A Previous Hair Transplant Resulted In Several Ingrown Hairs – Can I Get Rid of Them?

Several years ago I had a hair transplant done by a hair restoration group in Virginia.  The results were abysmal and I now have continuing problems with in-grown hairs. For example, I have three of them now. These in-grown hairs are unsightly and very painful and they take a very long time to heal.  No one there ever told me that this would be a possible outcome of the surgery.

Is there anything that can be done to get rid of them?  Do I have any legal recourse?

Thanks for your help.
Fred
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Hi Fred

Thank you for your question.
In order to find a solution to this problem, it’s important to arrive at a diagnosis.

(1) Are you noticing bumps in the skin which fill up with whitish or yellowish material and then “pop?”
(2) Are these bumps small like pimples or large like cysts?
(3) After they pop, does a hair appear where the bump used to be?
(4) Do they always appear in the same place or can they appear all over your scalp?
(5) Do they only occur in the transplanted areas or do they also appear in the non-transplanted areas?
(6) Were you told by your doctor that they are ingrown hairs or are you assuming that this must be the cause?
(7) Do you have straight or curly hair?
(8) Do you shave your hair?

I would visit the doctor who performed your original procedure & tell him or her about your concerns. If that is not possible, I would arrange to see a dermatologist who is familiar with hair transplantation in order to arrive at a diagnosis.

If the problem is indeed ingrown hairs, they could be removed surgically or sometimes simply expressed using a needle.  Some patients suffer from recurrent pimples called “folliculitis” which can cause painful bumps in the skin. This can be treated with antibiotics. Another possibility is that the raised bumps are due to “cobblestoning” if large grafts were used for your transplants.

Fred I hope these suggestions help you in your quest to resolve this issue.

Regards,

W.G. Mark McKenzie M.D.
Diplomate, American Board of Hair Restoration
Medical Director
Seager Hair Transplant Centre.
Member, International Alliance of Hair Restoration Surgeons
Member, American Hair Loss Association

Mark McKenzie, MD Dr. Mark McKenzie graduated from the University of Edinburgh Medical School in 1985 and became licensed to practice medicine in Canada in 1986. While researching hair loss in the early 1990s, he became aware of the significant advances that were taking place in the field of hair restoration surgery, and he obtained training in Toronto and Boston in these new techniques, launching his own hair transplantation career in 1994. Since then he has performed hair restoration surgery in Toronto, London and Ottawa, Ontario as well as being invited by the Professor of Dermatology at Memorial University, to perform hair restoration surgery on his patients in St. John’s, Newfoundland. He has been a member of the International Society of Hair Restoration Surgery since 1995 and was won the “Best Presented Clinical Case Award” in the Poster Presentation section at their Annual Conference in San Francisco in 1999. Dr. McKenzie has demonstrated his techniques to plastic surgery residents from the University of Western Ontario & has lectured internationally to physicians on the subject of hair transplantation. Dr. McKenzie was delighted to be invited by Dr. David Seager to “take over the reins” of the Seager Hair Transplant Centre in 2006, and is dedicated to maintaining the same standard of excellence that patients have come to expect of the Seager Hair Transplant Centre. Dr. McKenzie is a member of the International Alliance of Hair Restoration Surgeons and recommended by the American Hair Loss Association. Visit Dr. McKenzie's Website: www.seagerhairtransplant.com

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