ASMED Post-Op Instructions: No Minox For 4 Months? No Styling Products For 6 Months?

[HairInspector]

I have a hair transplant scheduled in November with Dr. Erdogan in Turkey. Several of the post-op instructions are really confusing me and I thought I'd make a post about it here.

 

For example, Dr. Erdogan recommends discontinuing minoxidil for a month before surgery, and then not to use it again until after 4 months post-op. That's at least 5 months without minoxidil. I've been on minoxidil for about 10 years and I'm thinking that I may see adverse effects if I suddenly stop using it. If I do indeed have to stop using it for 5 months, wouldn't it be smart to stop using it NOW so if I do notice adverse effects, at least they'll occur before the hair transplant and Dr. Erdogan can fill in the weak areas. Does this make sense?

 

Also, no styling products for 6 months? I mentioned this to JustJax in his thread, but I just cannot see the reason for this. How am I supposed to go 6 months without using any sort of styling products in my hair? It will just look messy and I can't afford to look like that for so long. JustJax mentioned a clever alternative using a mixture of aloe vera and almond oil to style the hair, both of which are approved by ASMED post-op, but if possible I'd like to use my regular American Crew styling product as soon as my hair gets long enough to do so (3-4 weeks post-op).

 

Post-op instructions are very confusing to me overall because they seem to differ wildly from doctor to doctor. Some doctors advise using minoxidil as soon as a few days after surgery, and others, like Dr. Erdogan and Hasson and Wong, recommend several months off. Others say styling products are OK to use as soon as the grafts settle in, around 10 days.

 

Any thoughts on this? Should I just stop minoxidil now and hope for the best? Did anyone else here go without styling products for months after their transplant?

 

EDIT: Hmm, according to their post-op instructions at https://www.hairtransplantfue.org/postoperative-instructions you can start using styling products after Day 15. Still not sure about minoxidil.

Edited July 26, 2017 by HairInspector

[JayLDD]

If you're using minoxidil in the areas that they will be transplanting into, then discontinue it. It should be fine if you're say using it in the crown and only getting transplants into the frontal area. But still discontinue it the month or so prior as it can make bleeding during surgery worse.