shedding from around donor site 3 weeks post op

[southwardfacing]

HI everyone,

just wanted to get some info, and reassurance (!?) about the shedding I've had around the donor site and when/if I should expect it to come back? I've read it happens through the initial scalp tightness post surgery but its still quite worrying everytime i touch my hair 1-5 hairs will fall out! I guess i'm now in the stage when it looks worse than ever, most of the scabs and small transplanted hairs have gone, plus the shedding! and have to wait for re-growth (hope it comes back!) plus growth of new hair. If anyone has experience of this your input would be most appreciated. have included one post op and current pic, had 1500 g strip method.

[Folly]

Don't worry about the donor shock loss. I had FUE and i had it very bad. Check out the pic below, which is 3 weeks post op. I had 1,250 grafts. The shocked hair will re-grow in about 3 months and you should be back to normal in 5-6 months. Shock loss is perfectly normal and i think it happens a lot more frequently than is suggested.

At least with strip, you can hide shock loss in the donor if you have kept your hair long.....not an option with FUE. The back of my head was tough to explain to people. Can't even remember what i said to people at the time...lol.

Good luck with your growth.

[kd@fuehairtransplanttruth]

Southwardfacing,

All I can say it looks like it has got worse, but that does not mean it will not get better over time. Go see your doctor for a post op check up. I had ingrowns coming through on my scalp due to sweat being caught under my skin. I was paranoid as F&@K, so i want to see my dr and he said it was normal.

So go in and tell them your concerns.

Otherwise you will have to wait it out.

Hope that helps buddy. Good luck with the recover...

[gillenator]

Shockloss in the donor area near the strip excision is not common but it can happen. In the cases that I have seen, yes for the most part it does grow back but just like other areas of shockloss, the follicles go dormant and rest for 3 months or so and then re-enter the growth phase. You should start to see the area fill in as those follicles finish resting and begin new growth.

I did observe some crusts still in the recipient area which IMHO, you can begin to remove. Most of the graft hair should come off with the crusts. But again, that's an indication of the transplanted follicle(s) going dormant for 3-4months.

For most of us, the most challenging part is waiting for the new growth. Hang in there, time will take care of things for you.

[southwardfacing]

thanks for the advice, have my 1st check up in 2 weeks time will be good to see the surgeon, although sometimes it feels more re-assuring to have honest advice from those who have been on the receiving end! thanks again will get another post up when it starts coming back!?!

[Spex]

Shock loss is not uncommon so try not stress, it generall comes back in around 4-5 months post op.

Shockloss is attributed to trauma.

Folly, your shockloss looks like a little girls picnic compared to mine several years ago bro



Shockloss
This is a very common question - SHOCKLOSS - Hopefully this can help patients wanting answers to their questions regarding Shockloss. Below is a culmination of a few posts by posters on the topic of shockloss - Hope it helps.

They have been copy/pasted from a variety of places so may not flow.. 


Shockloss



1.Shockloss is something that can be experienced when transplanting into existing hair although highly unpredictable. Shockloss occurs when the native hair is weak and isn't strong enough to resist the trauma that's going on around it. More often than not the hair that has gone into shock will grow back but after 3/4 months - after the resting phase
Hair that goes into shock and doesn't return is hair that was inevitably on its way out anyway and wasn't strong enough to return.
Increased trauma to a localised area will increase the chances of shockloss
Shockloss is unpredictable and there is no hard and fast rule to avoiding it - especially if you are transplanting into existing hair.




2. There are risk factors that either heighten or lessen someone's risk. Diffuse thinners seem more prone to shockloss than receders because the hair in a diffuse area is often less stable than that of a receder. Very often, a lot of the hair in a diffuse area is "on its last legs" and in the latter stages of the miniaturization process.



3. Shock loss tends to occur both in the recipient and in the donor areas as far as I know. It's a normal response to trauma to the scalp which is surgery. However, permanent shock loss, while it can also happen if the hair that was shocked was going to fall out anyway due to MPB, sucks and can be a sign of a bad HT.





4. Any time hair is transplanted in between or around existing natural hair, there is a risk of temporary "shock loss" or telogen effluvium. This is even more common in women, but is almost always temporary. Only follicles that are transected (which won't happen in the hands of a skilled physician) or miniaturized hairs on their way out anyway may be permanently shocked.




5. An unfortunate possibility in hair transplantation is a phenomenon known as shock loss. This is mostly a temporary condition where native hairs are ???shocked??? due to trauma of the scalp during hair transplantation surgery, creating an additional but mostly temporary hair loss condition. Though nobody likes to experience this, fortunately, this is normal.



6. Shockloss is unpredictable, however, Propecia since it can strengthen hairs that would have otherwise been on their way out, can make it more "shock" resistant. It is not a definite...but it can help. At the very least, it helps minimize permanent shock loss.





7. Keep in mind that the risk of permanent shock loss only exists for native hair that is currently in a weakened state due to hair miniaturization (or if the native hair follicles are transected, but this is rare in the hands of a qualified surgeon). This means that this hair would have eventually fallen out and leave you bald anyway. Temporary shock may occur due to scalp trauma but will return.





8. Shock Loss Shed - affects native hair - likely to be noticed within the first month of your HT. Sometimes experienced around donor area. More evident if you don't shave down for HT...IMO. The may or may not return. I had some with each HT. I noticed for HT #2 that shocked native hair started to return at the 2 month 1 week time period. I could tell the difference between it and HT hair as the shocked native hair came in coarse like beard stubble versus HT new growth being very fine.





9. Shockloss is not losing the transplanted hair. Shock loss is when you lose the pre existing hair in the transplanted area.





10. If you make it to 4 weeks post op, then more than likely you will not have shock loss.





11. Shock loss also has a great deal to do with the skill of the surgeon and trauma to the scalp.





12. There is a much higher chance of shockloss with increased tension. You can still get shockloss simply from the surgical trauma induced. Other factors include trauma to underlying vessels arteries with reduction of blood supply, infection, wound dehiscence, hematoma formation.

[Folly]

Originally Posted by Spex

Folly, your shockloss looks like a little girls picnic compared to mine

I'll have you know Spex, that little girl's picnics can also be very unpleasant. Angry wasps, inadequate SPF, no internet access for FB/twitter..........'Like Hellooooooo' (stroppy teenage girl voice).

But yeah, your shock loss looks horrendous comapred to mine.