Q: I had a hair transplant 10 days ago and I lost some hair that looks like the hair fell out at the root. — R.A., Bronxville, N.Y.

A: When there is shedding after a hair transplant, it is the hair that is lost, not the follicle that contains the growth center (the follicle eventually produces the new hair).

Since the “hair” usually consists of a hair shaft and the inner and outer root sheaths, which creates a little bulb at the end of the hair, it looks like the hair is “falling out at the root.” Do not be concerned as this is not the growth center.

The growth center remains in the scalp and is what produces the new hair. If some grafts were to become dislodged and fall out -– which can happen the first few days after the hair transplant — there would be some localized bleeding. At 10 days the grafts cannot be dislodged, even with vigorous scrubbing.