Girl in China Needs Skull Surgery After Trying to Remove Blackhead

According to Chinese media, doctors managed to extract 8 milliliters of pus from the patient, Xiao Mei, as well as an abscess from her brain during the five-hour operation at The First Affiliated Hospital of Jinan University in Guangzhou on Monday, the Daily Mail reported.

The abscess, an area of tissue where pus is collected due to bacterial infection, was discovered under the right temporal lobe and measured at 4.5 centimeters (1.8 inches) long, 3.5 centimeters (1.4 inches) wide and 3 centimeters (1.2 inches) thick.

Xiao Mei began suffering from symptoms such as fever, dizziness and drowsiness a couple of weeks ago. Her family, as well as the initial medical findings, thought that she had a flu, but things began to take a drastic turn last week.

Her parents ultimately decided to bring her to the hospital after she lost her appetite, continuously vomited and had a headache for three days. Xiang Yongsheng, a neurosurgeon working at the hospital, recounted how the fifth-grade student was barely conscious when her parents brought her to the hospital.

The doctor also said how Xiao Mei experienced “very high” pressure in her skull, similar symptoms of an early stage of brain herniation. But in her case, it’s caused by the collection of pus and other material in her brain due to the bacterial or fungal infection.

Determined to find the cause of the infection, Xiang asked Xiao Mei’s mother about their family’s lifestyle, and discovered that the mother squeezed out her daughter’s blackheads without washing her hands first.

The fifth-grade student was infected with a Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), also commonly known as the superbug.

Xiang strongly encouraged people to never pop their pimples or blackheads located in the “dangerous triangle” of their face — the area that covers the part of the eyes, bridge of the nose and upper lip. The blood vessels in this area are all directly connected to the brain, which is how the infection traveled from Xiao Mei’s nose.

Featured Image via Sina News