I'm 1 week post HT, per my doc instructions I started Gently with shampoo and conditioner beginning day 3. Over the past couple of days a lot of scab and crust came out with washing. I do not see any hair in the crust. I have tendency to rub my scalp and more crust comes out. I noticed few spots with little bleeding. I'm worried if my grafts are coming out. Your responses are appreciated. I'm attaching a photo.
Answer: Grafts are very strong shortly after the transplant, and having hair in a fallen scab does not mean the root is lost Your concern is very common. Everyone who had a transplant is afraid that they will dislodge the graft and think that grafts are very delicate. In our practice, we do a fair number of hair transplants and the routine is fairly straightforward. We do hundreds or thousands of grafts in a session and within the first 24-48 hours, the grafts are so well in place that it would take a surgical instrument to physically remove the graft from the scalp. We also use a material called extracellular matrix which further facilitates the healing process and treats the thinning hair concurrently. The scabs that you see are the combination of some old blood, some very dry skin and are a part of a normal healing process. In the first week, we have our patients wash their hair with a bowl of water and pour it gently to let this superficial scabbing dislodge. We also let them spray the hair with some saline to keep it just a little bit moist. By the second week, we encourage our patients to scrub a bit. Of course, we do examine our patients before we give them this advice to make sure that they are not doing anything that can be traumatic. Seeing a hair in the scab doesn’t mean you lost the graft. The base of that graft is called the dermal papilla which is the root of the hair. It’s actually the one that does the growing. Sometimes, what happens is that the hair will break or shed and that is normal. I think communicating with your doctor is critically important. Every experienced hair restoration surgeon will be able to give you an advice from their experience. I’m sure that with a little bit of guidance, you can anticipate what will happen beyond this initial early point in your healing process. I hope that was helpful, I wish you the best of luck, and thank you for your question. This personalized video answer to your question is posted on RealSelf hosted through YouTube. If you prefer not to have your video question visible on YouTube, please contact us.
Helpful 2 people found this helpful
Answer: Grafts are very strong shortly after the transplant, and having hair in a fallen scab does not mean the root is lost Your concern is very common. Everyone who had a transplant is afraid that they will dislodge the graft and think that grafts are very delicate. In our practice, we do a fair number of hair transplants and the routine is fairly straightforward. We do hundreds or thousands of grafts in a session and within the first 24-48 hours, the grafts are so well in place that it would take a surgical instrument to physically remove the graft from the scalp. We also use a material called extracellular matrix which further facilitates the healing process and treats the thinning hair concurrently. The scabs that you see are the combination of some old blood, some very dry skin and are a part of a normal healing process. In the first week, we have our patients wash their hair with a bowl of water and pour it gently to let this superficial scabbing dislodge. We also let them spray the hair with some saline to keep it just a little bit moist. By the second week, we encourage our patients to scrub a bit. Of course, we do examine our patients before we give them this advice to make sure that they are not doing anything that can be traumatic. Seeing a hair in the scab doesn’t mean you lost the graft. The base of that graft is called the dermal papilla which is the root of the hair. It’s actually the one that does the growing. Sometimes, what happens is that the hair will break or shed and that is normal. I think communicating with your doctor is critically important. Every experienced hair restoration surgeon will be able to give you an advice from their experience. I’m sure that with a little bit of guidance, you can anticipate what will happen beyond this initial early point in your healing process. I hope that was helpful, I wish you the best of luck, and thank you for your question. This personalized video answer to your question is posted on RealSelf hosted through YouTube. If you prefer not to have your video question visible on YouTube, please contact us.
Helpful 2 people found this helpful
August 4, 2015
Answer: Call your doctor if something doesn't seem right. If you are concerned please follow up with your doctor for an exam. You will have hair loss after surgery. You may have graft loss after surgery. Not all the grafts will take. You won't really know until you see results in 6 to 12 months
Helpful
August 4, 2015
Answer: Call your doctor if something doesn't seem right. If you are concerned please follow up with your doctor for an exam. You will have hair loss after surgery. You may have graft loss after surgery. Not all the grafts will take. You won't really know until you see results in 6 to 12 months
Helpful
March 31, 2014
Answer: Hair transplant - how to tell if we are losing grafts Be gentle with your grafts for at least a month. This is not the time to be rubbing your scalp. You have invested in your self, take the time to heal and your grafts will take fine. Best Wishes..
Helpful 1 person found this helpful
March 31, 2014
Answer: Hair transplant - how to tell if we are losing grafts Be gentle with your grafts for at least a month. This is not the time to be rubbing your scalp. You have invested in your self, take the time to heal and your grafts will take fine. Best Wishes..
Helpful 1 person found this helpful
Answer: How to differentiate a crust coming out if it's with a follicle or without a follicle? The crusts you see are blood rests and dry skin and it’s normal. During the first week, wash your hair with a glass of water, to help the crusts to fall, without touching it. At 7 days you can start doing small massage to help more these crusts to fall, but do not rub, it can damage.After 15 days the grafts are well implanted.Losing grafts with crusts is normal
Helpful
Answer: How to differentiate a crust coming out if it's with a follicle or without a follicle? The crusts you see are blood rests and dry skin and it’s normal. During the first week, wash your hair with a glass of water, to help the crusts to fall, without touching it. At 7 days you can start doing small massage to help more these crusts to fall, but do not rub, it can damage.After 15 days the grafts are well implanted.Losing grafts with crusts is normal
Helpful
December 14, 2017
Answer: Crust have follicle or not? During initial 10 to 14 days, one should not rub the transplanted area because this much time is generally required for the graft to take up. For washing during this period one should gently pour the shampoo solution over the transplanted area and rinse it with gentle pouring of water. Some crust may come off with the hairs in it that are generally not grafts, they are the hair shafts which breaks from above and comes out and embedded in crust. Grafts have a bulb like structure which is papilla at the end of the hair which is embedded in the scalp. It generally comes off with the bleeding from that spot.
Helpful
December 14, 2017
Answer: Crust have follicle or not? During initial 10 to 14 days, one should not rub the transplanted area because this much time is generally required for the graft to take up. For washing during this period one should gently pour the shampoo solution over the transplanted area and rinse it with gentle pouring of water. Some crust may come off with the hairs in it that are generally not grafts, they are the hair shafts which breaks from above and comes out and embedded in crust. Grafts have a bulb like structure which is papilla at the end of the hair which is embedded in the scalp. It generally comes off with the bleeding from that spot.
Helpful