Oral minoxidil while having a hair transplant

[secondtryuser]

Hi everyone,

Does anyone know if oral minoxidil has an impact to graft success rate if having a hair transplant? If oral min works by lowering blood pressure, in thinking this could impact the success of the HT. what do you think?

 

[LaserCaps]

Minoxidil, oral or topical, is one of only a handful of modalities available to us to help with retention of the native hair.  It's typically suggested a patient stop the use of the medication a week before the procedure to minimize bleeding.  If you flood the field, the doctor would not be able to see what he's doing.  

Testosterone is what drives guys. This gets broken down to DHT which we know is an irritant to the follicle.  If you get DHT, you get hair loss.  This will effect the horizontal part of the head but not the vertical one.  If the hair is permanent in the donor area, it'll be permanent wherever it's placed.  Medical modalities, including Rogaine, are normally not used to improve the donor.  (Women tend to be global thinners. That is, they tend to thin the sides and the back.  If the hair is thinning in the donor, it would subsequently thin regardless of where it's placed.  A doctor might suggest the use of Rogaine, and other modalities, to help strengthen the donor area). 

Rogaine can help the overall result, however.  If you can retain the native hair because of the medication, this will end up adding density to whatever you accomplish surgically.  

[secondtryuser]

1 minute ago, LaserCaps said:

Minoxidil, oral or topical, is one of only a handful of modalities available to us to help with retention of the native hair.  It's typically suggested a patient stop the use of the medication a week before the procedure to minimize bleeding.  If you flood the field, the doctor would not be able to see what he's doing.  

But stopping oral min will reverse the gains, right? 

[Cooper48]

I was taking topical, which I stopped two weeks before the procedure.  My doctor prescribed the oral form and had me start taking it once I got it - 4 days post surgery. 

[LaserCaps]

1 hour ago, secondtryuser said:

But stopping oral min will reverse the gains, right? 

If you've been a long time user of the medication and you stop, not only will you go on to lose what you would have lost had you not been on the medication, you'll resume losing hair.  

[secondtryuser]

So what’s the best thing to do then? Stop it before the transplant or keep taking it? 

[secondtryuser]

And also, on finasteride, should you carry on taking it as normal throughout the days pre-surgery and post-surgery, or is it important to stop that too?

[coffeeandpie]

Hi,

The doctor performing the surgery should advise you on this.

As I understand, they ask you to stop taking Minoxidil, because it increases blood flow and so there is potentially increased bleeding during surgery which is not good. You can start back after the surgery (only oral)

No need to stop finasteride.

[secondtryuser]

30 minutes ago, coffeeandpie said:

Hi,

The doctor performing the surgery should advise you on this.

As I understand, they ask you to stop taking Minoxidil, because it increases blood flow and so there is potentially increased bleeding during surgery which is not good. You can start back after the surgery (only oral)

No need to stop finasteride.

Thanks very much

[Proportions]

4 hours ago, coffeeandpie said:

Hi,

The doctor performing the surgery should advise you on this.

As I understand, they ask you to stop taking Minoxidil, because it increases blood flow and so there is potentially increased bleeding during surgery which is not good. You can start back after the surgery (only oral)

No need to stop finasteride.

This.

Some doctors actually prescribe oral Minoxidil to use right after a hair transplant. 

This really is a matter you should discuss with your doctor. They will know best.