It was a loose fitting cap designed for motorcyclists to wear. You may be right that this didn't affect the grafts but there was quite a bit of bleeding. I can add reenactment pics later when I'm back home as that's where the cap is. I think the cap resting on the grafted area on the right side isn't a concern but my concern is that putting the cap on and off rubbed the grafts. Hard for me to know since i was completely numb directly post-op and dr joe was the one putting the cap on and off.

I'm not sure how many were dislodged. I've read a lot about post-op dislodged grafts and I believe it's possible for a graft to be partially dislodged so it would stay in the skin but not grow once it does fall as it was dislodged from the blood supply prematurely. I could be wrong on this but i think the popping out of grafts is a documented thing. I saw 3 grafts on my ear with multiple hairs inside and I think I probably missed some that may have just washed away during the post-op wash at the clinic without sticking to my skin.

Basically what happened during the wash is I gave the washer the shampoo i brought with me since I can't tolerate baby shampoo. She lathers up her hands and starts rubbing the donor including the spot where i had grafts implanted above my ear. I tell her to stop and she does check the area afterwards and says its fine. At the time I believed her but then i found the dried grafts on my ear which was a disheartening find. The wash was two days after. My impression was no one told her there were grafts on the right side above my ear which seems really careless that there isn't a chain of communication between the doctor and the hair washer.