Donor Area Looks Like a Golf Ball a Week After My FUE Procedure

Hi,
I had FUE procedure done one week ago. It was for 2000 grafts, from a reputable Doctor with many years of experience. He came recommend. I’ve seen a few of his works in person, along with numerous photos from his website.

Anyways, my concern is that the donor site has many dimpled scabs; some have fallen out but most remain. The area resembles that of a golf ball. Is this natural and will my skin go back or remain like this?

Thank you.

The healing process of a wound goes into different phases. The length of the time it takes to heal reflects the size of the instruments used. Doctors use instruments that range in size from 1.5mm to 0.8mm. The best and fastest healing is in those with smaller wounds and the final appearance will reflect the size of the instrument used. See 1 Year Post-Op Photo of FUE Donor Area for an example.

The initial scabs should have come off in a week from the donor area. Full healing usually takes months and within 4-6 months the wound is probably close to its final stage. Healing of the FUE wounds is not an exception to this rule. Give it more time and the scabbing will go away in a week or two. The area may continue to be red for a while, but eventually will get back to its normal color.

If you are telling me that you have a golf ball size swelling in the donor area, you probably have an infected ingrown hair, which happens in FUEs when a graft is buried in the wound and did not come out after an attempt to extract it. Buried grafts can reflect your tissue type, your surgeons skills, the instrument used, etc… In this case, you may need your surgeon’s attention.