A Rare Complication of Follicular Hair Unit Extraction: Kaposi’s Varicelliform Eruption

In 2016, a 34-year-old man developed Kaposi’s varicelliform eruption (KVE), a rare skin condition, after undergoing a follicular hair unit extraction (FUE) procedure for androgenic alopecia. KVE is an uncommon skin emergency caused by the spread of viruses, most notably the herpes virus, over preexisting skin disorders. In this case, the patient developed KVE 12 days after the FUE procedure. The lesions first appeared on the scalp where the hair units were taken and then spread over the upper chest and back. The patient was treated with oral valacyclovir hydrochloride 1000 mg 3 times a day for 14 days, and his symptoms cleared rapidly. This was the first reported case of KVE occurring after an FUE procedure. The researchers suggested that the traumatic effects and skin barrier disruption due to the operation, along with immune alteration due to postsurgical steroid treatment, might have triggered the activation and spread of a latent herpesvirus infection.