The last thing that you may want to experience after getting a permanent hair transplant is further hair shedding. Especially when it involves your brand-new grafts. That’s why many patients feel understandably frustrated and concerned when they develop hair transplant shedding 2-3 weeks after their surgical procedure [1]. However, rest assured that this is a normal part of your recovery process, and your transplanted hair will grow back healthy in just a few short months.
This article will tell you all you need to know about the dreaded hair transplant shedding period, so you can rest at ease knowing what to expect. Find out what this common temporary hair loss is and why it happens. And learn all about the shedding timeline, what’s normal, when to worry and what to do to shorten its duration and intensity.
Key takeaways
The insights and recommendations in this article are courtesy of Dr Peter Barron. Dr Barron specialises in FUE hair transplants and prides himself on his ultra-natural looking results.
It can be frightening to see your newly transplanted hair fall out, but it is a perfectly natural and temporary occurrence. This phenomenon, also known as hair transplant shock loss, occurs in almost every patient who undergoes hair restoration surgery [1][2][3]. It is not a sign of a hair transplant gone wrong, nor is it a cause for concern as long as it is not accompanied by any other symptoms (e.g. pain, inflammation, a rash on the scalp, etc.)
Post-surgical hair transplant shedding is a form of telogen effluvium. This type of temporary alopecia occurs at times of physical or psychological stress. Basically, your transplanted hair follicles respond to the trauma of being reimplanted [1][2] by going into the shedding phase of the hair growth cycle.
Non-transplanted hair that was already growing in your recipient area may also temporarily shed after the surgery. That is likely because the slits created by the surgeon for graft implantation will sometimes damage surrounding hair follicles or slice the small blood vessels which nourish them.
Here is how our experienced surgeon, Dr Peter Barron, explains this phenomenon:
Expect almost 100% of the transplanted follicles to shed and potentially even some native hairs in the surrounding area. “Post-transplant shedding” is a recognised phenomena that happens to almost every post-operative patient anywhere from 2-4 weeks post-procedure as the hair follicle enters their resting phases. About 10% of your scalp hair is resting at any one point, however because follicles do this asynchronously, all over the scalp, we don’t notice it. The single physically stressor of moving transplanted hairs from donor area to recipient area however synchronises these follicles that have been moved hence the hair shafts shed at a similar time.
The good news is that hair transplant shedding does not harm your grafts or negatively affect your final results. This condition reverses itself in a few months without any intervention, as a new growth phase commences and fresh hair starts to grow and cover your transplant area. Our experienced patient advisor, Adam Smith, explains this process more clearly in the following short video:
The great majority of patients (approximately 95%) undergo hair transplant shedding [1]). So you can consider it a normal and expected occurrence. However, there are also a lucky few whose newly transplanted hair remains intact. The follicles simply go into an unusual rest phase, where they neither grow nor shed for 1-2 months [1]. It isn’t fully clear why this happens or what makes these patients immune to shock loss. But it is not abnormal, and it doesn’t negatively affect their hair transplant recovery process (on the contrary, they usually see their final results faster than most).
While donor area shedding can also occur, it is significantly less common than transplant area shock loss. It is believed to affect 20-30% of patients and manifests with hair loss around the FUT wound or hair thinning across the entire donor area in FUE patients [1].
Just like transplant area hair shedding, the donor variety also resolves itself in several months. It doesn’t normally require any specific treatment, but using Minoxidil can help speed up hair regrowth.
Here are some authentic accounts of our patients’ hair transplant shedding experience, as shared within their Trustpilot reviews of the procedure they underwent at the Wimpole Clinic:
Joe was initially understandably frightened as his newly transplanted hair started to fall out. He even sought reassurance from his surgeon, the experienced Dr Malkani, who set his mind at ease that this occurrence was normal and temporary. In the end, the result he obtained post-regrowth exceeded his expectations:
Read Joe’s entire review here.
Jordan was one of the lucky few who experienced no noticeable hair transplant shedding at all. His transplanted hair just started growing, and by the time he reached 6 months after his hair transplant, he was already seeing some great results.
Read Jordan’s entire review here.
Spencer also confesses to having some doubts as he noticed mild shedding 14 days after his hair transplant. However, he knew what to expect and kept calm and patient, which turned out to be the best thing he could do. His hair grew back as expected, and he was thrilled with the partial results he had achieved by his 6-month follow-up appointment.
Read Spencer’s entire review here.
If you’d like to find out more about our patients’ hair transplant experience and results, check out our TrustPilot profile. Our 4.9 Trustscore and 96% 5-star reviews will set your mind at ease that your hair will be in the best hands possible with us.
Most patients start seeing hair transplant shedding about 15-25 days after their surgery [1]. However, this does not mean that some can’t experience this phenomenon a few days sooner or later than average.
It is not common for hair transplant shock loss to return after it has resolved. However, in some situations, you may experience a new bout of hair shedding for different reasons unrelated to your hair restoration surgery:
In very rare cases, hair shedding after your hair restoration surgery can also be a sign of hair transplant infection or other post-surgical complications. Call your surgeon as soon as possible if your hair thinning is accompanied by any of these symptoms:
In the great majority of patients, hair transplant shedding is temporary and normal hair growth resumes in just a few months. However, in very rare cases, the transplant area can permanently remain sparser. This permanent hair thinning effect can result from poor graft survival or the miniaturisation of preexisting (non-transplanted) hair in the recipient area [3] and is not normally caused by the post-surgical shedding itself.
Let’s take a look at the progression of transplanted hair shedding throughout the hair transplant timeline.
This patient has undergone an FUE hair transplant. Immediately after surgery, there’s substantial redness and some oozing from the recipient site.
Around 20 days after the transplant, the patient’s native and transplanted hair begins to grow. While the scabs have disappeared, there’s still some redness in the area. None of the hair grafts has shed yet.
Around 3-4 weeks after the transplant, the patient begins to see some light post-transplant shedding in the recipient area. The native hair seems to stay intact, so there’s no non-transplanted hair shedding.
Within just a few days, most of the transplanted hair has now shed. Hair transplant shedding tends to happen quickly, as all the hairs are transplanted at the same time. So they all shift to the telogen phase simultaneously.
Around 10-11 days later, the shedding phase ends, leaving the patient with a slightly red scalp that looks pretty similar to his pre-transplant hairline.
This patient experienced a fairly typical hair transplant shedding phase, but your own shedding process may play out differently. It could start or end sooner or later and may last longer than two weeks.
Hair loss can take a significant psychological toll, often leading to mental health issues such as depression, anxiety or social withdrawal [6]. Many people who choose to get a hair transplant do so in the hope that they will never have to experience baldness again. So hair transplant shedding can be a triggering and frightening moment for them, especially if it comes unexpectedly. Here is how Dr Barron describes their experience:
In my post-operative discussions about the recovery phase with every patient, I describe to them that the coming months are going to be a rollercoaster of emotions. Once they are comfortable, happy and getting used to seeing new hairs on their head (roughly three weeks post-op), it’s all going to be cruelly snatched away from them as the hairs shed and they begin to look similar to their pre-transplant appearance. Within the next three to four months, they’ll begin to doubt themselves as to whether the transplant has failed, until one day they’ll start to see small numbers of little hairs begin to wake up in a very patchy manner. At month five or six, there will be one week where the growth should take off, and they’re filled with excitement again as things start taking shape again. Almost every patient tells me how I was right with these predictions whenever they come to see me at follow-up.
However, these difficult emotions can be managed so they don’t amplify and affect your overall well-being.
It is important to know that while your temporary shock loss can be unsettling and bring back painful memories, it is a natural part of your hair transplant recovery process. Here are some good ways to stay positive and keep your anxiety in check until you can see regrowth:
It is not only the fear of losing their newly implanted grafts that torments patients during the hair transplant shedding period. It is also the feeling that their baldness is once more conspicuous. Fortunately, there are some good ways to keep your temporary hair loss away from prying eyes, so you can get a hair transplant without anyone knowing:
Most patients cannot fully avoid temporarily parting with their newly transplanted hair. However, there are some things that surgeons and patients can try to decrease the duration and intensity of the post-surgical shock loss (though more evidence is needed to determine their effectiveness).
At this point, there is little evidence to show that hair transplant shock loss can be fully prevented through surgical technique. One small 2003 study suggested that storing grafts in a specific kind of saline medium may have prevented post-transplant hair shedding in 6 patients [1]. However, more evidence is needed to confirm this.
Moreover, storing the grafts in platelet-rich plasma extracted from the patient’s own blood before surgery can also increase their survival chances and reduce hair shedding [11]
A skilled surgeon can also cause less trauma to the hair grafts during harvesting and less damage to the small blood vessels in the scalp while creating the implant sites. Moreover, avoiding packing hair grafts too densely can also reduce the risk of nearby hair follicle damage. While this may not fully prevent shock loss, it may reduce its intensity and duration [1].
While preventing hair shedding entirely may not always be possible, adhering closely to your surgeon’s recommendations may reduce the intensity and duration of shock loss in some patients.
Yes, research shows that certain hair growth treatments, such as Minoxidil, have a positive effect in reducing the duration of post-transplant shock loss. This medication works by dilating the blood vessels in your scalp, allowing more oxygen and nutrients to reach your hair follicles. It is frequently recommended during hair transplant recovery, as it can improve your graft survival rate, reduce shock loss duration and intensity and prevent pre-existing hair from becoming miniaturised.
Finasteride can also help reduce the shedding of the native hairs around the transplant area. It is very effective against androgenetic alopecia, so it can prevent further hair loss that can be compounded with the shock loss. Finasteride works by lowering the levels of a male hormone called dihydrotestosterone (DHT) in your blood. This prevents the DHT from binding with your hair follicles and making them stop growing hair.
After your shock loss period is complete and you have started to experience new hair growth, it is important to start engaging in long-term hair transplant maintenance. This generally involves protective and nurturing practices, such as:
If it has been more than 5 months since your hair transplant shock loss and you have yet to see any signs of regrowth, do not hesitate to call your surgeon. They will likely call you in for a follow-up consultation to determine the cause of the delay. Some patients’ grafts simply need a little more time to start growing back after shedding. However, while very rare, it is not impossible to have developed a different type of alopecia which prevents hair regrowth (e.g. a form of scarring alopecia).
Whatever your situation may be, your surgeon should be able to make the right recommendations for your specific scalp condition. In most cases, it is as easy as taking Minoxidil, making some lifestyle changes and being patient for just a little longer.
If you are concerned about hair shedding or want to know more about how to get the best hair transplant results, we are here for you. The Wimpole clinic has a 50-year legacy of hair restoration excellence and a world-class surgical team always ready to provide all the insight you need. All you need to do is book a free hair transplant consultation at your most convenient clinic location.
As Hair Transplant Clinic of the Year for 4 years standing (2021-2024), our patients’ complete satisfaction and peace of mind is at the core of our efforts. And our results speak for themselves, as you can see by browsing our before-and-after hair transplant gallery.
Discover more about hair transplant hair shedding by reading through the answers to these frequently asked questions.
The amount of transplanted hair that falls off during hair transplant shedding can vary from one person to another. While some lose all their newly-implanted hair, others only shed so little that they barely notice. Factors such as graft injury during transplantation, inflammatory reactions and scalp vascularisation can all play a role in determining the amount of hair you shed [1].
No, hair transplant shock loss is not normally accompanied by pain, inflammation or other distressing scalp symptoms. If you are experiencing such occurrences, let your surgeon know as soon as possible, so they can rule out infection or other complications.
Finasteride can be of some help with hair transplant shedding. This medication typically works against male pattern baldness by reducing the levels of a male hormone called dihydrotestosterone (DHT). This means it works to stabilise the native hairs around the transplant area against further hair loss from androgenetic alopecia.
If you are interested in using a more effective hair growth medication to limit hair transplant shedding, topical Minoxidil is a better option. It improves blood flow to your hair follicles. This provides them with enough nutrients to exit the shedding phase and re-enter the growing phase sooner.
Yes, women experience hair transplant shock loss as frequently as men. Moreover, 40-50% of female patients report shedding of pre-existing hair in their transplant area compared to only 15-20% of men [1]. That may be because women are more prone to developing telogen effluvium in general [10].
Both of these methods cause comparable levels of hair transplant shedding on the recipient area. That is because the only difference between FUE and FUT is the way your hair grafts are harvested (FUT involves removing a strip of skin and cutting it into grafts, while FUE harvests individual follicular units one at a time). The reimplantation process is the same for both, leading to similar levels of shock loss.
When it comes to your donor area, FUT can cause some hair loss around your scar, while FUE can lead to diffuse thinning. However, donor area shedding is not a common occurrence.
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Talk to a specialist
Dr Peter Barron (GMC 7841164) is based at our London Harley Street surgical headquarters and specialises in FUE hair transplants. Dr Barron received his medical degree alongside a 1st class masters in medical sciences from the University of Southampton. He was awarded a distinction in his pre-clinical years, received a letter of commendation during his clinical placements and after graduation received a certificate recognising his work as a neurosurgical clinical fellow at the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh. Alongside his career in the NHS, Dr Barron worked as an honorary research fellow within the University of Edinburgh. His work has been published and presented internationally and again culminated in awards.
Dr Barron sought to further incorporate his creative, precise and forward thinking nature within his surgical practice by joining the internationally renowned Wimpole Clinic as an FUE hair transplant surgeon. He had the privilege of learning from the elite team of surgeons under the prestigious Wimpole Training Academy. He received further advanced training at our world renowned Mayfair Hair Clinic, under the lead surgeon Dr Kieran Dayah. He has been able to master the sapphire blade to craft high density results whilst minimising inflammation and scarring. He continues to appraise the latest advances in hair restoration surgery to ensure his consultations with prospective clients are evidenced based, with his practice remaining at the cutting edge.
Dr Barron prides himself on working with his clients to reconstruct ultra natural looking results. He is able to utilise his interest in photography to ensure that symmetry and fine details are not overlooked. Attention is given to matching the angulation and direction of existing hairs as well as incorporating macro- and micro-irregularities to advance his work into the highest tiers of the industry. Alongside producing visually impressive results, Dr Barron aims to make sure that his clients have a positive, personalised and well supported experience from their first consultation through to their results follow up.
