Q: I had a follicular unit hair transplant 5 days ago and my scalp is very scabby. Is there something that I can do to make it look better? — N.D., Pleasantville, N.Y.

A: Before you go to bed, take a long shower and shampoo during the shower for at least 5 minutes, with a very thorough rinsing. As soon as you get out of the shower, while your hair is still wet, put on a shower or bathing cap that will hold in the moisture. Sleep in this cap and then take a long shower/shampoo when you awake. This will remove some or all of the crusts. The process should be repeated each night until all the crusting is gone.

At 10 days post-op the grafts are permanently in place, so any residual crusts can be scrubbed off. However, I wouldn’t scrub before 10 days following the surgery. For your next hair restoration procedure, I suggest that you are more vigorous with showering, particularly the day following the hair transplant, to remove any exudate (oozing) so that the crusting can be prevented. This is much easier than having to remove them after they form.