About half a million people in the U.S. have their tonsils removed every year, according to the Cleveland Clinic. However, a woman in Michigan has to have them removed a second time after they regrew, shedding light on the uncommon phenomenon.
Katy Golden told CNN she had her tonsils removed when she was 5 years old in 1983 to address inner ear issues. She recently found out that over the last 40 years, they had grown back and started causing issues for her again, forcing doctors to remove them again.
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So, how’s that possible?
Located at the back of the throat, the tonsils are part of the human immune system that help filter bacteria and viruses out of the air we breathe, develop antibodies and help fight infections.
While tonsillectomies, or surgeries to remove the tonsils, have become less common in recent years, about 500,000 people in the United States undergo surgery every year.
There aren’t a lot of studies about tonsil regrowth, but the ones there are indicate it only happens between 1% and 6% of the time.
There’s not one standardized method for surgeons to perform a tonsillectomy, and some techniques involve only removing most of the tonsil tissue. The small amount of tissue left behind can lead them to regenerate.
Experts say to think of the surgery like shaving or waxing. While all the unwanted hair gets removed, the hair is still able to grow back.
Tonsils aren’t the only organ with the ability to regenerate. The liver can do it, too.
That ability to regrow is how many liver transplants are made possible. Part of the healthy liver from one person is removed and transplanted into someone with a diseased liver. That transplant causes the healthy liver to regrow itself.
Skin, which is considered the body’s largest organ, can also regrow.
