Topical minoxidil stopping 9 days before surgery, is this enough time?

[Savemyhairline]

I got in with a clinic after a cancellation for a discount, however of course I didn’t know about the specific date until the other day. They say they require the stoppage of minoxidil at least 4 weeks beforehand. I will have only stopped using it 9 or so days beforehand, the rep said it should be fine but now I’m worried about any potential complications…. Thoughts?

[Bhumik Shah MD]

Cant speak for your clinic, but never told my patients to "stop" topical minoxidil before surgery and have not had any issues. Hope that puts your mind at ease. 

[Emiry]

Yes as far as the blood pressure complications are concerned. 

But you are going to undergo a shed which is why clinics probably suggest 4 weeks so all the shedding is done before transplant not after it.

[Savemyhairline]

14 minutes ago, Emiry said:

Yes as far as the blood pressure complications are concerned. 

But you are going to undergo a shed which is why clinics probably suggest 4 weeks so all the shedding is done before transplant not after it.

Could this affect the result? The clinic is very highly regarded as one of the best, but I’m wondering if the 15% discount will be worth it if I didn’t have enough time to discontinue 4 weeks prior. As opposed to me having a scheduled date and being able to plan this out properly 

[Emiry]

3 hours ago, Savemyhairline said:

Could this affect the result? The clinic is very highly regarded as one of the best, but I’m wondering if the 15% discount will be worth it if I didn’t have enough time to discontinue 4 weeks prior. As opposed to me having a scheduled date and being able to plan this out properly 

Nah, not in a significant way anyway. It might just give the doctor the impression your hairloss is less severe than it is and the hair follicles would be healthy, after surgery with no minox would become less healthy but since you plan to continue minox, they will be right back to where they were.

The only side effect you should have been worried about is high blood pressure/too much bleeding during surgery and since you stopped a week early, it should be all good. 

 

[A_4_Archan]

@Savemyhairline

Doctors advice to stop Minoxidil is due to its ability to thin your blood and during surgery if the blood is very thin than there can be high blood loss during surgery ...imo quitting before 9 days will be fine...though you should ask the surgeon this thing as every doctor tends to vary a bit in all those precautionary and aftercare things..so he/she should be the one you shoud follow as he/she is the sole responsible person for carrying out your surgery safely and providing satisfactory end result.

[Youth_Again]

It is only for topical minoxidil right ?

Or do they also advice to stop oral minoxidil 2 weeks prior  to surgery ?

[Savemyhairline]

22 minutes ago, Youth_Again said:

It is only for topical minoxidil right ?

Or do they also advise to stop oral minoxidil 2 weeks prior  to surgery ?

Not sure on oral, however I have only taken topical foam. He said he was less worried about foam for what it’s worth. The Dr. Told me it won’t be an issue at 9 days beforehand, just normally their protocol is 3 weeks

[Savemyhairline]

1 hour ago, Youth_Again said:

It is only for topical minoxidil right ?

Or do they also advice to stop oral minoxidil 2 weeks prior  to surgery ?

I just read through my post op instructions and they did mention you can use oral minoxidil throughout the surgical procedure. I personally don’t use it and have no interest but they specify no topical minox for 2 weeks after procedure 

[Youth_Again]

12 minutes ago, Savemyhairline said:

I just read through my post op instructions and they did mention you can use oral minoxidil throughout the surgical procedure. I personally don’t use it and have no interest but they specify no topical minox for 2 weeks after procedure 

That's interesting, I though the main reason was to avoid high bleeding on the scalp. Both oral and topical are suppose to increase blood flow to the scalp

[LaserCaps]

1 hour ago, Youth_Again said:

That's interesting, I though the main reason was to avoid high bleeding on the scalp. Both oral and topical are suppose to increase blood flow to the scalp

My understanding, Min is a vasodilator.  It's typically suggested you stop it a week before the procedure.  If you flood the field, the doctor can't see what he's doing.  You can resume a week post procedure.  

Edited August 16, 2023 by LaserCaps
misspelled word

[sunsurfhair]

Konior had me stay on oral minox my entire procedure. Didn’t have one issue. In fact, I bet it helps nourish the new grafts blood supply quite well immediately. Hope this helps. 

[Savemyhairline]

3 hours ago, sunsurfhair said:

Konior had me stay on oral minox my entire procedure. Didn’t have one issue. In fact, I bet it helps nourish the new grafts blood supply quite well immediately. Hope this helps. 

Thanks for mentioning that. My clinic did say oral was fine throughout, just the topical should be stopped beforehand. My Doctor is less concerned about the foam (what I have used)than the liquid. I know there are a lot of varying opinions on this as I’ve learned, just trying to play it safe

[sunsurfhair]

2 minutes ago, Savemyhairline said:

Thanks for mentioning that. My clinic did say oral was fine throughout, just the topical should be stopped beforehand. My Doctor is less concerned about the foam (what I have used)than the liquid. I know there are a lot of varying opinions on this as I’ve learned, just trying to play it safe

No problem and yep that sounds exactly right. I’d stick w oral anyway - much better results w very low chance of side effects. 

[Savemyhairline]

28 minutes ago, sunsurfhair said:

No problem and yep that sounds exactly right. I’d stick w oral anyway - much better results w very low chance of side effects. 

I’ve considered it, though the lack of long term studies on in concerns me. Admittedly I do watch Kevin Mann/Haircafe and of course he’s quite against it due to potential heart complications. Personally I’d never risk my cardiovascular health over hair. I was willing to “risk” my libido with finasteride (no sides with over 2 years of use so far) but for anything involving a vital organ I will always err on the side of caution. Just my personal opinion.