Recovery Timeline · Day 6

Day 6: Scabs Loosening & Donor Recovery

Day 6 is a quiet transition day: scabs are drying and loosening on their own, the donor area is close to comfortable, and the scab-shedding window (roughly days 7–14) is about to open. Your only job is to keep washing gently and let the scabs decide their own schedule.

What to expect

Scabs visibly drier, some flaking off during washes
Redness fading from angry to pink
Itching persisting but usually less sharp than days 3–5

How to care for it

Keep the routine: gentle daily wash, moisturize if provided, no picking
Sleeping flat is usually fine from around now if the donor area is comfortable — confirm with your clinic

Is this normal?

Normal Scab flakes with a hair attached coming off in the wash
Normal Pink skin showing where scabs have shed

Contact your clinic promptly if you notice

Bleeding or open sores where scabs came off early — usually from picking; keep clean and tell your clinic if it doesn’t settle

Frequently asked questions

A scab fell off with a hair in it — did I lose the graft?

Almost certainly not. The hair shaft commonly sheds with the scab while the follicle — the part that grows new hair — stays implanted. This is the start of normal shedding, not graft loss. Actual graft loss this late is rare and usually involves bleeding.

Going through Day 6 right now?

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