74 [1.12, 2.71]
  3 studies · 1333 participants
  Moderate

Shaving vs clipping

The review found no eligible studies for this question.

• Preoperative hair removal to reduce surgical site infection 2021 · Cochrane Headline outcomes only
  no estimate extracted
  Studies not reported
  No studies found

Shaving vs clipping

The review found no eligible studies for this question.

• Preoperative hair removal to reduce surgical site infection 2021 · Cochrane Headline outcomes only
  no estimate extracted
  Studies not reported
  No studies found

Shaving vs cream

Shaving probably leads to higher surgical site infection (SSI) compared with cream (moderate certainty).

• Preoperative hair removal to reduce surgical site infection 2021 · Cochrane Headline outcomes only
  RR 2.28 [1.12, 4.65]
  9 studies · 1593 participants
  Moderate

Shaving vs cream

Shaving may leads to higher wound complications compared with cream (low certainty).

• Preoperative hair removal to reduce surgical site infection 2021 · Cochrane Headline outcomes only
  RR 6.95 [3.45, 13.98]
  5 studies · 937 participants
  Low

Shaving vs cream

The review found no eligible studies for this question.

• Preoperative hair removal to reduce surgical site infection 2021 · Cochrane Headline outcomes only
  no estimate extracted
  Studies not reported
  No studies found

Clipping vs no hair removal

The review found no eligible studies for this question.

• Preoperative hair removal to reduce surgical site infection 2021 · Cochrane Headline outcomes only
  no estimate extracted
  Studies not reported
  No studies found

Shaving vs cream

• Preoperative hair removal to reduce surgical site infection 2021 · Cochrane Headline outcomes only
  no estimate extracted
  3 studies · 402 participants
  Very low

Hair removal the day before surgery vs hair removal on the day of surgery

Hair removal the day before surgery showed no clear difference in surgical site infection (SSIs) compared with hair removal on the day of surgery (low certainty).

• Preoperative hair removal to reduce surgical site infection 2021 · Cochrane Headline outcomes only
  RR 0.83 [0.54, 1.3]
  1 study · 977 participants
  Low

Hair removal the day before surgery vs hair removal on the day of surgery

The review found no eligible studies for this question.

• Preoperative hair removal to reduce surgical site infection 2021 · Cochrane Headline outcomes only
  no estimate extracted
  Studies not reported
  No studies found

Hair removal the day before surgery vs hair removal on the day of surgery

The review found no eligible studies for this question.

• Preoperative hair removal to reduce surgical site infection 2021 · Cochrane Headline outcomes only
  no estimate extracted
  Studies not reported
  No studies found

Hair removal the day before surgery vs hair removal on the day of surgery

The review found no eligible studies for this question.

• Preoperative hair removal to reduce surgical site infection 2021 · Cochrane Headline outcomes only
  no estimate extracted
  Studies not reported
  No studies found

Clipping vs no hair removal

The review found no eligible studies for this question.

• Preoperative hair removal to reduce surgical site infection 2021 · Cochrane Headline outcomes only
  no estimate extracted
  Studies not reported
  No studies found

Clipping vs no hair removal

The review found no eligible studies for this question.

• Preoperative hair removal to reduce surgical site infection 2021 · Cochrane Headline outcomes only
  no estimate extracted
  Studies not reported
  No studies found

Shaving vs no hair removal

Shaving probably leads to higher surgical site infection (SSIs) compared with no hair removal (moderate certainty).

• Preoperative hair removal to reduce surgical site infection 2021 · Cochrane Headline outcomes only
  RR 1.82 [1.05, 3.14]
  7 studies · 1706 participants
  Moderate

Shaving vs no hair removal

Shaving showed no clear difference in wound complications compared with no hair removal (low certainty).

• Preoperative hair removal to reduce surgical site infection 2021 · Cochrane Headline outcomes only
  RR 1 [0.21, 4.66]
  1 study · 80 participants
  Low

Shaving vs no hair removal

• Preoperative hair removal to reduce surgical site infection 2021 · Cochrane Headline outcomes only
  no estimate extracted
  1 study · 136 participants
  Low

Shaving vs no hair removal

• Preoperative hair removal to reduce surgical site infection 2021 · Cochrane Headline outcomes only
  no estimate extracted
  1 study · 278 participants
  Very low

Depilatory cream vs no hair removal

Depilatory cream showed no clear difference in surgical site infection (SSI) compared with no hair removal (low certainty).

• Preoperative hair removal to reduce surgical site infection 2021 · Cochrane Headline outcomes only
  RR 1.02 [0.45, 2.31]
  1 study · 267 participants
  Low

Self‐instruction and one‐to‐one counselling vs self‐instruction

The review found no eligible studies for this question.

• Patient and lay carer education for preventing pressure ulceration in at‐risk populations 2021 · Cochrane Headline outcomes only
  no estimate extracted
  Studies not reported
  No studies found