I have read about shock/shedding loss and still have some questions.

1. Is the shock loss of hair due to HT all over your head?
2. Did you feel the hair loss was noticable to others?
3. Was the hair loss more in some areas than others?
4. How long did the shock loss of hair last and how quickly did the new hair replace it?
5. Was the hair around the doner area affected by the surgery as far as hair growth?
6. What time frame have most other people expereinced shock loss (only on your first HT)?

7. How much shock loss did you expereince with taking Avodartor Proscar?
8. What time frame did you start seeing the loss once you started takng the drugs?

I am sorry for all the questions but everyone taks about shock loss but it something that has not been explained very well and I am sure many people have similar questions.

Thanks
tntiger

Good questions, tntiger. I'll address your questions and you can also perform a keyword search under the "Find" tab for "shock loss" or "shockloss" to find other discussions on the subject.

1) Shock loss usually occurs to the area directly surrounding where the transplanted hairs are implanted. It is, essentially, the occurence of the naturally growing hairs shedding as a result of the trauma to the scalp. The latest techniques of ultra-refined follicular unit grafting help to minimize shock loss with clean incisions and precise graft placement.

2) Shock loss varies from individual to individual. Sometimes it is more noticeable than other times, but as stated above can be minimized by physicians using the latest techniques. Also, hairs lost to shock loss usually grow back at around the same rate as the transplanted hair grows in.

3) Shock loss is usually isolated to naturally-growing hairs surrounding the transplanted grafts, however this is not always the case.

4) See #2.

5) Personally, I had some shock loss surrounding the donor area, but it was not bad and it grew back pretty fast.

6) If it happens, I have noticed that most patients experience shock loss at around the 2 month post-op mark. This is a very vague timeline, however. Everyone is different.

7) I was taking Proscar at the time I was recovering from my own procedure. It is impossible to say whether or not it helped stave off my shock loss, but I truly believe that it did not hurt.

8) I was taking Proscar before the procedure, so I did not just start taking it after. I saw shock loss at around 1.5 to 2 months post-op but it grew back rather quickly.

I hope this helps and I am sure others will chime in with their own experiences.

-Robert