Hair Apposition Technique for scalp lacerations

In urgent care we often come across injuries to the head which result in lacerations to the scalp.  Often dramatic due to the profuse blood supply of this region causing copious bleeding, they however rarely require more than simple suturing. An exception is small children, who we know are often accident prone and tend to get agitated very easily when at the doctor. An agitated child makes the procedure of suturing immensely more complicated, increasing the risk of failure of the procedure and injury to the operator. For this reason a technique for treating scalp lacerations known as hair apposition technique  (HAT) is a very valid alternative. Made public in 2002 this method involves using the patient’s own hair as the suture material and obviates the need for anaesthetic infiltration and use of needles. Furthermore the patient is spared having to return to the clinic for removal of sutures. As always patient selection is important, thus HAT is not advised for patients with  persistent profusely bleeding wounds and those with extensive contamination. For obvious reasons HAT is not suitable for bald patients or those with sparse or short hair. More information can be obtained in the video below. 

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