Minoxidil usage after hair transplant

[Pablito]

Hello all,

I've had a hair transplant 5 weeks ago and I am now in the shedding stage. I had a question about the usage of minoxidil on the recipient area and the effect of minoxidil on the transplanted follicles.

It is known that minoxidil can accelerate the growth of hair and give it a better look. The hairs that are positively impacted by the effects of minoxidil will however lose all effect upon stopping and the hairs that are gained will be shed again. So that brings me to my question:

Does the same apply to transplanted hairs? Will my transplanted hairs shed if I decide to use it now and stop 3 years later?

I've read too many conflicting information from various well known HT surgeons and I've not had a clear answer to this. Some say they will shed and some say the characteristics of the transplanted hair are different and therefore they won't shed. The latter also claim that minoxidil did absolutely nothing to the transplanted follicles in terms of accelerated growth.

Can someone share their experience with minoxidil on the recipient area specifically?

[Future Hair Doc]

General consensus is resuming minoxidil after about 2 weeks post-op. Using both minoxidil and finasteride will lower the chances of shock loss and will result in better growth of the transplanted follicles as well (the rate of growth will be better). 

Edited April 29, 2021 by Dr. Suhail Khokhar

[Pablito]

@Dr. Suhail Khokhar

Thank you. If the transplanted follicles are impacted by the effects of minoxidil in terms of better growth rate, does that mean that they are minoxidil dependand and will shed when stopping the usage of minoxidil?

[Future Hair Doc]

Minoxidil is a vasodilator, meaning that it increases blood flow. It provides a more conducive environment for hair growth. It should help mitigate against shedding, along with finasteride.