Hi all!

It has been 1 1/2 months since my HT procedure, and I have about 4 relatively hard lumps/cysts (a couple the size of a thumbnail) in my recipient area. The lumps are mostly invisible to the eye, but they can be felt (and they are sore when touched). These are not tiny whiteheads nor pimples that can be popped.

I am concerned that the cysts could affect my transplanted hair's growth. I will be in contact with my HT doctor about this.

I am very interested in hearing whether anyone else here has had (or has heard about others having) similar cysts, and whether certain kinds of acne treatments would be safe for me to use now. I am currently being treated by a dermatologist for acne, and my dermatologist has suggested that I consider the following kinds of treatments for the cysts in my transplanted/recipient area:

- Diluted kenalog+saline injections to reduce the inflammation
- Clindamycin phosphate topical
- Benzoyl peroxide 4% solution topical gel (though she warned that the benzoyl peroxide solution, while potentially effective, might be mildly irritating to my still-pink recipient area)

Also, what about Salex Shampoo (active ingredient 6% salicylic acid)?

Should any of these treatments be safe to use in my recipient area 1.5 months after surgery? Can anyone think of any reasons why one or more of these treatments might pose a risk to the transplanted area?

Thank you in advance for any info. This forum is a tremendous resource!!

surecan,

I'm glad to hear you will be consulting with your hair transplant surgeon about this. It sounds like it may be an inflamed version of the usual pimples many patients get a month or so before hair growth starts. But if it's become infected, it needs to be treated.

I can't comment on the best treatments for it, but your surgeon is the best person to recommend something. In the meantime, try applying a warm damp cloth to the area for a few minutes a couple times a day. Speak to your surgeon tomorrow (Monday) or as soon as possible.

Best wishes,

Bill (Falc)

Update: Some of the pimples have come to a head, and I've popped them -- made them go away fast. Now I'm concerned that popping may damage the follicles.

Has anyone here experienced reduced growth or no growth in certain areas that they think may have been the result of popping pimples? What is the advice of clinics like Hasson and Wong, Shapiro, Cole, etc. Thank you!

It's better not to pop, but it shouldn't damage the grafts.

I get a clean needle and gently poke the pimple and then gently press down on the sides of it. Using the needle saves me from having to squeeze all that hard on my recipient area. And the pimple is gone immediately.

As tempting as it is, squeezing is probably not the best choice. If the pus pocket ruptures downward instead of out through the skin, you will have an increased level of inflammation and that could affect your nearby grafts trying to start growing. It actually depends on the type of pustule it is.

For example, many face pimples can be squeezed and after a few days, the skin looks fine. However, in deep cystic acne, there is so much inflammation that nearby collagen is destroyed, and that "ice pick acne" scarring results.

See your doc.

Dr. Lindsey McLean VA