An emergency room doctor has warned women that wearing claw hair clips in the car could lead to severe injuries, including skull fractures and brain bleeds, in the event of a crash. The warning comes from Dr Joe, who shares medical advice on Instagram, after he treated multiple patients with clips embedded in their scalps following road accidents.
Doctor's warning on social media
In footage posted online, Dr Joe described pulling several claw clips from women's heads after car accidents, explaining that the plastic accessories can become lodged beneath the scalp. He said: "A little friendly neighbourhood PSA for women out there. Do you like to wear these? These claw-style hair clips? I've pulled several of these out of women's heads after car accidents. These little plastic things can be a real pain in the butt to get out from underneath the scalp once they're embedded."
He cautioned that metal clips pose an even greater risk, recalling a patient who suffered serious injuries. He added: "Worse yet are the metal ones. I actually saw a patient once who had a metal hair clip in her head during a car accident. And afterwards, she had a skull fracture and a brain bleed."
Safety advice for drivers and passengers
Dr Joe encouraged women to take precautions when travelling by car, suggesting that choosing a different hair accessory might be safer. He said: "So make sure you're taking some precautions if you're in a car with these hair clips. It might be a better idea to use a different type of hair tie."
The advice has drawn reactions from social media users, with one commenting: "Wow! Never thought of that!" Another wrote: "I wear mine high, not on the back of my head. Good to know, though!" A third said: "I use these, but I always take them out when I'm in a car because they're uncomfortable against the head rest anyway."
