Is dandruff/blackhead looking crust in donor area of FUE 1 week post-op ok to scrape off? (photos)

Question

I am 7 days post op FUE. The last 3 days I've had discomfort in donor area which has some relive with ibuprofen 600mg as needed. Since it was itching a bit and the discomfort seemed to be in areas of crust in donor area, I gently scraped off a few hundred dandruff/blackhead looking crusts from donor area. My question is, was that the hair roots that I scraped off that's suppose to grow back in the donor area? Or was it ok to scrape off those little crusts? Please see pic of crust removed.

Anil R. Shah, MD · Answer

Greetings,
Dry scalp is fairly common after hair transplantation.  Lots of solutions here including use of conditioner, antibiotic ointment, vaseline.  A great first step is to contact your hair transplant surgeon and see what solution works best for you.  
Best,
Dr. Anil Shah

Jae Pak, MD · Answer

If you are having issues after surgery, especially with "pain" you should contact your doctor.  You should not be scraping off the scabs.

Ben Talei, MD · Answer

The donor area is safe to touch. Ideally you would want to apply bacitracin twice a day for the next 14 days post op for it to heal faster. The hairs that have been extracted from the donor area do not regrow. However over the course of the next year the skin contracts itself and you retrieve almost it's original density so it becomes barely noticeable if not totally unnoticeable that you have undergone a FUE procedure.In the RECIPIENT are you NEVER want to touch the scabs or rub them off. The graft might be attached still to the scabs and you will risk pulling it out. Keep that area moist by spraying saline water 3x a day for better healing and let the scabs fall out on their own. Follow the instructions your surgeon gave you and you will be fine. When in doubt always contact your doctor.I hope this helps!

William Rassman, MD (retired) · Answer

Whatever you do, do not pick or remove the crust that should have been washed off the day after the surgery. Picking off the crust now could cause graft loss and possibly infection.

Is dandruff/blackhead looking crust in donor area of FUE 1 week post-op ok to scrape off? (photos)

Answers (4)

Answer: Removing crust

Answer: Removing crust

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Is dandruff/blackhead looking crust in donor area of FUE 1 week post-op ok to scrape off? (photos)

Answers (4)

Answer: Removing crust

Answer: Removing crust

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Recommended reading

Everything you need to know about FUE Hair Transplant

Our mission is to create a world where every investment in modern beauty is Worth It.