Excessive incidence of Ingrown Hair w FUE (Scalp and Beard)

[fortune11]

Maybe this has already been asked and answered but if anyone w experience can shed more light here --

 

I had an FUE (Donor was back of scalp + beard hair) about 2 months ago. I saw a few ingrown hair pimples in the donor area at month 1 mark which I addressed via some antibiotics (prescribed by my HT surgeon) and also topical anti bacterial cream.

 

Recently I have been seeing much greater incidence of ingrown hair esp in the beard section as well a a few spots in the donor scalp. I have been told that it is sometimes expected as the hair growth starts around the 3 month mark. I have continued to apply the antibacterial cream as advised and even though the number of pimples is now more than a dozen, it is still somewhat manageable.

 

Have others faced the a similar experience post FUE ? I never had this problem before w my prior three FUT transplants. One reason I was told by the Dr was that sometimes there is transection of other hair during the FUE extraction process that can cause this, a factor which is less relevant during FUT.

[Melvin- Admin]

I've had three FUE's and never experienced pimples in the donor region, I did however experience pimples in the recipient area, they come around the 3rd month when the hairs begin to grow. From what I've been told the pimples form as a result of the sebaceous glands being clogged while the hair is trying to grow. However in the donor region it may be because of transection, I would be very surprised that a clinic like Shapiro's would have so much transection. I think a more likely scenario is that you may have an infection folliculitis. Definitely keep up with the antibiotics and try some warm presses.

[whoknows01]

I had the same problem with pimples in the donor area the first few months after my FUE. It was folliculitis, my doctor prescribed me an antibiotic and it cleared up.

[dagwood]

had the same thing but not too severe. Cleared up on its own

[fortune11]

Thanks for the helpful responses, I am continuing with the antibiotic cream, that seems to be working so far. Hopefully this will go away within a few weeks.

[Davis91]

Yes, I've had beard extractions and subsequent ingrown hairs. Transection can be an issue but also trauma in a concentrated area can cause issues. Please see my PM.

[fortune11]

Thanks David91 . I replied to your PM as well.

 

With the problem I am facing with these ingrown hair , I wonder why this is not raised more often in FUE related discussions. I always expected a few ingrown hairs here and there but none to this degree. Maybe my situation is unique.

[Speegs]

This is a fascinating subject that I've never considered, I'll keep an eye on this to ponder, thanks for sharing!

[Dr. David Josephitis]

This is an interesting topic.

 

 

Yes, we too have seen a slight bump in the number of ingrown hairs in the beard area.

 

 

FUE in general, can lead to occasional ingrown hairs followed by some inflammation on the scalp or beard. These are usually relieved with warm compresses and topical antibiotic ointment. Rarely, if it does not improve on its own, an oral antibiotic can be prescribed. This is not harmful on the overall results, it is just troublesome to the patient.

 

 

It is theorized that patients that frequently get skin infections are more likely to get these infections. Also, if there are any partially transected hairs from the FUE procedure, there may be more or less ingrown. At Shapiro Medical Group, we have worked with many different types of FUE devices. We have used the robotic, dull, sharp, motorized, and manual systems. All the while, we are trying to minimize the transection rate and improve the overall quality of the harvested grafts. The most recent device we have been using is the WAW trumpet hybrid punch by DeVroye out of Belgium. It has given us the lowest transection rate to date and delivers a very high quality graft. Our transection rates are typically less than 5%.

 

 

My thought as to why there are more ingrowns being seen epecially in the beard are is not that the transection rate is high, it is just that we, (and perhaps other clinics as well) are doing many more beard/ body FUE than we have been in the past. More patients are asking for it, and more repeat FUE patients are running out of scalp donor hair and looking to the beard and body for more.

 

 

I think that although the transection rates are incredibly low, the beard may just have a higher chance of developing ingrown hairs.

 

 

I appreciate the topic and look forward to hearing from others' experiences.

[fortune11]

Update on this issue . I have started a new course of prescribed (by Dr Shapiro) antibiotics and those, along with the antibiotic cream, have helped a lot with reducing the beard acne and even the donor area acne has been going down quite a bit.

 

One thing I will note is I did have acne as a teenager which did not go away until I took accutane and cleared it up by age 25. I have not had any incidence of acne since then now until this FUE episode.

 

Ultimately it will all have been well worth the acne hassle once the growth kicks in. Eagerly awaiting the results over the next several months.