Follicle Infection After Transplant

[Sparse]

Hi All,

 

I'm a long-time lurker, first-time poster (NW 4-5, considering HT surgery this summer/fall).

 

Earlier today I spent a little time surfing hair loss blogs on the Hair Transplant Network, just to get a better feel for the patient results of various surgeons - and I noticed that in the past month at least two patients ("Gunter" and "Pearson") have reported follicle infections in their respective transplant regions within a month or two of surgery. Here are their blogs, just in case you haven't seen them:

 

http://www.hairtransplantnetwo...-page.asp?WebID=1150

 

http://www.hairtransplantnetwo...-page.asp?WebID=1102

 

 

I can only assume that such infections can't be good for the incipient grafts, and it leads me to wonder:

 

1) What is the risk (prevalence rate) of such infection following the ht surgery?

 

2) What harm does such an infection inflict on the transplanted follicles? If so, what (if anything) can surgeons do to remedy the situation?

 

3) What can be done to prevent such infections?

 

Many thanks in advance for your help with this.

 

- Sparse

[kaounis]

Any type of surgery has risks of infection...HT usually don't have those complications...usually..

I think that post-op, patients should be very carefull in avoiding exess sweat and dirt, frequent showering, (3 - 5 times aday) and proper care, ( applying polysporin, etc...etc..), should reduce the risks alot, if it does happen usually it can be treated with antibiotics...Again infections are very rare...Dr's any input???????????

 

 

Just a thought from the peanut gallery...

[Drew35]

Originally posted by Sparse:

Hi All,

 

I'm a long-time lurker, first-time poster (NW 4-5, considering ht this summer/fall).

 

Earlier today I spent a little time surfing hair loss blogs on the Hair Transplant Network, just to get a better feel for the patient results of various surgeons - and I noticed that in the past month at least two patients ("Gunter" and "Pearson") have reported follicle infections in their respective transplant regions within a month or two of surgery. Here are their blogs, just in case you haven't seen them:

 

http://www.hairtransplantnetwo...-page.asp?WebID=1150

 

http://www.hairtransplantnetwo...-page.asp?WebID=1102

 

 

I can only assume that such infections can't be good for the incipient grafts, and it leads me to wonder:

 

1) What is the risk (prevalence rate) of such infection following the ht surgery?

 

2) What harm does such an infection inflict on the transplanted follicles? If so, what (if anything) can surgeons do to remedy the situation?

 

3) What can be done to prevent such infections?

 

Many thanks in advance for your help with this.

 

- Sparse

 

 

Were these 2 Dr Rahal patients the only patients you have seen with follicle infections?

 

This is the first time I have seen this myself.

 

I feel for those guys.

 

I hope it doesn't affect their graft survival in a negative way.

[Sparse]

Yes, these were the only two cases of follicle infection I found. It's weird that both were Dr. Rahal patients, and that both occurred within the past month. (For the record, I have great respect for Dr. Rahal's work, so this thread is in no way meant to diminish it.)

 

I'm eager to get other reactions - perhaps from one or more HT docs or other experts on this forum?

 

Also, I think I've seen Pearson on this forum in the past . . . it would be great if he could be persuaded to weigh in.

[Sparse]

Originally posted by kaounis:

Any type of surgery has risks of infection...HT usually don't have those complications...usually..

I think that post-op, patients should be very carefull in avoiding exess sweat and dirt, frequent showering, (3 - 5 times aday) and proper care, ( applying polysporin, etc...etc..), should reduce the risks alot, if it does happen usually it can be treated with antibiotics...Again infections are very rare...Dr's any input???????????

 

 

Just a thought from the peanut gallery...

 

Thanks, kaounis. I would like to think that such infections are rare, but it would be great to see some actual data on this. Has anything been published? Also, how many other cases of post-HT infection have ever been posted on this forum?

[phxind]

yes, I have seen these 2 blogs as well. Maybe a long time member, Bill or a doctor can chip in. Does it have something to do with dense packing? I know Rahal is famous for that.

[kaounis]

In all the years that I have been reading these forums, I don't think that I have read very many cases of foliculitis, (infection of the hair follicles), usually it happens because ther are other reasons other than just HT, sometimes the patient could have ecsema,or diabetes, etc...which can further comprimise the imune system therefor allowing for infections to be more severe. Everybody who gets HT's will get a few pimples on their recipient area post-op,( usually in a couple of months after HT),this is also a form of foliculitis, some just get it more extreme, just like teenagers with acne...lol...

 

I'm not a Dr., these are just my obsevations...

 

Just a thought from the peanut gallery....

[Dr. Bernardino Arocha]

True infections in the scalp are rare post operatively, occurring in less than 0.1% of patients. When they occur and are treated properly, little to no damage should result. I have personally never seen one. Folliculitis can occur more fregquently, resulting from ingrown hairs , spicules or foreign body reactions.

[miked]

3) What can be done to prevent such infections?

 

 

I know some Doctors send patients home with an Rx for a broad spectrum antibiotic for the first 7 days or so. I would probably request this if not offered.

 

Assuming you wash your hair frequently (once a day) and dont use the same towel that you use on Fido to dry with you should be ok.

 

I would also avoid places like Gyms for a couple of weeks especially resting your head on weight benches.

 

Use clean linens at home, wipe the headrests on car seats and wash your hands thoroughly before touching your head especially your donor and recipient areas.

 

If you are spending time at a hotel - good luck. seriously though the towels are probably the safest things there so rest your head on them and keep the covers somewhere by your feet.

 

antibacterial ointment at the donor site and a coating of vaseline at the recipient sites would also help protect those areas.

 

clean bandanas may work better than hats. no head wear at all is probably preferable.

 

hope this helps

[Pearson]

Although I resumed working-out at the gym just before the infection started, my biggest risk factor is the fact that I am on immunosuppressant medication, which puts me at increased risk for all sorts of infections. I take this medication to manage my arthritis.

 

I don't think Dr. Rahal can be blamed for the infection, especially since it started 5 weeks after the HT. Nevertheless, he did prescribe oral and topical antibiotics, and the infection cleared up after about a week of treatment.

[Rahal Hair Transplant]

Sparse,

 

Any infection related to surgery itself will show up two to three days post op on average. Both of these cases here suggest that symptoms were seen 5 weeks or so post op which is not indicative of an immediate post op infection.

 

"Pearson's" symptoms started 5 weeks post op. As he mentioned he is taking immunosuppressant medication, which puts him at an increased risk for all sorts of infections. After being seen by Dr. Rahal it appeared that he had a mild case of Folliculitis. He was prescribed oral and topical antibiotics and after a week the infection appeared much better. He does have some redness in the recipient area which is normal.

 

"Gunter" was seen almost daily at our office for 2 weeks post op (he is from Europe and Dr Rahal likes to see the patients many times when they are in town) with no sign of infection. Dr Rahal and Gunter have been in constant communication since then, trying to treat the redness after it started.

 

Just to reiterate that surgical infections usually start soon after surgery (within days).

Any infection that starts a few weeks/months after could be to due to ingrown hairs trying to break through the skin or other factors not related to surgery.

[Winston baby]

You take auto immune drugs to 'manage' your arthritus? - do yourself a favour and look for non pharma ways of helping yourself...natural ways, the pharmaceutical industry has no morals, non of there drugs cure any thing, no money in cure and many of their drugs are crap, and the ones that work are stolen from nature and synthesized.

 

I take no prescribed meds and never been healthier. They are liars and you are cash cow to them, nothing more

[miked]

Winston baby

 

your comments probably deserve their own forum. Having said that allow me to respectfully disagree. While Big pharma is indeed sometimes a greedy and at times unethical business, equally so is the supplement and nutrition sector.

 

Also your statement that "none of their drugs cure anything" (misspellings corrected) is probably misinformed at best.

 

in this particular case you are almost correct in that there is no known cure for arthritis. In a general case however, well there simply are many things that medications do cure (infections come to mind) or effectively address (hair loss comes to mind) for which no "natural" equivalent has been identified and proven as being more or equally effective.

 

I salute your health, but I offer that it is a temporary condition unless you are fortunate enough to die from an accident while healthy. Some folks are not as fortunate and in many cases it is meds that make their life tolerable or restore them to good health.

 

As the son of someone who suffers from rheumatoid arthritis I can attest that there are no chicken cartilage derived products that can touch the pain and deformity that results from this condition. Only certain injections taken monthly are able to restore some normalcy to these individual's lives.

[Winston baby]

Mr Miked,

 

Ive read your message and I stand firm, anti biotics aside.

 

Propecia is not cure, it manages symptoms and gives side effects in some, like most pharma drugs. I believe they have cure for cancer! But cancer industry is too large, to profit, and profit is king, should not be king, love, god, evolution should be king. Capitalism has dark heart.

 

Yers other forum is probably right, do you work for this dark entity mike?

[miked]

I do not work in the medical/drug field Winston baby. At the same time I do appreciate the research they do and the rigorous double blind studies that go with it.

 

as to cancer, lets be real.. do you honestly think "they" have a cure but somehow they have suppressed it to profit from its maintenance?

 

if I read you correctly that is what you claim. I am sorry, but we are worlds apart on this.

[Abedogg]

Winston Baby,

 

Please do not go to a hospital when you have a stroke, heart attack, get hit by a car, etc. Take no pain pills, take no anti-coagulants, and do not for one second allow modern medicine to heal you. You will be giving your hard earned money over to the evil drug companies that save people every day.

 

By the way, the same people that make your Omega 3 oil are also in it to make a profit.

 

If you do not like capitalism that is fine. But do not comment on other people's medical conditions. You remind me of the lady on the recent MTV True Life show that featured a holistic healer that told a poor kid he has fungus growing in his body that is killing his hair. She gladly took his money for her services.

 

And I think your comments on Dr. Lindsey's thread about his daughter are out of place. Please let others decide on their own medical treatments. Cancer has never been shown to be cured by tumeric or any other food you eat.

 

Abe

[Pearson]

It's so predictable. When a person starts talking trash about "Big Pharma", and touting "natural cures", the conversation invariably degenerates into the spewing of conspiracy theories.

 

Sadly, I've come to realize that no amount of reasoning will ever change the mind of the this type of person. That's because they'll respond that anybody who opposes them is either "in" on the conspiracy, or has been "brainwashed" by the "powers that be". You can never win with these type of people.

[aWidowsPeek]

Could this thread get back on track please?