Shock hair loss after hair transplant
By Prof. Dr. Soner Tatlidede 2019-09-20
A shock loss after a hair transplant is a term used when the head scalp has been exposed to a shock after the surgery, leading to hair falling. During the transplantion, hair is moved from one place to another in the scalp; however, if this procedure is not done in a correct way, a shock loss after the hair transplant may occur in the patient due to complications or side effects after the surgery.
Shock loss after a hair transplant not only affects donor area, but also the receiving one; during this phenomenon both original and transplanted hair will fall after the operation. Shock loss may happen for many reasons, and the patient may feel annoyed after seeing his/her natural hair falling, especially because normally the objective of the surgery is to stop the falling.
However, in many cases this hair will grow again; besides, there are different ways to limit or completely avoid shock loss. Do you want to learn more? Let´s talk in detail about this problem, including how long does shock loss last after a hair transplant.
What is the difference between hair falling and shock loss?
It is important to know that shock loss is not the same as normal hair falling, which usually occurs after the operation. After doing the surgery, probably you will lose the newly transplanted hair after a few weeks; this falling is considered part of the hair growth process and is not a big problem, because the transplanted hair will start to grow again after few weeks.
On the contray, shock loss will affect not only the transplanted hair, but also the natural one. In some cases shock loss may happen because of the lack experience of the medical team, but it also may happen if the hair follicles in the donor area have started to be affected by "Dihydrotestosterone" hormone (DHT).
So, why shock loss happens?
During a FUE transplant hair follicles are picked from the donor area and transplanted in the receiving area; during this stage some mistakes may happen that will lead to damage the grafts and lose them, so after that they won´t be able to produce new hair anymore.
Besides, some methods of hair transplant are more likely to cause shock loss than others. I.e., the strip technique may cause shock loss if the doctor tried to take a huge number of grafts in one session, and does not close the strip place correctly: as a result, this area will suffer from permanent hair loss.
Also, shock loss may happen in the receiving area of the head scalp if the follicles have been affected with the "Dihydrotestosterone" hormone (DHT), which is the reason for the genetic hair loss. This follicles will fall by the time; but because of taking the follicles out and then transplanting them again, the falling rate will increase rapidly.
Also, if the doctor transplants the grafts too closely or makes the channels too large, as a result the surrounding natural hair may fall after the operation. All these are reasons why choosing the best clinic for a hair transplant is always very recommended to achieve good results. Do not forget that we are talking about a cosmetic surgery, so it requires experience and accuracy to give the patient the desired look.
What is temporary shock loss?
When talking about shock loss, actually there are two types: permanent and temporary. Temporary shock loss may happen for many reasons, but the main characteristic is that the hair will grow again after some time.
The most usual types of temporary loss are:
Common temporary shock loss
During any hair transplantation, after transplanting hair into areas that have a little number of weak hair, temporary fall may happen. After transplanting the grafts in the head scalp (receiving area), the natural hair that surrounds this area could face a shock, but this shock is temporary and common after hair transplant surgeries.
Shock loss after using the strip method
During a hair transplant surgery using the strip method, part of the donor area -which is in the back side of the head scalp- will be removed by cutting the strip and preparing new grafts that will be ready for transplantation.
When removing the strip, the doctor should close the wound with stitching. This area may have a shock while closing the wound, and this will lead to disable the blood flowing and cause a shock in the surrounding area; as a result, the hair that surrounds the donor area will fall, but this falling is just temporary and the hair will grow again after the wound is cured. Also, this type of falling may appear as spots or affecting the full strip area.
What is permanent shock loss?
This type of shock happens as a result of a permanent shock to the grafts so that they can't produce new hair again. Furthermore, this shock also happens because when the transplanted grafts have been affected by "Dihydrotestosterone" hormone, which is responsible for hair falling and baldness: this means that they are already in danger of falling in the next few years.
Finally, temporary shock may also happen because of destroying important structures -such as hair roots- while taking the grafts from the donor area and putting them into the receiving area; therefore, the medical team should have the required experience and accuracy while taking the grafts.
How to prevent shock loss after hair transplant
A shock loss is not something very common after the hair transplant operations, and if happens usually is just temporary and hair will grow again after a few months. Moreover, many patients can avoid this risk by taking medications like minoxidil, that will decrease potential shock loss strengthening the transplanted hair.
Choosing the correct clinic with a experienced and skilled medical team is the best way to avoid any potential mistake or bad practice during the surgery that may lead to a shock loss after the hair transplant. Clinicana is located in Istanbul at Acıbadem Taksim Hospital, one of the bests of Turkey, and has international certifications and accreditations like JCI or ISO. Just check out our Hair Transplant in Turkey: Reviews section to see why we are the best clinic.
