Question:
Is it normal for shock loss to occur at the donor site? I thought it occurred in the recipient area. I seem to have this patch at one end of my scar that I am worried is shock loss or possibly the scar is not healing well.

Answer:
It is relatively rare to have shock loss in the donor area near where the donor strip was removed. However, this can occur and in most cases is temporary. Over time, somewhere between four and eight months following the procedure, the patient will start to re-grow hair in that donor area.

I think, however, it is always a good idea for a patient to contact their physician and/or go see their physician who performed the procedure to make sure that nothing else is going on and this is simply just shock loss and the patient needs to wait for the hair to start re-growing.

Posted by: Dr. Charles