Cleveland Clinic
Why can a hair mass become so large?
The stomach is designed to mix food with digestive juices and gradually move its contents into the small intestine.
Its muscular walls repeatedly contract to break down food and propel it onward.
But hair behaves differently from most dietary substances.
It does not dissolve readily in stomach acid, and its long, flexible strands can become entangled.
As more hair collects, the strands may form a dense structure that resists the normal movements of the stomach.
The shape of the mass can sometimes reflect the space in which it developed.
In reported medical cases, surgeons have removed trichobezoars that occupied substantial portions of the stomach.
Some masses have extended beyond the stomach into the small intestine.
This is one reason a rare condition involving swallowed hair can eventually require invasive medical treatment.
However, the size, appearance, and composition of any mass cannot be reliably established from an isolated online photograph.
