Do FUE Hair Transplants Have The Same Rate of Shock Loss As Regular Hair Transplants?

I have been considering having an FUE hair transplant for almost five years and think that I am about ready to go through with it. I still have a relatively full hair and have only lost about two inches in my hairline which I would like to have restored. I have been on generic finasteride for 4 years with a very good response since I think my hair loss has come to a stop. I’m very concerned about the shock loss that I hear about and do not want to replace some hair only to lose even more in the process. Do FUE hair transplants have the same rate of shock loss as regular hair transplants, and since I am only concerned about my hairline is it possible to lose hair to shock loss behind the transplanted area? I look forward to your reply. Thanks!
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Shock loss (or anagen effluvium), by definition , is shedding of hairs due to physical trauma of the hairs by surgical tools.  There is no difference in its rate regardless the technique you are using .It concerns the recipient area.

Factors that promote it:
-No respect of hair angle while making incisions sites. ( you must stay parallel to the existing hairs to avoid any damage )
-Dense packing
-Fragile hairs ( hairs in end phase of anagen cycle )

Solutions:
-Strengthen your hairs with medications such as propecia or minoxidil prior the surgery
-Respect hair angle
-Decent grafting density

The hairs behind the recipient area won’t be concerned by this phenomenon.  Nevertheless,  in some other cases (very rarely) a patient may experience (not shock loss)  telogen effluvium due to the emotional stress caused by the surgery.  Some patients are so anxious and stressed, they could undergo the same phenomenon we observed when patients go through the emotional stress from parent’s death, divorce, etc…

Both of them are a temporary event and everything comes back to normal within three to six months when the cause is removed.

Rate of shock loss in our practice : 1 to 2 % .

Patrick Mwamba, MD
Member, International Alliance of Hair Restoration Surgeons
Member, American Hair Loss Association

Patrick Mwamba, MD Dr. Patrick Mwamba, MD received his medical degree from the Catholic University of Louvain, Belgium in 1998. Prior to specializing in hair restoration, Dr. Mwamba participated in a fellowship in general surgery where he developed fine hands skills and learned wound management and closure techniques. Dr. Mwamba is privileged to have learned and mastered the art of total microscopic Follicular Unit Transplantation (FUT). He is also proud to be one the early developers and pioneers of the minimally invasive Follicular Isolation Technique (FIT), also known as Follicular Unit Extraction (FUE). Due to the huge demand for FIT/FUE, Dr. Mwamba’s work is largely dedicated to this elegant procedure. Dr. Mwamba is a member of the International Alliance of Hair Restoration Surgeons and recommended by the American Hair Loss Association. Visit Dr. Mwamba's Website: www.mywhtc.com

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