Gill and other vets: Scab removal

[phl]

I'm at 3 weeks post op. There are still plenty of scabs mixed between my existing hair. What do you recommend to help loosen them up? Is it too soon or should they have come off by now. Thanks for the advice.

[phl]

I'm at 3 weeks post op. There are still plenty of scabs mixed between my existing hair. What do you recommend to help loosen them up? Is it too soon or should they have come off by now. Thanks for the advice.

[HairBeThere]

phl,

It's normal for them to still be around. Start shampooing more aggressively.

Use your fingure tips to try to massage them off when shampooing.

 

Just don't pick at them, as you already know.

[Smoothy]

The best way to help scabs after HT is to use GraftCyte for the first week.

In your case, 3 weeks out, the key is to keep your scabs moist-- 1-2x a day soak in a bathtub and lean back to submerge your head-- let it soak in water for 5-10 min. Then when you dry- try to let it air dry and not use hairdryer. When you shampoo, shampoo normally-- no need to be gentle anymore-- your grafts are fixed in place. But dont use fingernails-- just the pads of your fingers-- circular motion helps.

 

Do this 1-2x a day and your scabs will be gone in a few days.

[gillenator]

PHL,

 

Good advice from HBT and Smoothy. At three weeks post-op the scabs are indeed ready to come off. Even as soon as 8 - 10 days post-op they are ready to come off "if" you use a post-op healing advancement product like Graftcyte.

 

The best way to remove them now is by utilizing your fingertip pads and gently rub them loose in the shower while your scalp is enriched with suds. As Smoothy pointed out, allow your scalp to be wet for 5 minutes or so before you apply the shampoo and begin to massage your scalp to remove the crusts.

 

What you are seeing is a combination of dead tissue and blood which appear as scabs. That's what "crusts" are, dead tissue above the scalp line. They are that part of the graft which protrudes above the scalp line after placement, then dries out and becomes quite hard when it is dry. By allowing the crusts to "soften" first in the shower, they should come off quite easily. Use warm water to soak your scalp, this will help the grafts to soften much better.

 

If you had a strip harvest, it is also recommended to "gently" use your fingertips to clean the sutured area to keep it clean. Dried blood can collect between and around the sutures. Do not apply pressure to sutured area, rather massage it very gently with suds.

 

The removal of your crusts will typically remove any dead hairs left in the grafts that have gone into telogen. This is a good thing because once the follicule goes into telogen, it will shed the hair left in the graft. If you do not remove the crusts, the dead hair shaft sometimes remains in the scalp and after healing of the dermis and epedermis, the body recognizes the dead hair as a foreign invasion and sometimes the scalp will begin to fester, develop tiny red bumps and/or pimples.

 

If any hairs remain in your scalp from the grafts and do not come out with the crusts, it is confirmation that those follicules have not gone into telogen and will continue to grow in anagen. Eventually they too will rest and follow into telogen and follow their normal cyclical behavior. Best wishes to you and let us know how things worked out.

[Kez]

I had a couple of stubborn crusty areas well after the bulk had gone. The water treatment seemed to make no inroads. My physician's nurse recommended Johnson's Baby Oil ( or any quality kitchen oil ) to soften them.

Rub in before bedtime ( use an old pillowcase ) then shower out in the morning. The nightlong effect worked for me; they gave up and dissolved.

[gillenator]

Kez,

 

Great idea for the stubborn ones!

[phl]

Thanks guys.

 

I happen to have some Vit E Oil and also baby lotion. I'll try one of them tonight and let you know I do.

[Ailene]

Dr. Cooley does not recommend using either an oil or a lotion. He does recommend keeping the grafts very hydrated. We always give a spray bottle with our special potion in it. It is the same idea as Graftcyte. We always offer that the patient can come in at the seven day mark and we clean everything up. If there seems to be any peeling or flaky skin Dr. Cooley likes Aqua Glycolic shampoo. I know CVS and Eckerds carry it. A little pricey but it really does the trick.

[phl]

If shampooing is reasonably aggressive but the scabs are especially stubborn (but out of sight amonst the existing hair) does it really matter how long they take to come off? Can they just fall off when they're ready to come off?

 

Dr. Cooley does not recommend using either an oil or a lotion. He does recommend keeping the grafts very hydrated. We always give a spray bottle with our special potion in it. It is the same idea as Graftcyte. We always offer that the patient can come in at the seven day mark and we clean everything up. If there seems to be any peeling or flaky skin Dr. Cooley likes Aqua Glycolic shampoo. I know CVS and Eckerds carry it. A little pricey but it really does the trick.

[gillenator]

Phl,

 

I agree with the opinion to not utilize any types of oil when you are within 8 - 10 days post-op. It is also important to keep the grafts hydrated or moist as much as possible in that week immediately following the procedure. That's part of the main benefit of copper-peptide, the active ingredient in Graftcyte, not to mention the advancement of healing time.

 

But now you are a month post-op and obviously have a healed epedermis where these crusts remain. The reason they are now stubborn is because they have been there too long. Go ahead and use the oil as was previously suggested and if they are still stubborn, get more aggressive with your fingertips in the shower when your head is wet and suds enriched. Crusts are meant to come off once the epedermis is "healed" and that will make room for the new transplanted hairs to grow in especially after the next couple of months. Best wishes!