Posted on 09/11/2008 11:48:06 PM PDT by doug from upland
Hair Plugs Cause Rare Infection August 28, 2001 - New York, NY
When Dr. Bruce E. Hirsch saw the 44-year-old man, he was ``about as sick as possible.'' The cause? A hair plug gone awry.
``It's very rare, but...this poor guy had a hair transplant done in a dermatologist's office in New Jersey and gets a lot of bleeding,'' recalls Hirsch, an internist at North Shore University Hospital in Manhasset, New York. ``He had septic shock, which went to his lungs and made holes there.''
As more and more men turn to hair plugs as a surgical antidote to baldness, doctors warn that the relatively safe procedure does involve a small, but potentially lethal, risk.
Hirsch and his colleagues from the departments of medicine and surgery describe the diagnosis and treatment of the patient in the current issue of Infectious Diseases in Clinical Practice.
The patient, otherwise in good health, had been given steroids for swelling that began after his first in a series of treatments. After the second transplant, he experienced a lot of bleeding at the plug site, at which time the affected scalp area was cleaned and stitched up with heavy woven silk. Within a week, the patient developed a high fever and breathing difficulties, as well as joint, muscle, and chest pain.
A day later, he sought care in an emergency room, where Hirsch's team diagnosed him with an unusual and life-threatening infection with the bacterium Staphylococcus aureus. The doctors removed the stitching, cleaned the wound area, and treated the patient with more than five weeks of antibiotics.
With such infectious complications occurring in less than 0.1% of hair transplant procedures, the researchers described this patient's experience as a ``rare but possible'' risk for those electing to have what is currently the most common cosmetic surgery for men in the US.
``Doctors should be careful in their use of steroids to control swelling in these procedures,'' Hirsch told Reuters Health. ``Steroids can decrease the body's ability to fight infection. In this case, the doctor did not control the bleeding properly, which can be very difficult to do.''
Hirsch added that those engaging in medically unnecessary cosmetic procedures of this sort should carefully consider all the health risks beforehand--no matter how small or unlikely. ''The lesson for everybody is that any procedure can have some risk,'' he cautioned. ``This guy almost died because of having a hair transplant...and he lived and recovered completely, and didn't even lose the transplant.''
But the patient is wary of more surgery.
``Last I spoke with him, he was not planning on having any more,'' Hirsch said.
I’ll never understand hairplugs....who gets more chicks: Picard or Riker?
that would be a pretty embarrassing way to go
Do you REALLY think Plugs is going to pull a Torricelli? I think he has waaay to much ego to drop out now.
Kirkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkk!
Joe’s had his plugs for a long time. If Obama wants to dump Joe, he’ll have to come up with a better reason, like, “I didn’t know he was so frigging stupid!”
Does Joe know the hairplugs didn’t work, his bald head still shows through!
“The doctors removed the stitching, cleaned the wound area, and treated the patient with more than five weeks of antibiotics.”
Yeah but did the plugs work?
I’ve seen plenty of bald guys before. I also know, if I can remember, that Fred Thompson is bald. I don’t really care much, afterall it is not like people even think about somebody’s baldness. The ironic thing is that Joe Biden in his extremely vain move to use hair plugs is in the running against John Edwards for vanity in hair fashion.
Where the hell is the taking pride in the hardscrabble roots, Biden? Oh yeah I forget, this is the same guy who has a son who helps him cut corners with Amtrak. If you really took pride, Joe, you wouldn’t be hiding your worker’s mug. Rugged individualism doesn’t buy toupees(this message brought to you by: No offense to anybody with hair growth on their heads. I just find it weird how a candidate who wants to sound authentic, and working class uses artificial hair to make himself look more “presentable” and to soothe his ego).
Well, what if we are days before the election and it really looks bad for Obama?
Eight years ago, I should have finished that novel. It is eerily familiar. My Hillary character blackmailed the VP candidate, and he dropped out just before the election. She stepped in and helped secure the victory. Then, what do you suppose happeneded to Air Force One as it was landing in the Middle East for the signing of the Israeli/Palestinian peace agreement? Yep. A Russian shoulder-fired missile.
That is not a good comparison. One has a cooler accent when he talks.
Many clicks like english accents.
I know kids who shave their heads of all hair. They do it to look manly. I think women love to rub a bald head.
Eight years ago, I should have finished that novel. It is eerily familiar. My Hillary character blackmailed the VP candidate, and he dropped out just before the election. She stepped in and helped secure the victory. Then, what do you suppose happeneded to Air Force One as it was landing in the Middle East for the signing of the Israeli/Palestinian peace agreement? Yep. A Russian shoulder-fired missile.
Look, Hillary doesn't want the number 2 slot especially with Obama at number 1. No, she will wait for Obomber to crash and burn and then Hillary will be the front runner for the RATS in 2012. That's my story and I'm stickin' to it!
Joe had his plugs years ago. If something was going to happen it would have by now.
LOL! The next new trend: women shaving their heads. Instead of handshakes or a kiss, there will be the rubbing of heads.
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