Leg hair growing in my mouth after mandible flap reconstruction.

I have heard of this. Lucky I wasn't one to experience hair in the free flap. I don't have much hair on my legs. Wife is jealous. My team had mentioned if that would be an issue there was a way they could zap the hair follicles.
Anything in the mouth that isn't "normal" just feels weird. Hard to ignore yet I think we get used to it. If I run my tongue around my mouth, nothing feels right anymore. I am more or less used to it after five years.
Maybe you could run this past your team at the next check-up.
Do you know a dentist that moonlights as a barber? Too soon? If we don't find some humor in this we end up screaming in the night.
My wife takes every opportunity to say "There he goes, putting his leg in his mouth again". To which she is corrected by her friends "Don't you mean foot in his mouth?"
"In his case it is actually his fibula, so 'leg' works."
I truly do hope all else pans out well for you during the recovery. I have had to have excess flap removal done three times now. Still can't play my bugle. Still drool occasionally. Get food trapped under my prosthesis. But all in all living a much improved existence and glad I had it done. Good healing.

Hi @pauly

I had the free flap last April of 2024 come from my forearm for tongue cancer and yes it does grow hair in the mouth since I have hairy forearms. Not to sound funny but I asked this question also to my cancer team and they said that yes, it is not surprising and if it gets too long as it's starting to hang or dangle outside your mouth or just too long inside, they will essentially give it a haircut if you want.

Best,
Rob

@roblem Thanks for the reply. I'm hoping I can find a way to zap it and be done with it.

@hrhwilliam
Thanks William. I always appreciate your humor!
I do have a follow up on Monday with the surgeon and will ask him. I'm not sure if I could get used to this or not.
I agree nothing feels "normal" anymore. I think it's the new "normal"

I'll keep you posted on what the surgeon says.

Keep working on that bugle! lol

Pauly

@pauley
Interesting, please let me know if that is possible.

Rob

@roblem
Will do! Before I do anything, I'm going to ask my surgeon his advice.

I'll keep you posted.

Pauley

Definitely important to inject humor wherever you can. I call my open partial nephrectomy incision my "autopsy incision". And the scar on my neck where they removed tumor from my carotid artery... my tangle w Edward Scissorhands or Jack the Ripper.
Keep smiling!

@pauley
I have good news! I had a alt flap from my thigh to the roof of mouth etc for maxillary sinus. Yes it grows hair.. so irritating! First i asked dentist or husband to cut it but it still grows so much and twists. Laser is unlikey bc hard to get to and not want to hurt flap.. the solution is TWEEZE. You dont have sensory on the flap so it doesnt hurt. I have my husband or friend do it with a mini flashlight. It works great and after a few months it slows any new hair growth too.. it
has been a blessing and relief! Good luck!

@kathyheidt
Thanks Kathy! I'll look at those on Amazon now. I'm willing to try most anything at this point,

God bless

Pauley

@pauley you can you nice regular tweezers like tweezerman