Getting the crust off ?

[MTLien44]

Is it ok to scratch lightly the crust after surgery to help the crust come off ? I feel it is almost impossible to avoid doing it...but then I see some pieces of skin with hair falling from my head.

 

Does this represent the normal process of the grafts falling before regrowth or does this mean that I scratched a graft to hard and that it fell ???

[MTLien44]

Is it ok to scratch lightly the crust after surgery to help the crust come off ? I feel it is almost impossible to avoid doing it...but then I see some pieces of skin with hair falling from my head.

 

Does this represent the normal process of the grafts falling before regrowth or does this mean that I scratched a graft to hard and that it fell ???

[Robert_]

DO you still have crust and skin flaking from the recipient area from a procedure that was performed on January 6th? That does not sound right at all. Your recipient area should look much as it did pre-op.

 

-Robert

[MTLien44]

No...

 

I guess this was a concern a few weeks ago. My scalp is back to normal now. But I was still wondering if what was happening then was normal ?

[hairbank]

How long after your HT did you still have scabbing? Usually, your scabs would be gone by the 10-day mark, or close to it.

[Dr. Scott Alexander MD]

Scabbing is a product of the size of slit that was made at the time of transplant. If it was a large slit causing a lot of trauma you will have a larger scab that will take longer to heal. It you had tiny slits performed for example, by the custom cut blades which we use, your scabs will be smaller and will heal much faster. Therefore, you can not say that all scabs should be healed and gone in 10 days. Our scabs traditionally begin to fall off at 5 days and should be totally clean by 10 days. I have seen some scabs performed by other offices take up to 3 weeks to heal. What I suggest to my patients is to use an antibiotic ointment or aloe vera, as was suggested would be fine, to be placed on the scabs one hour before getting into the shower beginning on the 4th day to moisten them. This will make it much easier to wash them off with shampoo and water while in the shower. This is much more atraumatic then picking at them. By doing this those scabs that are ready to come off will wash off without leaving any scarring. Sometimes the hair will shed with the scab but the follicle will still be healthy underneath the scalp. This is another reason why using blades that are 1 mm or less is so important in a good hair transplant. Just remember the less trauma you cause the quicker wounds heal and you will be rewarded with a better result.