Q: Will the shock of a hair transplant make me lose my existing healthy hair and is it permanent? G.S. – Westport, C.T.

A: In general, only miniaturized hair (the hair that is affected by androgens and that has begun to decrease in diameter) is shed after a transplant. This hair would be lost in the near term anyway.

Existing healthy hair is unlikely to shed, but if it were shed, you could expect it to grow back.