Is this normal for two months post-op?

[malcolm89]

I'm about 9 weeks post-op and still experiencing redness with a bunch of pimples on my head in the recipient area that have been there basically since the second week, in varying levels of severity. When I pop the bumps, clusters of hairs come out as though they've been trapped beneath the bumps. I made sure not to lose any grafts the first 10-11 days, but these bumps do not seem common going off of google results. People generally get bumps after healing up, when regrowth begins. I'm concerned this could be negatively impacting my result.

 

Here are some photos:

 

https://imgur.com/a/KTMmP

 

Any help would be greatly appreciated. I'd be very unhappy to have spent all the money and time just to have a poor result from some sort of infection.

[Spidey]

I only had the odd pimple here and there.. maybe 4 in total that were spread out.. never had more than one at the same time. The redness lingered for a while for me.. It still does get pink when I am out of the shower and apply MIN... but settles down minutes after.. Probably best to contact your Dr

[esrec]

Yeah dont risk it contact doc and be proactive about it.

[malcolm89]

My doc is from another country and there has been a bit of a language gap unfortunately. I was wondering if it looked unusual to the point where I should contact a dermatologist here in the US. I'm starting to worry I may have had a transplant-ruining infection. These recent photos aren't even close to the worst it was, right at the one month mark:

 

https://imgur.com/zVzf5d7

 

I'm going to go ahead and make an appointment with a dermatologist and get some antibiotics just to be safe. Again, I didn't lose any grafts the first 10 days, which from what I've been told is the point at which they're in for good. And from what I've read online, folliculitis rarely affects results. But either way... looking back at that one-month pic isn't giving me the most optimism right now.

[Melvin- Admin]

May be folliculitis, if it is you'll need antibiotics to treat it, is your physician Dr. Doganay by chance?

[malcolm89]

Yes but I'm the same guy who brought this up in the other thread on Doganay. Different username.

[malcolm89]

(duplicate post)

[Melvin- Admin]

Theres been more than just two reports of guys getting folliculitis under doganay, I hope everything works out for you.

[malcolm89]

Theres been more than just two reports of guys getting folliculitis under doganay, I hope everything works out for you.

 

Thanks man. I'm hoping that the infection isn't deep enough to harm the graft growth. Not going to worry too much until I've had time to see results.

[MrGio-WHTCClinic]

The post-op instructions are supposed to be helpful and effective in avoiding infection. The photos are not clear. Can you post a few more photos with better resolution?

 

From the photos, the scabbing remains and hair fragments may remain below the surface. If you still have this degree of scabbing and redness, it's quite possible that all of the area needs to be cleaned and freed of hair fragments.

[malcolm89]

The post-op instructions are supposed to be helpful and effective in avoiding infection. The photos are not clear. Can you post a few more photos with better resolution?

 

From the photos, the scabbing remains and hair fragments may remain below the surface. If you still have this degree of scabbing and redness, it's quite possible that all of the area needs to be cleaned and freed of hair fragments.

 

 

Thank you for this response. I do believe there are lots of hair fragments beneath the surface that are contributing to the inflammation.

 

I am at work now, but will post clearer photos when I get back home tonight.

[malcolm89]

Here are some slightly higher res pics, I'm having trouble capturing this on my phone's camera:

 

Imgur

 

As you can see I'm having yet another outbreak of this. Surely it's some sort of infection? My scalp itches and slightly burns. I'd like to know if there is some way to tell if the little hairs I'm losing are grafts or just scabby hairs. They have a sort of "crust" or "flake" attached to them at the root. Not sure if that's relevant or not.

 

Again, I'm maintaining my cool until it's been several more months, but this is definitely not a common occurrence.

 

Is there some sort of topical antibiotic that would help me here?

 

Edit: I've googled what grafts look like, and the hairs that I'm losing do not really resemble grafts. Good sign I suppose, but this is my first rodeo.

[Melvin- Admin]

Oh man that is definitely folliculitis there is an antibiotic ointment you'll need a prescription for it, do you have insurance? You'll need to get oral and topical antibiotic, it does not look good dude not trying to scare you, but get it looked at by a doctor ASAP.

[malcolm89]

Oh man that is definitely folliculitis there is an antibiotic ointment you'll need a prescription for it, do you have insurance? You'll need to get oral and topical antibiotic, it does not look good dude not trying to scare you, but get it looked at by a doctor ASAP.

 

Thanks for replying, yeah I figured it was pretty bad but it had been healing up prior to this week. Now I'm having another outbreak so it's definitely a problem that needs to be treated right away.

 

I still have no clue if this is affecting my grafts or not. I don't understand how so little information can be available online about this issue. Everything I've read says that folliculitis and pimples are too superficial to harm grafts, but I'm gonna be pretty upset if my transplant is ruined based on something that I should have had treated months ago.

[Melvin- Admin]

Thanks for replying, yeah I figured it was pretty bad but it had been healing up prior to this week. Now I'm having another outbreak so it's definitely a problem that needs to be treated right away.

 

I still have no clue if this is affecting my grafts or not. I don't understand how so little information can be available online about this issue. Everything I've read says that folliculitis and pimples are too superficial to harm grafts, but I'm gonna be pretty upset if my transplant is ruined based on something that I should have had treated months ago.

 

Typically, folliculitis should not harm the grafts, however, like pimples, they could create pits and thus would create some issue with growth, so I guess to answer your question yes folliculitis can mess with growth but the chances are low if you address the issue quickly.

[malcolm89]

Typically, folliculitis should not harm the grafts, however, like pimples, they could create pits and thus would create some issue with growth, so I guess to answer your question yes folliculitis can mess with growth but the chances are low if you address the issue quickly.

 

Gotcha, thanks for responding. I'll visit a doctor and get on some antibiotics asap.

[gillenator]

I agree that this sounds more like a case of folliculitis than just ingrown hair pimples. The redness at the base of the pimples also can be a sign of an infection. If there is also some inflammation and/or any oozing, that's definitely a sign of an infection and needs to be treated right away.

 

So the sooner you get this diagnosed and treated, the better.

[malcolm89]

Update: I've been on antibiotics for the past 10 days. The infection has cleared up dramatically, which leads me to believe I should have been on antibiotics many weeks ago. I've also noticed that I still have about 50-75 hairs that have yet to shed from the initial transplant, however they are not growing at all. They're just sitting in the same place they've been since the day of the transplant, and I can easily tweeze them out as though there's nothing really holding them there. Is this a bad sign? With all this unusual stuff going on I'm beginning to doubt that I will get a good result. But it's still early in the game so we'll see.

 

I was only given 10 days worth of oral antibiotics and I still have a lot of redness. I think I'm going to play it safe and get on another 10 day regimen, which should do the trick once and for all.

[Spidey]

First off, you should never take antibiotics for shorter or longer than prescribed. Any decent doctor will not prescribe you another dose just "to be safe". Antibiotics can cause havoc in your body. They kill all the good bacteria in your stomach and can lead to pretty bad digestional issues that could lead to other complications.

 

I highly recommend you take a good course of probiotics while you're on your antibiotics.

 

On the notion of the hairs that don't grow, all it means is that they are going to shed. I had a bunch that stopped growing and could be easily pulled out with no effort. However those grew for a couple weeks before they stopped. Not sure it yours never grew from day one.

 

You should ask for a topical antibiotic to treat the issue directly. That would reduce any issues the medication would have with your stomach.

[humble1]

malcolm89 - ITA with Spidey about not seeking another 10 day prescription of an antibiotic and taking a probiotic.

 

For this issue, and any future health issues, you may want to consider natural antibiotics.

 

My top 2 are Wild Oil of Oregano (P73) and Garlic.

 

There are others but I prefer these two. I buy the WOO in the little dropper bottle @ ~45.00 for half an ounce, at a health food store I take one or two drops in a teaspoon and chase it with orange juice or gingerroot tea. Frequency depends on what I'm taking it for.

 

I buy fresh garlic and steep it slowly - then drink it, especially If I contracted a bad cold or flu. it is also an excellent anti-inflammatory. I drink a gingerroot drink throughout the year (cold iced tea in summer and hot tea in winter) to help deliver anti-inflammatory relief to these aging bones.

[Melvin- Admin]

Hey Malcolm, if the pimples persist after the antibiotic course return to a doctor for sure, but redness is normal and not necessarily infection, what you could do is apply emu oil to help with redness or simply grow your hair out and cover it.I think redness is common with fair skinned individuals it can take months to subside.

 

About the hair grafts not shedding and not growing, at this point I don't think it will have any impact on your result, because the hair shaft has been dead for quite a while, the live follicle underneath the skin should be in the telogen (resting) phase before going in to the anagen (growth) phase. Just wait it out you should start seeing hairs sprout out by 4 months, if absolutely zero growth occurs by six months than you should be concerned, but even then you could be a late grower, if by 10 months there's nothing, then be very concerned, I hope you get good growth bro still got plenty of time.

[jesse23]

I would have to strongly agree with HTsoon. It looks like an infection. I would go to a doctor as soon as possible get properly diagnosed. If it is folliculitis it's a good thing you caught it early before it gets worse. If you don't treat it soon it can get severe and cause permanent scarring.

[malcolm89]

Hey guys, thanks again for all your responses. I decided not to get more antibiotics and thankfully the folliculitis has dramatically improved and does not seem to be recurring after the antibiotic regimen. Hopefully I will now be able to focus on other stuff and just let the regrowth do its thing. Still a bit pink on the scalp but that's to be expected as I have quite fair skin.

 

I'm still only 3 months out so there is still another month before I should start to see growth. That being said, I am seeing some definite activity as there are several new thin hairs sprouting up in various spots. Still nothing close to cosmetically different but heading in the right direction.

[npdabest09]

I'm actually about to hit 2 months post op and the severity of pimples was getting pretty bad for the past two weeks.

 

Fortunately, I also had a nasty cyst forming near my eye and I was given anti-biotic pills for a week. It really helped bring it down.

[pkipling]

Hey guys, thanks again for all your responses. I decided not to get more antibiotics and thankfully the folliculitis has dramatically improved and does not seem to be recurring after the antibiotic regimen. Hopefully I will now be able to focus on other stuff and just let the regrowth do its thing. Still a bit pink on the scalp but that's to be expected as I have quite fair skin.

 

I'm still only 3 months out so there is still another month before I should start to see growth. That being said, I am seeing some definite activity as there are several new thin hairs sprouting up in various spots. Still nothing close to cosmetically different but heading in the right direction.

 

Glad you got that all taken care of. It's quite impressive to see this forum take the place of a doctor when the doctor is so far away and there's a language barrier.

 

I also commend you for seeming to remain so calm and mature through this entire process/thread. I'm sure many guys will learn a lot from this thread.

 

Please keep this thread updated with photos when you start to see results. I'm looking forward to seeing a very happy ending to a hair transplant that started off with a not so happy beginning.