Why does One eat their own Hair? - Doctors Explain 'Rapunzel Syndrome' after Removing 7kg Hairball from Girl's Stomach!

In a rather shocking incident, a teenage girl had to undergo surgery for having 6.8 kilograms of hairball removed from her abdomen in India. The Jharkhand based 17-year-old had had the habit of chewing on her hair.

According to a report published by Times now, the lump of hair was removed by a team of doctors at a private hospital. The operation which took place in Bakaro district went on for six-hours and was successfully completed. The doctors pulled out a mass entanglement of hair which had been constantly accumulating in her abdomen for several years.

Dr Sahu, the senior medic who led the operation said that he has never seen such a massive accumulation of hair in a patient’s stomach. Three years ago, the 17-year old underwent an ultrasound examination. The doctors suspected that she had a tumour in her stomach, which had taken shape of a huge lump occupying her entire stomach area. However, it was later discovered that there was no tumour and that the lump was hair. She was treated successful and her condition is stable.

This condition is now known as the Rapunzel Syndrome which is a rare intestinal condition which is a result of hair getting accumulated in the stomach for a prolonged period of time. It is named after the character Rapunzel from Brothers Grimm fairy tale, who was well known for her long and beautiful hair.