When observing shock loss in the Transplanted Area (Recipient Site), what critical component is actually implanted versus what part is shed?

The follicle (living root structure) is transplanted, while the visible hair shaft is shed

A crucial distinction to understand regarding the transplanted area is that hair restoration techniques transplant the follicular unit, which includes the living root structure or bulb, deep beneath the skin surface, not the visible hair shaft. The shaft that is present at the time of surgery is often already in a growth phase, but the trauma forces this shaft to prematurely enter telogen. Consequently, this existing shaft is shed within weeks. The underlying follicle, however, remains intact beneath the skin, poised to initiate a new, healthy anagen cycle once the temporary shock subsides, which is why regrowth is expected from that site.