Will Transplanted Hair Fall Out?

One of the most common questions that people who have had a hair transplant wonder about after the transplant is, “Will the transplanted hair fall out?” It would be useful to elaborate on this issue a little.

Now we can answer this question by dividing it into 4 groups.

1. Whether the transplanted hair falls out or not
2. Shock shedding after transplantation
3. Hair loss in one’s own hair
4. Shedding in the Donor Area

Does Transplanted Hair Fall Out? Why Does It Fall Out?

As is known, the basic starting point of hair transplantation is the idea that the hair behind the two ears does not fall out and that these hairs that do not fall out will not fall out in the transplanted area either. The hormone DHT (dihydrotestosterone) is what causes hair loss. The hair in the safe area, which we call the donor area, is insensitive to the DHT hormone. In other words, we can say that this hair is resistant to the DHT hormone. We will examine this issue in detail regarding hair loss and its causes. Based on the assumption that this hair that is resistant to DHT will also be resistant in the area where it is transplanted, we can say that this hair will not fall out in the transplanted area. Is this always valid? There is definitely no rule that transplanted hair will not fall out for life. We can make the following assumption practically.

If the hair in the donor area is alive and not falling out, the transplanted hair will not fall out either. However, if the hair in the donor area thins out and falls out over time, hair loss may occur after the surgery. We cannot play with the genetics of the hair. What we do is transfer from the hairy area to the hairless area. Therefore, the genetic structure of a hair follicle in the donor area will continue in the same way in the transplanted area.

So how and when can transplanted hair fall out? We can divide this loss into several groups.

• Age-Related Hair Loss and Thinning: There is no guarantee that a person who had a hair transplant at a young age will not lose the transplanted hair at a later age. Think of your 70-80 year old grandmother or grandfather. Let’s assume that these people did not have a hair transplant. You can see that even the donor area hair weakens and thins in later ages. In their younger years, the donor area was strong and vibrant. But it fell out and thinned out in later ages. Therefore, even if these people had a hair transplant when they were young, the hair in the transplanted area may also fall out because the donor area hair weakens and falls out.
• Chronic and Autoimmune Diseases: A person who does not have a chronic disease at the time of hair transplantation may experience hair loss due to a disease detected at an advanced age. Depending on the type of disease, this hair loss may or may not return with treatment. This is a condition that can be seen especially in systemic diseases such as thyroid or diabetes.
• Chemotherapy Treatments: Hair transplanted due to chemotherapy may also fall out. It is generally reversible after the chemotherapy treatment is over.
• Loss Due to Faulty Hair Transplantation: One of the most important criteria during hair transplantation is the placement of the transplanted hair at the appropriate depth. Roots that are not placed at the appropriate depth either do not take hold or some of them may fall out again within a few years.
• Hair Transplantation to an Unsuitable Person: Before hair transplantation, it can be understood after a doctor’s examination whether the donor area hair is suitable for hair transplantation. In hair transplantation, we take the strong anagen phase hair and transplant it. In hair transplantation, even if the hair in the shedding process, telogen or catagen phase hairs grow as a result of transplantation, it is inevitable that the transplanted hair will fall out after a while.

Shock Loss in Transplanted Hair

We explained this issue in detail in our article titled shock loss after hair transplantation. The transplanted hair may fall out after 15-20 days. This situation, which we call shock loss, is normal. This hair that falls out grows back within 4-6 months. Some people lose less hair with shock loss and some people lose more. There is no mathematical rule.

Hair Loss After Transplantation

After hair transplantation, existing hair may fall out. This may occur for two reasons.

• The person’s hair loss process may continue and their own hair may continue to fall out during this period. People who have had a hair transplant may confuse this with the shedding of the transplanted hair.
• Especially during the thickening of sparse hair, existing hair may also experience shock loss. This is usually a temporary condition that is reversible.

Hair Loss in Donor Area After Transplantation

It is a condition that develops after excessive hair follicles are taken without calculating the donor capacity during graft collection. This is actually a condition that falls under the subject of faulty hair transplantation. In this case, called hair loss, some of the lost donor area hair may not come back. You can read the experiences of those who have had hair transplants on forum sites.

Loss of Transplanted Beard and Body Hair

In case of insufficient donor area in hair transplantation, body hair such as beard and chest can also be used. Especially since beard hair is hard and thick, the probability of the transplanted beard hair falling out is low. If the chest hair roots are also thick, hard and strong, we prefer to use these chest hairs. Therefore, if the body hair is also strong and thick, the probability of falling out in the transplanted head area will be low.