A team of doctors reportedly removed a huge mass of hair from the abdomen of a 25-year-old woman at a hospital in Manabi, Ecuador.
The operation, performed by a surgical team at the Verde Ceballos Balda General Hospital, lasted only 45 minutes.
In a statement posted to X, Dr. Pedro Lovato, one of the surgeons who performed the operation, revealed that the mass was 16 inches long and weighed two pounds (907.18 g).
"The mass occupied the entire stomach cavity and was identifiable by touch from the outside," Lovato said.
The hair mass had grown over the past two years, after the woman began eating her hair.
She suffered from severe pain and frequent vomiting, and had trouble eating solid and liquid foods.
“The patient was suffering from a psychological and emotional disorder, so the final diagnosis was made through a video endoscopy performed by the gastroenterology service,” Lovato said.
The massive buildup of hair reached the first part of the small intestine, known as the duodenum. This caused the young woman to lose a lot of weight because she was unable to eat.
"The surgery also prevented further serious stomach injuries," Lovato explained.