At week 5 two grafts fell out...is this OK?

[RagingKoala]

They looked like 2 little grains of rice, one had 2 hairs through it and the other had 1...both on the same day...is this normal?

[RagingKoala]

They looked like 2 little grains of rice, one had 2 hairs through it and the other had 1...both on the same day...is this normal?

[arfy]

It's not great, but it is not the end of the world probably.

 

What I've heard is that losing one or two grafts per each 1000 is considered normal.

 

So losing a graft or two is considered normal, but if you only moved a small number of grafts and a couple were lost, that is above the average.

 

I would not blow my top over that, if everything else is basically going okay then remain calm.

[Rocky]

Did you say at week 5?

 

Maybe they actually were grains of rice that had fallen on the floor and picked up a couple of hairs.

This unlikely scenario sounds more likely at week 5.

[arfy]

You're right Rocky, at week 5 it may not be a graft. For example it could just be a graft that went dormant, as the timing (5 week mark) would seem to indicate. The graft may still be in his scalp, and may produce new follicles after the dormant phase is over.

 

However, I think a graft can be lost but still remain in the scalp, until it eventually works itself out after a couple of weeks.

[JohnH]

Rage, when you lost the grafts, did they bleed? If there was no blood trickling out, then you may or may not have lost a couple of grafts. What you could be seeing is just the scab itself, with hair stuck in it. The scabs themselves can be shaped like rice from the lateral or sagital slits that your doc used. If this is the case, the root of the hair is ok and will produce another hair in a couple of months. Or, the graft may have not survived the journey, dried up and fell out.

 

At 5 weeks you shouldn't have any recipient scabs left on your head. If you do, take a nice long soak in an epson salt bath. This will soften up any that are left.