How Much Scabbing and Crusting Is Normal after Hair Transplant Surgery?

The following response to a question from the Hair Restoration Social Community and Discussion Forums, was written by forum member “Gillenator”.

I recently had a follicular unit extraction (FUE) hair transplant and the transplanted follicles have now “scabbed” so I have lots of brown dots on the scalp. The doctor transplanted 2150 grafts but if I count the dots, it looks a lot less. I asked the doctor and he said up to 1/3 of the grafts don’t clot so don’t show a scab, hence won’t appear as a brown dot.

Does anyone know if this is correct and true?

Anytime an incision is made into flesh or scalp tissue, a scab is going to form. However, sometimes the scab is so tiny that it can be hard to see. But crusts however are not scabs but rather dried graft tissue that protrudes above the scalp line. The crusts are the tips of the grafts and become hard and look brown or grayish in color because they are dead tissue not dried up blood such as a scab. So probably what you are seeing are the crusts.

Also, anywhere grafts are placed there should be corresponding incisions (recipient sites) made to accommodate the placement of those grafts.

It is always a good idea to communicate with the hair restoration physician and techs upfront to document in your chart how many grafts were placed by number and size. In other words, how many singles, doubles, etc., were placed and the recipient zone where they were placed. They should be able to show and document the exact placement and total count of all follicular unit grafts once the procedure is completed.

Gillenator
Supporting Hair Restoration Physicians: Dr. Glenn Charles, Boca Raton, FL – Dr. Jerry Cooley, Charlotte, NC – Dr. Jim Harris, Denver, CO – Dr. Robert True & Dr. Robert Dorin, New York, NY

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David
Editorial Assistant and Forum Co-Moderator for the Hair Transplant Network, the Coalition Hair Loss Learning Center, and the Hair Loss Q & A Blog.

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