Note - This message was recopied by Pat the editor from the original discussion group to this vastly improved online community.

The name of orginal poster and the date posted are listed below:

From: mike
Date: 5/23/01
Time: 4:11:46 PM
Remote Name: 161.184.8.67


Comments
I am thinking of getting HT surgery done but just read a few articles on shock fallout. To be honest is scared me because if it is true, why don't any of the doctors mention it. I don't really know what to believe, because alot of people who have had the procedure don't say anything about it? I still have quite abit of hair left and am now confused because will I be any better of than I am now? One person on the site mentioned that his hair lost due to shock never came back. Anyone have any advice on this?

Re: shock fallout
From: Pat - editor and "Recovered Bald Guy"
Date: 5/24/01
Time: 5:50:32 AM
Remote Name: 212.0.107.34

Comments
Mike,

Thanks for bringing up the issue of "shock fallout". This is a factor to consider in doing a hair transplant, especialy if you are merely thinning and have a good deal of hair on top still (i.e. class 2 through 4).

As a former class 5a (pretty much bald all across the top) shock fall out was not a concern for me. I had nothing to loose and every thing to gain (assuming a great surgeon) and that is how it worked out. In my second and third sessions I did not notice any falling out of my previously transplanted hair.

For those who are not familiar with the term "Shock Fallout" - I´ll try to explain it as a non MD. Basically in a minority of men doing hair transplantation in and around existing thinning hair they will experience some accelelorated loss of hair in the imediate hair transplant recipient area. This is because the thinning and weak hair will some times be more vulnerable to falling out due to the impact of hundreds of, hopefully, very micro graft incisions. In the old dark days when grafts where larger and the trauma to the scalp was largers, shock fall out was more common.

My sense is that for the majority of men and women doing truly all micro work shock fall out is minimal if even noticable. For those that do loose pre existing hair most of it grows back in the next normal hair growth cycle. For them it is like going back one step to go forward four or five.

Using Propecia (or cutting up the much cheaper proscar pills with the same active ingrediant) four a couple of months prior to surgery may help strengthen these vulerable hairs giving you an extra measure of survivability.

I hope this helps shed light on the issue. I welcome any surgeons reading this post to reply and offer their insight based on doing hundreds of patients.

Good luck in getting the Pat

From: hairpictures@hotmail.com
Date: 7/21/01
Time: 2:20:33 AM
Remote Name: 216.254.38.166

Comments

Shedding is something you will have to deal with. I shed a good deal. Dont really know how much but enough. I lost the most right after surgery. I am going on 6 weeks post surgery. My doctor told me to expect fallout for two months. he did say it will grow back. Heres how i look at it, you end up looking bad for a while but when it grows back everyone will notice a greater improvement:)

From: wolfhair
Date: 7/26/01
Time: 9:54:24 PM
Remote Name: 24.27.169.142


Comments
Tina, There are two types of shedding, that which occurs to the existing hair and that which occurs to the hair shaft in the graft. Minoxidil can reduce by 50% the shedding of the shaft in the graft. Females for some unknown reason tend to lose existing hair more than males. Other than than, the cause and amount of loss of existing hair is neither complicated nor mysterious, it's directly related to the trauma to the recipient area and existing hair. If small scalpels are used and incisions are made between existing hairs, shedding can be reduced from none to a minimum. The larger the wound and trauma to the recipient area the greater the damage to the existing hair and hence shedding. This depends on your surgeon's choice of instrument, surgical skill used in making the wounds, and amount of care and concern.