Post-transplant, are you supposed to take Minoxidil, etc.?

BigBrother69 · Dec 27, 2014

Hey guys, this is sort of a backwards question:

I've considered getting hair transplant down the road. In the meantime, my hair is very gradually thinning at the hairline and crown, but nothing terribly noticeable yet.

I've tried some of the shampoos on Amazon without much success (not a surprise to many on you here, I'm sure).

The next step would be Rogaine/Minoxidil, but I'm hesitant to go down even that path. I know there is a slight risk of hair loss from it (many on here would probably say there's no risk at all, not sure). To put it mildly though, topicals are absolutely as far as I'm willing to go right now- nothing internal like finasteride.

Ok, that's the scenario.

Recently my friend came to town and he had had transplant surgery done in the past year. Looked pretty good. I noticed he was now applying Rogaine, and I asked him "oh, how long is that for?" and he goes "life."

So I need to know after a transplant, what are you usually expected to keep taking? Because (and here's the crux of the question) if I'm slated to be on it for the rest of my life anyway, there's no logical reason not to start on it now pre-surgery and reap the benefits.. right?

Thanks all!

yid_1984 · Dec 27, 2014

Your transplanted hair is immune to DHT.. But DHT will eat away the rest of your hair if you do not have the big2 medication - minoxidil and finasteride.

finasteride+minoxidil in the meantime can help you conserve your existing hair while you contemplate hair transplant..not being on it I guess means you will lose more hair till you get a hair transplant

BigBrother69 · Dec 27, 2014

Gotchya. As an aside, is there a standard thread on here comparing the general OTC options for minoxidil, like lipogaine (looks good?), regenapure, revita, etc.?

Stephen788 · Jan 22, 2015

I got told to take propecia, rogaine etc 10 days post op by my doctor. You should start taking regaine and propecia atleast a month before surgery just incase you are the unlikely 1-3% who get side affects and stop taking it a week prior. And yes you will need to take them for life. Once you've had a transplant your hair around will continue to thin over time so you'll need to have another transplant. Atleast if you take the medication you can drastically delay the time it will take to get another transplant.

I read a lot of these posts and some people say that propecia and rogaine are successful for 5-6 years others say 10 years +. I think it's hard to get an accurate prediction because some people might reced fast or are diffuse thinners and lose a lot of hair in a few years whereas some people recede at snails pace. So I quessing this plays a big role in people's success. I Like to look at it like this if I can prevent my hair loss worsening in the next 10+ years a cure or more successful form of medication might be available.