Shaving versus depilation

A randomised study of 418 patients compared
shaving and depilation in abdominal surgery. In
this study, a lower percentage of patients who
had depilation developed surgical site infections.
However, the result was not statistically
significant. Two other randomised studies also
reported reductions in surgical site infection as
percentages of outcomes, but were not able to
demonstrate statistical significance, possibly due
to small sample sizes. Observational studies
tended to claim a more significant effect,
however, the findings of observational studies
must be carefully considered prior to
acceptance. Three randomised studies reported
more surgical site infections in the shaved
groups, lending weight to the preference for the
use of depilation rather than shaving.