Hair Regrowth After Transplant

[Thanos60]

I was wondering how does hair regrowth after a transplant exactly work, if you are applying say 5% minoxidil to encourage growth (after the transplanted hairs have shed)? Does the hair shed, then go throw a dormant stage then regrow? Is that why the timeline for growth can be a few months after a transplant?

 

If that is the case, is this situation comparable to users who say use 5% minoxidil for the FIRST TIME and don't see any growth right away, but after a few months of continuous use, start to see growth?

 

In my situation, I remember the first time I used 5% minoxidil and it took a few weeks before I saw small velus hairs growing around my hairline and eventually grew out a bit over a few months. I'm wondering if I get a HT, would this essentially be the same scenario after the transplanted hairs shed?

[Cam Simmons MD ABHRS]

The honest answer is we don't know exactly what happens when Minoxidil is used after a hair transplant.

 

In a few patients some of the transplanted hair just keeps growing and is not shed. Most patients still shed 90% plus of the transplanted hair but it has a shorter resting phase and grows back faster. Finally, some seem to grow their hair back at the same pace as those who don't use Minoxidil.

 

Overall, patients see their results faster if they start Minoxidil in the first few days after their hair transplant but some respond better than others. We can't predict in advance how much Minoxidil will help any individual.

 

Minoxidil can also reduce but not eliminate postoperative shedding of existing hair in a transplanted area.

[gillenator]

From what I have observed, most HT docs recommend that the epidermis is completely healed before applying minoxidil to the grafted area. Ane yes, the idea is to "jump start the grafts" so that the resting phase is reduced once the hair is shed.

[Dr. Glenn Charles]

I generally recommend for patients to wait 5 days before using Minoxidl. Just to give the grafts time to settle in before putting medication directly on recipient wounds. I agree with Dr. Simmons that we have no way to predict which patients will benefit from using Minoxidil post operatively.

[Vincent]

I was about to ask the same question. I started using minoxidil post op 9 days or so. So it doesn't do any harm to use it on the transplanted area around that time does it? Could either do good or nothing but not bad right?

 

Thanks.