A definitive answer on effects of folliculitis?

[JohnJohnB]

I had a HT with Dr. Path 6 weeks ago. In the past 2 weeks I have been getting a fair amount of pimples, maybe 5-10 at any given time. They go away on their own in 3-4 days without any application of warm compress, bacterial cream or popping them. None of them pop on their own and bleed. They just simply fade away and are replaced by new ones on a different spot.

 

However when his assistant Dr. Oravan looked at my 6 week pictures I sent in, she said i had "too many" pimples and should use antibiotic cream and pills like doxycycline. She said I had nothing to worry about with regard to final results of hair growth but still the words "too many pimples" made me think I had severe folliculitis that could hurt my growth. I will start taking the meds Dr. Oravan recommended.

 

Does everybody agree that i have nothing to worry about here? I worry that I left these pimples untreated for too long and did some kind of damage.

[Eman]

Take the antibiotics first and foremost. Follow the docs instructions to the letter.

 

I had pimples, but I popped them all. But that was me and most say to leave them alone, but mine would have stuck around a lot longer than 3-4 days. Never an issue in the long term in regards to the result

[JohnJohnB]

Thanks Eman. I am following Doctor's orders.

 

What confuses me is that while most doctors out there say folliculitis/pimples are not damaging to growth of grafts, they also want you to tell them when its happening and treat them somehow. Why do they need treatment if they don't affect hair growth? Just because they are unsightly and maybe a little bothersome? They were completely covered up by my native hair and had no pain, yet Dr Path's staff wants me to take some serious meds to treat them.

 

As long as I have a nice thick transplant in the end nothing else matters.

[Eman]

It is an infection and if your body doesn't handle the infection well or it becomes more than a superficial infection (clears up on its own in a couple of days like what you are experiencing), scarring and hairloss can occur. The doc wants to make sure that it is not something more and is taking a proactive approach for you, which is good.

[Dr. Glenn Charles]

Folliculitis usually occurs 6-10 weeks post-op. I tell my patients how to handle this on their own, but that if they are getting more than a couple of scattered lesions they should call me and I will most likely but them on a short course of oral antibiotics.

[McdesSLK]

what is the different between follicultis and pimple, why follicultis seem to b more harm