A bunch of melon-sized hair inside a teenage girl's belly...It's been building up for years
Aug 25, 2025
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According to foreign media such as the Daily Mail, Jodie Collins, who lives in Newquay, Cornwall, England, visited medical staff for months to find the cause of her 14-year-old daughter Erin's abdominal pain. Erin has complained of intermittent abdominal pain since November last year, initially believed to be gluten intolerance (digestion caused by gluten, a protein contained in wheat, barley, rye, etc.) or food allergies. However, all related test results came out normal.
When Erin's abdominal pain worsened in May this year, her mother Jodie asked for additional tests, and medical staff found a hard lump in Erin's abdomen.
This turned out to be "trichobezoar, a hair swallowed by a human being gradually clumped together and turned into a hard mass without being digested in the stomach.""
Erin was immediately transferred to a children's hospital for emergency surgery, and a hair mass of 21 cm long was removed.
Medical staff estimated that the lump had been piled up on top for years.
Jodie said her daughter has had a habit of touching her hair since she was young, but she has never seen her eat hair.
Accordingly, medical staff said there is a possibility that Erin may have unconsciously swallowed her hair while sleeping.
Jodie emphasized that if children have a habit of touching their hair, they should not neglect it, but correct it through toys or behavioral therapy (CBT)." Experts advised that this behavior may be part of a psychological disorder known as 'Rapunzel syndrome', and that early detection and treatment are important.
This article was translated by Naver AI translator.
