I am at the 15-day mark and the crusts have taken hold.

I realize that most clinics have you vigorously removing them at day ten. However, my instructions are to leave them alone and begin light manipultation (I love that word!!) at the three week mark and at the four week mark to begin washing like normal. I am using the cup with shampoo method (since day one) and just began putting on Rogaine Foam gently with my finger tips.

Why are some docs more conservative than others? What are some of your experiences? Any risk in leaving in the crusts for such a long period of time?

Thanks all and doc inputs would also be great here as well!!

Eman

Eman,

I had all of my crusts removed by day 8. You should fill up your sink with water and add some shampoo to the head and soak your head under the water in the sink of several minutes at a time and then gently start rubbing off the scabs in circular motion with soft tips of finger. Dont press down hard and dont use the finger nails. Just rub gently and the crusts will start to loosen up and come off. Itll take 2-3 days for it all to come off if you soak them up in water several times a day.

Let me know how it all goes. At this stage all of your grafts are safe and firmly in place. You do not have to worry about losing them.

Thanks Hairfree- you used this method even though the instructions from Rahal were different? You had awesome growth and results, and like you said the grafts are firmly secured, I am just concerned about not following the docs orders to the "T".

How do you define crustst..

I am on my 6th day..my scalp is still numb so i dont feel anything when i shampoo it

Are crusts like the black blood clots..

How do i make sure that i have none left on my skin?

RR

If you have ever seen the floor of a lake or river after it has dried up, that is what it kind of looks like.

Essentially, my head looks like patchy areas of skin, with scalp showing through like valleys.

Here is a picture to give you a better idea...

Crusts.JPG (87 KB, 124 downloads) CRUSTS!!

yeah in your case i see it..but i have black hair and black scabs dont go wel..

Can you take a look at my blog and suggest ( i am not able to attach those pics in this thread)

I think your head looks good. I believe it is just a little blood at the base of the hair sticking out which will wash away. I think H&W are much more aggressive in their cleansing of the recipient area.

Eman,

Looks great so far. I washed my hair 2x a day and gently massaged the scabs off. They will drop like the DOW very soon.

Best

T

Eman,

In my opinion, it's always best to follow the advice of your surgeon since technique varies between clinics. However, since Dr. Rahal's postoperative instructions differ from the majority, it would be interesting to get his input on his reasons for leaving the recipient area alone or a month.

For the approach I used, see "How Should I Wash My Hair After a Hair Transplant?"

Best wishes,

Bill (Falc)

Thanks Bill. It seems pretty standard what you did post-op from those who I have spoken to.

I will call Dr. Rahal's office tomorrow and get a better understanding of his protocol.

Ok, so I was being a tad conservative in my post-op handling of the recipient area. Dr. Rahal just wants to make sure one is very gentle on the grafts. At day nine or ten, the grafts have taken hold, but after that I should be using the pads of my fingers gently massaging the crusts. But, most importantly, the crusts need to be thoroughly damp/saturated before doing so. They cannot be dry when gently massaging them.

So, I just need a tad more patience and really begin 'gently' working off the crusts in the next couple of days.