Seeking advice after a haircut injury
March 19, 2008 1:53 PM Subscribe
About three snips into giving me a haircut yesterday, the stylist sliced right into a mole on my ear. Bloody hell! No, really. HELP!
I have a small mole on top of my ear. It isn't huge or unsightly, but it's always bugged me a little. Well, now it bugs me a lot because it's bloody and will possibly be scarred, slightly mangled or otherwise wonky when it heals thanks to a bad haircut where the only thing that got cut was my ear.
The bleeding was pretty bad, and they didn't seem to know what to do about it or about the situation in general. They weren't rude at all, just inept. As I stood bleeding at the desk before leaving they asked me to wait while they fetched something. I thought it might be contact info for a manager or the owner? Nope. They had me wait while they fetched a card for a free haircut. Gee, thanks.
I changed the bandage this morning and it's still a little bloody (though thankfully nowhere near as much as last night) and I think I should see a doctor.
PROBLEM: I have no health insurance. Frankly, I don't think a haircut should come with a medical bill. Also, if the mole is going to be scarred or otherwise weird looking because of this, I'm going to want to get it removed - which, again, I don't think should be my expense.
I don't want to have to seek a lawyer. I just want the expenses covered since this wasn't my fault. I tried calling the shop's manager and now I'm getting the runaround as they go through their chain of command.
What now? Any advice?
I have a small mole on top of my ear. It isn't huge or unsightly, but it's always bugged me a little. Well, now it bugs me a lot because it's bloody and will possibly be scarred, slightly mangled or otherwise wonky when it heals thanks to a bad haircut where the only thing that got cut was my ear.
The bleeding was pretty bad, and they didn't seem to know what to do about it or about the situation in general. They weren't rude at all, just inept. As I stood bleeding at the desk before leaving they asked me to wait while they fetched something. I thought it might be contact info for a manager or the owner? Nope. They had me wait while they fetched a card for a free haircut. Gee, thanks.
I changed the bandage this morning and it's still a little bloody (though thankfully nowhere near as much as last night) and I think I should see a doctor.
PROBLEM: I have no health insurance. Frankly, I don't think a haircut should come with a medical bill. Also, if the mole is going to be scarred or otherwise weird looking because of this, I'm going to want to get it removed - which, again, I don't think should be my expense.
I don't want to have to seek a lawyer. I just want the expenses covered since this wasn't my fault. I tried calling the shop's manager and now I'm getting the runaround as they go through their chain of command.
What now? Any advice?
Write down a record of everything that happened, along with any details. Take photos. See a doctor to start a medical paper trail...even if it's at a free clinic or something like that. Ask for insurance details.
posted by acoutu at 2:11 PM on March 19, 2008
posted by acoutu at 2:11 PM on March 19, 2008
If you need medical attention, then go get it. The longer you wait, the greater the risk of infection and the less credible your case will seem later on. Having a bill to present them with will give all parties a concrete grasp of the situation from which to determine the outcome.
If you don't really need medical attention beyond a bandage, but are just really peeved about the incident, that's understandable, but think twice before you become a serious pain in the ass over an honest accident that could happen to anyone.
posted by [NOT HERMITOSIS-IST] at 2:23 PM on March 19, 2008 [1 favorite]
If you don't really need medical attention beyond a bandage, but are just really peeved about the incident, that's understandable, but think twice before you become a serious pain in the ass over an honest accident that could happen to anyone.
posted by [NOT HERMITOSIS-IST] at 2:23 PM on March 19, 2008 [1 favorite]
Eh.
What now?
Wash it. Put a bit of alcohol on it, maybe a bit of polysporin for the first day if you're feeling fancy. Keep your hair off it. Keep it clean and dry.
Look -- I'm not a medical doctor; I'm not a doctor of any kind. Nor am I a lawyer. But to be honest with you my expectation is that when the wound is healed, in its place you will find... a mole. I will bet you cash money that nothing weird or otherworldy is going to grow from a nipped mole.
Look. Accidents happen. You have a mole in an unfortunate place and the seemingly inevitable actually happened. But to me this is just not medical-intervention-worthy, nor legally actionable. Obviously views on this differ. But... come on.
posted by loiseau at 2:24 PM on March 19, 2008 [11 favorites]
What now?
Wash it. Put a bit of alcohol on it, maybe a bit of polysporin for the first day if you're feeling fancy. Keep your hair off it. Keep it clean and dry.
Look -- I'm not a medical doctor; I'm not a doctor of any kind. Nor am I a lawyer. But to be honest with you my expectation is that when the wound is healed, in its place you will find... a mole. I will bet you cash money that nothing weird or otherworldy is going to grow from a nipped mole.
Look. Accidents happen. You have a mole in an unfortunate place and the seemingly inevitable actually happened. But to me this is just not medical-intervention-worthy, nor legally actionable. Obviously views on this differ. But... come on.
posted by loiseau at 2:24 PM on March 19, 2008 [11 favorites]
I once, accidentally, snagged open a mole by my ear with a hairbrush. It bled like a sonofabitch. I swabbed it with hydrogen peroxide and covered it with polysporin and a bandaid for a few days. It left a big scab, which I didn't touch. It eventually fell off and in its place...was the exact same mole. I am no doctor, nor lawyer, but seriously....don't worry about it.
posted by meerkatty at 2:34 PM on March 19, 2008
posted by meerkatty at 2:34 PM on March 19, 2008
Like loiseau, I wouldn't worry about it. I have a rather big mole in an annoying spot on my jawbone, which, because I often forget about it, tends to get cut when I shave. I've nearly cut the darn thing off more than once, but after a few days, my sliced up mole always goes back to looking exactly like it did before.
Keep it clean so it doesn't get infected, throw on a bandage and don't worry about it. If you are unlucky enough to still have a problem in a few days, you can start to worry about it then.
posted by ssg at 2:41 PM on March 19, 2008
Keep it clean so it doesn't get infected, throw on a bandage and don't worry about it. If you are unlucky enough to still have a problem in a few days, you can start to worry about it then.
posted by ssg at 2:41 PM on March 19, 2008
i'm with meer. except mine is on my neck. and it wasn't a hairbrush, it was a 2 by 4.
other than that. same story. i'd like to get mine removed too, though. i wonder if that's a possible DIY thing.
posted by stubby phillips at 2:55 PM on March 19, 2008
other than that. same story. i'd like to get mine removed too, though. i wonder if that's a possible DIY thing.
posted by stubby phillips at 2:55 PM on March 19, 2008
Well, your first action should be not to go back there for another haircut.
Your second would be to bandage it.
Your third and subsequent actions are unimportant.
posted by outlier at 3:04 PM on March 19, 2008
Your second would be to bandage it.
Your third and subsequent actions are unimportant.
posted by outlier at 3:04 PM on March 19, 2008
Mod note: comment removed - if you are inclined to append "FTW" to the end of your comment, it is probably going to have a very short lifepan in AskMe. Perhaps you can MeMail your joke to the OP?
posted by jessamyn (staff) at 3:29 PM on March 19, 2008 [1 favorite]
posted by jessamyn (staff) at 3:29 PM on March 19, 2008 [1 favorite]
I also have a mole that I've cut and it didn't turn weird at all. It heals like the rest of your skin, get over it.
And I don't see how they should be responsible for the cosmetic procedure of mole removal.
posted by slow graffiti at 3:31 PM on March 19, 2008
And I don't see how they should be responsible for the cosmetic procedure of mole removal.
posted by slow graffiti at 3:31 PM on March 19, 2008
I once cut -off- a mole I had on my neck (um, I'm not advising this to anybody, of course), and it, too, bled like all get-out. I think that's just what moles do when they get cut. It's certainly alarming - how the heck can something so small bleed so much?? - but at the end of the day it doesn't seem to result in anything particularly horrible.
As such, I'd nth the advice to keep it bandaged and clean, and not worry overmuch about it otherwise unless it starts showing signs of infection or something. Odds are, you and your mole will both be fine =)
posted by zeph at 3:46 PM on March 19, 2008
As such, I'd nth the advice to keep it bandaged and clean, and not worry overmuch about it otherwise unless it starts showing signs of infection or something. Odds are, you and your mole will both be fine =)
posted by zeph at 3:46 PM on March 19, 2008
What everyone else said. I have a rather large mole inside my left ear, been there as long as I can remember. It's not a big deal visually (you'd have to be staring into my ear to really notice it) but I once injured it (way long story) and it bled like you wouldnt believe. You'd think I severed an artery. It was Monty Python-esque. Anyway, long story short, I patched it up myself and put up with some discomfort and sure enough, it healed up just fine. My Doc still says he wants to to remove it "just because" but I'm firmly in the camp of "if it aint broke dont fix it."
Dont worry about it. Keep it clean and bandaged.. and perhaps find another barber.
posted by elendil71 at 3:54 PM on March 19, 2008
Dont worry about it. Keep it clean and bandaged.. and perhaps find another barber.
posted by elendil71 at 3:54 PM on March 19, 2008
zeph, did it grow back?
posted by stubby phillips at 4:09 PM on March 19, 2008
posted by stubby phillips at 4:09 PM on March 19, 2008
Ears bleed...a lot. I used to get mosquito bites on them as a kid and scratched them until they bled. It's amazing how much blood will come from a little cut. It seems like a big deal, but in reality, what will a doctor do - he's not going to stitch the tip of your ear. Just bandage it and go get your free haircut when it heals.
posted by The Light Fantastic at 4:16 PM on March 19, 2008
posted by The Light Fantastic at 4:16 PM on March 19, 2008
I was living in Israel and I was in dire need of a haircut. I had prolonged it, as my schedule was really sporadic, but I had an important meeting really early the next day so I forced myself to find a place late one evening.
I walked outside of my flat, went down a few flights of city stairs, and lo and behold, a hair salon. From the signage, it was pretty apparent that it was Russian owned (which posed a little problem as I don't speak any Russian). Anyway, I went in and they knew what I wanted, so I sat down in the chair and this younger woman started cutting my hair. She was doing a pretty good job. Halfway through the haircut she gets a phone call and it really upsets her, she starts yelling into the phone, and she hangs up.
She rushes back to me and picks up the scissors, she was still upset, it was obvious. She started to cut my hair, except really fast, and then it happened; she sliced through the top of my ear.
We both stood there, stunned, she dropped the scissors and my eyes went really big. Then my ear started bleeding and she rushed to get a band aid. She started to profusely apologize and I felt really bad for her so I started smiling while I pointed to my ear and nodded. I some how convey to her that it's okay and that she should continue with the haircut. She finishes off and I get up to leave. I'm thinking, "well my ear is damaged but hey, free haircut," or so I thought. 30 shekels later I left the salon with my ear partially bleeding and hair all over my neck.
Worst haircut ever. But the story is fantastic and it always makes me smile. Oh, the ear is a magnificent thing -- it healed itself up within a couple of days.
posted by 913 at 5:26 PM on March 19, 2008 [1 favorite]
I walked outside of my flat, went down a few flights of city stairs, and lo and behold, a hair salon. From the signage, it was pretty apparent that it was Russian owned (which posed a little problem as I don't speak any Russian). Anyway, I went in and they knew what I wanted, so I sat down in the chair and this younger woman started cutting my hair. She was doing a pretty good job. Halfway through the haircut she gets a phone call and it really upsets her, she starts yelling into the phone, and she hangs up.
She rushes back to me and picks up the scissors, she was still upset, it was obvious. She started to cut my hair, except really fast, and then it happened; she sliced through the top of my ear.
We both stood there, stunned, she dropped the scissors and my eyes went really big. Then my ear started bleeding and she rushed to get a band aid. She started to profusely apologize and I felt really bad for her so I started smiling while I pointed to my ear and nodded. I some how convey to her that it's okay and that she should continue with the haircut. She finishes off and I get up to leave. I'm thinking, "well my ear is damaged but hey, free haircut," or so I thought. 30 shekels later I left the salon with my ear partially bleeding and hair all over my neck.
Worst haircut ever. But the story is fantastic and it always makes me smile. Oh, the ear is a magnificent thing -- it healed itself up within a couple of days.
posted by 913 at 5:26 PM on March 19, 2008 [1 favorite]
Response by poster: I decided to go to urgent care. The barbershop called me back and said to give them the bill. I'm cool with that. I ended up needing a tetanus as since ten years had passed since my last, so now it's ouch arm and ouch ear.
Ahh well. Other than the annoyance (and the ouch) it looks like no harm done. I even managed to get all of the blood out of my shirt with a quick wash.
posted by 2oh1 at 6:14 PM on March 19, 2008
Ahh well. Other than the annoyance (and the ouch) it looks like no harm done. I even managed to get all of the blood out of my shirt with a quick wash.
posted by 2oh1 at 6:14 PM on March 19, 2008
Response by poster: Geez - I should read what I write after I edit it. Oops! "I ended up needing a tetanus SHOT as since ten years had passed since my last"
posted by 2oh1 at 7:05 PM on March 19, 2008
posted by 2oh1 at 7:05 PM on March 19, 2008
zeph, did it grow back?
(I hope it's okay if I answer this, now that the OP has responded with a resolution to their quandary ... glad to hear all is well, btw =) That mole I cut off of my neck actually did NOT grow back, believe it or not - much to even my surprise given the number of people who told me at the time what a fool I'd been for opening myself up to all kinds of injuries and infections despite the likelihood that the mole would grow back anyway (heh, the worst part of all was that I did it in my mom's apartment while she was out, and when she returned it was with someone who (at the time) was a new boyfriend, so that upon his first encounter with his new girlfriend's daughter there were bloody towels all over the bathroom and I had a great big bandage on my neck ... just a wee bit awkward!)
Eh, at any rate I think I was just very, very lucky that it healed cleanly and didn't grow back, so again, I really wouldn't recommend this approach (nor would I try it again myself!) - but there ya go, sometimes the universe really does love a fool =)
posted by zeph at 8:14 PM on March 19, 2008
(I hope it's okay if I answer this, now that the OP has responded with a resolution to their quandary ... glad to hear all is well, btw =) That mole I cut off of my neck actually did NOT grow back, believe it or not - much to even my surprise given the number of people who told me at the time what a fool I'd been for opening myself up to all kinds of injuries and infections despite the likelihood that the mole would grow back anyway (heh, the worst part of all was that I did it in my mom's apartment while she was out, and when she returned it was with someone who (at the time) was a new boyfriend, so that upon his first encounter with his new girlfriend's daughter there were bloody towels all over the bathroom and I had a great big bandage on my neck ... just a wee bit awkward!)
Eh, at any rate I think I was just very, very lucky that it healed cleanly and didn't grow back, so again, I really wouldn't recommend this approach (nor would I try it again myself!) - but there ya go, sometimes the universe really does love a fool =)
posted by zeph at 8:14 PM on March 19, 2008
Response by poster: Awesome stories Zeph and 913. Thanks for sharing. On a similar note, thinking about my own ordeal, it occurred to me that there were a few people waiting for haircuts. I can't help wondering what the next person thought as he watched me bleed in the chair that would soon be his.
Anyway... I'm taking care of the ear and hopefully it'll heal up just fine.
posted by 2oh1 at 8:56 PM on March 19, 2008
Anyway... I'm taking care of the ear and hopefully it'll heal up just fine.
posted by 2oh1 at 8:56 PM on March 19, 2008
Mod note: comment removed - just because the problem is resolved doesn't mean it's barbershop horror story sharing time.
posted by jessamyn (staff) at 8:43 AM on March 20, 2008 [1 favorite]
posted by jessamyn (staff) at 8:43 AM on March 20, 2008 [1 favorite]
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This was an accident. Accidents happen, which is what insurance is for, to compensate the victims of accidents for their financial losses, pain and suffering - not just expenses.
If they don't have insurance, you'll need to see a lawyer. In fact, I'd suggest a lawyer anyway, because, on what you've said, this would be the sort of case a personal injury lawyer would leap at, because liability doesn't appear to be in dispute.
And take pictures. Lots and lots of bloody pictures.
posted by essexjan at 2:02 PM on March 19, 2008