‘Hair Splinters’ Can Cause Unusual Foot Pain, Report Says

Hair gets everywhere. However, for this man in Brazil, a single fallen strand of hair turned out to be more than trouble or irritation after it got entrenched in his foot, fundamentally, leading to a "hair splinter," a new report of the incident indicated.

Following the occurrence, the 35-year-old man rushed to the emergency department after he felt an unusual pain in his right heel. 

The pain, as indicated in the report, worsened when the patient walked. The said report came in June last year in The Journal of Emergency Medicine.

In addition, the report stated, the man had not experienced any injury in his foot or ankle recently. And when the emergency room doctors looked at his foot, at first, they could not find anything wrong.

After they had the patient walk on his heels and his tiptoes, he again complained of pain while walking on his heel.

Study authors at the University of Sao Paulo said, a closer look at the man's heal exposed "a single strand of hair" apparently attached to his right foot.

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Diagnosed with Cutaneous Pili Migrans

A test using a magnifying lens exhibited a tiny strand of hair penetrating the skin of the man. Using tweezers, the doctors removed the hair strand that measured 10 millimeters long.

Specifically, the man was found to have a rare condition called "cutaneous pili migrans." This occurs when a hair or piece of hair becomes implanted or fixed on the surface of the skin.

Cutaneous pili migrans are considered rare, as only 26 cases have been recorded and reported in the last six decades. This was indicated in a report that came out in the Medical Journal Armed Forces India in 2016.

The new report's authors said that once the hair penetrates the skin, it can travel in a "creeping pattern" because of the patient's foot movements.

Remarkably, the creeping appearance can look like the "snake-like rash" appearing in patients experiencing "cutaneous larva migrans," a skin disorder resulting from "hookworms."

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What Causes Hair Splinters or Cutaneous Pili Migrans?

Typically, hair splinters or cutaneous pili migrans involve freshly cut or trimmed hair, which is, more often than not, very sharp. 

Consequently, it is much easier for the recently trimmed or cut hair to penetrate the skin. This quite possible if the hair is too thick, short, or coarse. 

Individuals at risk of experiencing this rare condition include dog groomers, hairdressers, and those handling a lot of hair and barbers.

And, while the atypical condition can take place anytime, anywhere, it tends to impact one's feet or fingers. Also, walking barefoot or even with socks on, around a hair salon, or other places with lots of hair on the ground can lead to cutaneous pili migrans or hair splinters.

Similarly, hair splinter removal is similar to the removal of other splinter types. The first thing to do is to start collecting the essential supplies like a magnifying glass, sewing needle, antibiotic ointment, tweezers, and rubbing alcohol, to name a few. For the not-so-deep splinters, duct tape can be used to remove them.

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