Unusual case: Foot hair removal turns septic, lands Vietnamese woman in hospital

A 19 year old Vietnamese woman faced a distressing ordeal when an attempt to pluck out foot hair resulted in a severe infection. Hospitalised for nearly two weeks, she endured a high fever and inflammation, with her left foot turning red and her toes festering.

Dr Le Van Thieu from the National Hospital for Tropical Diseases in Hanoi provided insight into why the Vietnamese woman’s seemingly innocuous act of hair removal led to such a major complication.

Dr Thieu’s team encountered an uncommon infection case involving a Vietnamese teenager residing in Hanoi. Suffering from a high fever of over 39 degrees Celsius, she presented with a red and inflamed left foot, along with festering toes. Through careful questioning, it was revealed that the malaise had started shortly after the Vietnamese woman attempted to pluck hairs from her toes, leading to rapid…