Are these hair follicles or just scabs with hairs attached? (Photo)

Thank you for your question.  The small crusts around the micrographs will fall off naturally at around 10-14 days.  You can wash your hair daily and gently with a mild shampoo.  Try not to remove the crusts and allow them to fall off naturally.  Just looking at your photos it appears that you may have removed some grafts with the crusts.   Discuss your concerns with your surgeon

This is a common question.  The follicles are generally sealed within 72 hours.  What you see after a hair transplantation is usually the hairs falling out.  I would not worry but you may want to check in with your doctor if you are concerned.

It is relatively hard to remove or pick out grafts after 7 days.  However if the grafts were never good to start with (mishandled... dead before they were implanted) it would have never "took" and it would likely fall out.Photos can be deceiving, but some look like dried up hair follicles.

Usually scabs come of with the hair shaft leaving the follicle in place. It's hard to remove the follicles after 7 days, but be careful with your nails!

I don't like the idea of anyone removing grafts that have scabs on them because we have published a paper in a formal medical journal, that when a person pulls off a scab (crust) from a recipient area in less than 12 days, the risk of losing the graft is very high. See the medical paper we wrote in a major journal below in the web reference that proves my point. Everyone having a hair transplant should follow the care I recommend below:In
FUE or any transplant including a beard transplant it should be treated just like a
regular hair transplant with regard to the recipient area, but if the donor
area has open wounds (FUE), it requires daily washing with soap and water.
Within 3 days of surgery, you can resume full activities, heavy exercises if
you wish. The recipient area requires daily washes as well to keep the
recipient area free of crusts. I generally recommend the use of a sponge and
supply my patient with a surgical sponge to fill with soapy water and press on
the recipient area daily in a rolling motion, never rubbing. By repeating this
daily, all crusts can be washed off without any fear of losing grafts. IF any
crust are present, use a Q tip and dip it into soapy water, and roll it on the
crusts and that will lift them off without dislodging them, but never rub them,
just roll the Q tip on the recipient crust. I like to see no evidence of any
crusting in the recipient area and the crusts from the donor area gone in 7-10
days with daily washing,.

Usually after 7-8 days you can start to play with the scabs so they fall off. You. Do not want to remove them forcefully as you may get some follicles along with the scabs. You need to still be gentle.  Usually after shower or hair wash, the scabs are looser so easier to come out.  Most of the time the hair shaft is attached to the scabs and but the follicles remain.   The follicles will start to grow in after 3-4 months and will continue for up to 18 months after the procedure.  If you have pulled the scabs with the follicles then they will not grow.