How do you know if a graft has been dislodged?

[bennyt89]

Will it always bleed and do you feel any pain?

 

I'm asking becuase I'm fresh off a HT a few days ago. And I'm incredibly paranoid about losing any grafts (I know you're bound to lose one or two), any time there's a change in appearance to my recepient area I start to freak out a bit and assume perhaps I've lost some grafts.... for example this morning I did the washing with betadine spray and gently pouring water over there, afterwards I noticed two small reddish dots that's weren't there before, no bleeding or pain at all. Just things like that.

 

Even to the point I'm afraid to fall asleep in case I roll to my side and rub my head against the sheets. So any clarification is is appreciated

[matt3480]

Pretty sure there would be a lot of blood.....trust me, you would know.

[ArochaHair]

Losing a graft is a very obvious event. You will have a trickle of blood coming out of the incision site. At the very least, if you've dislodged you don't notice immediately then it may show as a splotch of blood. Regardless, blood indicated a dislodged graft.

 

The best thing to do is to simply follow your clinic's post-op instructions to the letter, including how to handle sleeping afterward. If you have any questions, you should be able to call them and get quick answers. Don't hesitate to call them.

[bennyt89]

Isn't it true there are smaller single hair grafts that don't bleed if dislodged or aren't as obvious? Or is that BS.

 

I woke up early this morning to find myself beginning to scratch my head at the recepient I stopped myself but I felt like I touched some grafts. No blood as far as I could see. I'm almost 4 days post op

[ArochaHair]

It depends on the size of the incision, regardless of how many hairs are in the graft. Smaller grafts means smaller incisions which in turn do not bleed as much if irritated or if a graft is lost.

 

The itching is part of the healing process. If your clinic did not provide one, you can consider a spray bottle with saline water to spray on the recipient area. The result is a cooling down feeling that helps to deal with itchiness. Always confirm with your clinic before you do this as no clinic instructions should supersede those of your own clinic.

[pkipling]

I understand the paranoia, and it's best to be better safe than sorry. I'm a pretty rough sleeper and I was so afraid of doing damage to my grafts in my sleep that I made a cocoon out of my comforter and slept with gloves on my hands and fastened them together like a crazy person so that if one hand moved towards my head, the other one would stop it and I'd wake up before I could bust myself in the face - which believe me, has happened more times than I can count in my life. Lol.

 

I realize now in hindsight that while taking precautions is fine and good, I think it's probably more difficult to dislodge a graft than most of us think and I could've probably been a little less paranoid. Be sensible and careful and follow your doctor's instructions and I'm sure you'll be fine.

[bennyt89]

It depends on the size of the incision, regardless of how many hairs are in the graft. Smaller grafts means smaller incisions which in turn do not bleed as much if irritated or if a graft is lost.

 

The itching is part of the healing process. If your clinic did not provide one, you can consider a spray bottle with saline water to spray on the recipient area. The result is a cooling down feeling that helps to deal with itchiness. Always confirm with your clinic before you do this as no clinic instructions should supersede those of your own clinic.

 

But the smaller ones would still bleed to some degree? Even a little.

 

And yes I have been given the saline spray which I use every few hours.

[bennyt89]

I understand the paranoia, and it's best to be better safe than sorry. I'm a pretty rough sleeper and I was so afraid of doing damage to my grafts in my sleep that I made a cocoon out of my comforter and slept with gloves on my hands and fastened them together like a crazy person so that if one hand moved towards my head, the other one would stop it and I'd wake up before I could bust myself in the face - which believe me, has happened more times than I can count in my life. Lol.

 

I realize now in hindsight that while taking precautions is fine and good, I think it's probably more difficult to dislodge a graft than most of us think and I could've probably been a little less paranoid. Be sensible and careful and follow your doctor's instructions and I'm sure you'll be fine.

 

Thanks good to know I'm not the only one, feel like I'm going crazy over here. I was thinking of using mitts at the very least to give me some peace of mind so I can fall asleep

[mattj]

Bleeding is the usual sign, although there was a guy posting last week about lost grafts and he reported no bleeding. His photos did appear to show complete units had been lost and I believe his doctor confirmed this.

[bennyt89]

Bleeding is the usual sign, although there was a guy posting last week about lost grafts and he reported no bleeding. His photos did appear to show complete units had been lost and I believe his doctor confirmed this.

 

Do you remember the thread name? I'm curious what it looks like. Was it just a bare spot?

[mattj]

Do you remember the thread name? I'm curious what it looks like. Was it just a bare spot?

 

 

It was here: http://www.hairrestorationnetwork.com/eve/188970-please-help-me-clarify-my-shedding.html

 

They only show a photo of the lost grafts. To me (and apparently his doctor too) they look like the entire transplanted follicle, rather than the normal shed hair with scab/crust attached.

[bennyt89]

It was here: http://www.hairrestorationnetwork.com/eve/188970-please-help-me-clarify-my-shedding.html

 

They only show a photo of the lost grafts. To me (and apparently his doctor too) they look like the entire transplanted follicle, rather than the normal shed hair with scab/crust attached.

 

Thanks, what a weird case. And they look like little grains of rice as well.

[Bill - Seemiller]

A dislodged graft will likely bleed although I'm reluctant to say "always". Remember, the actual graft is placed well beneath the surface of the first several layers of skin. Thus, it would be very difficult to dislodge a graft without pain and bleeding. Loss of a hair on top of the scalp may be more common which happens typically between 4 to 6 weeks anyway.

 

Best wishes,

 

Bill