Minoxidil and finasteride prior to HT

[DonDada]

Hey all,

A hair surgeon told me I am not a good candidate at this point bc I have not been taking min + fin for a sustained period. He said I had to take them both for 6 months prior to being re-evaluated.

I guess my simple question is: do I really need a full 6 months to see how the combination works? This is the first I had heard of needing them pre-surgery, but the explanation made sense. I had planned to definitely use both after HT. Can I use them for 4 months and get HT? Please advise, thank you.

[j1mmy]

It is in your best interest is why a period of 6-12 months is often recommended by ethical doctors, you have to stabilise your hair loss to know for yourself whether you are a good candidate. Finasteride results can be finalised after 12-18 months. You don't know if it is a medication that agrees with you enough to take it for life. Minoxidil *starts* to show results after 3-4 months, and 12 months is a different story. There is a consistency question with that, can you do that for many years? You have to realise hair is slow, it happens in cycles, nothing is going to happen for potentially months, or the first few months at least.

The point is to allow your donor and recipient as good as they can be, and stabilise your loss, so less hair has to be moved in your lifetime. It is a finite resource. If you have limited donor, and limited recipient, no number of transplants is going to give you the result you may be looking for. Other doctors are ok for patients to start medication on day 1. Other doctors are ok with no medication, if your hair loss is stabilised. If you are interested in the doctor you have contacted, then you should be aligned with his ethics.  

Tell us a bit about yourself, your hair loss situation, and where you are at now.

[Future Hair Doc]

Yes, you should be on both minoxidil and finasteride for at least 6 months before contemplating a hair transplant (I would argue it should be for 1 year). You'll need to get a sense of how your hair loss progresses and how to plan for your surgery accordingly. Without minoxidil/finasteride, you're basically fighting hair loss with one arm tied behind your back.

[Britanium]

Quite a few clinics/Drs will ask your on Fin for 6 months minimum. 12 months is more usual. 
They will want you to have stabilised your hair loss as much as possible. A s give you the best chance of a good result. 
Can we ask which clinic your consulting with please ? 🙏