2.5 months post HT - regaine should i continue?

[iwokeuptoabaldpatch]

hi,

Im now 2.5 months post HT of this 2450 graft HT (all at front third of my head, FUE, hair shaved down for op) . The first month was very very slow, but after i started using regaine on the recipient area scalp musing hairmax laser 3 days a week on rfecipient area, and using MSM and biotin things rapidly progressed to the point now at 2:5 months where the new hair that did avoid falling out (around one fifth of the 2450 grafts i would say) have grown pretty long and done a good job in making me look to others almost back (with a short haircut) to where i was pre op, altho I myself obviously can see from my pre op pics that i am still a long way away from my pre op level, as

 

a) my right temple there is still considerable shock loss the pre op hair has not come back well.

b) my donor area bald spots are as bad as ever although dermatch and the fact my worst right side is against a wall at work, means i get around this pretty well i can stand in a queue in a shop and no one will notice a thing.

 

I hope in the next 6 weeks (month 2.5 to 4 month post op) the pre op hair on

my right side comes back and the new hair starts to fill in god willing.

 

Okay my question is this , the regaine i bought principally to use on my crown and i can say it is doing a good job the thinning there has stopped, and the fact this non treated area was shaved has made the hair come back thick naturally, but the recipient area which i am splashing with regaine twice a day, this last 1 week im noticing quite a lot of shedding of cm cm long grown HT hairs, this morning I counted 23 hairs lost to applying the foam and rubbing it in, and this evening 21 hairs so 43 hairs lost in a day, and it has been the same all week!!..........im tempted given recovering is coming along well at 2.5 months post op to stop applying regaine to the recipient area now, and just do it on the crown, as i think the rubbing of the lotion is causing too much shedding..........what do u guys think? please advise?

[Blake Bloxham]

Baldpatch,

 

An initial shedding phase (that can last up to 4 months) is almost always associated with new minoxidil (Rogaine) usage. Furthermore, most physicians recommend utilizing preventive hair loss medications (like Rogaine and Propecia) for 6-12 months before fully evaluating the results.

 

Unless your surgeon said not to use minoxidil post-operatively, I recommend continuing the Rogaine regimen (knowing that you will experience an initial shed).

 

However, I'm not certain that you need to or should put Rogaine in the donor area (especially post-operatively). Some people, in the past, have tried to "beef up" their donor region before the operation, but I don't personally see the advantage of using any type of restorative treatment in the universal zone post-operatively.

 

Good luck!