What are the crusts that form after a hair transplant

Question:
What are the crusts that form after a hair transplant? When does this happen and how long does it last?

Answer:
The crusts that form after hair transplantation surgery are usually referred to as the scabs present over each of the grafts placed during the procedure.

With proper washing of the scalp and following the other post-operative instructions given to the patient by the physician, the crusts or scabs fall off within five to eight days.

Occasionally, the crusts or scabs will be present longer than expected as explained to the patient by the physician. When this occurs and as long as eight to ten days has passed following the procedure, the patient is allowed to gently apply some baby oil to the crusts or scabs prior to showering.

The patient will leave the baby oil in the grafted area on the crusts for approximately five to ten minutes and then take a shower and shampoo the scalp in that area, with a significant portion of the crusts or scabs coming off very easily at that point. Generally, this only needs to be done once or twice to expedite the scabs or crusts falling off from the recipient area.

A crusting or scabbing may also occurs in the donor area. This is generally cleansed by the patient on a daily basis over the period of the first seven to ten days prior to the suture removal.

At the time of the suture removal, the crusts in the donor area should be completely gone and all that should remain are the staples or sutures. This allows the physician to more easily remove the staples or stitches during the removal process.

Posted by: Dr. Charles