Question:
Why do some doctors recommend minoxidil after hair transplant? How long is it used for and what exactly does it do?
Answer:
I and most of my associates at the Foundation for Hair Restoration, along with other leading hair transplant surgeons throughout the world, recommend minoxidil after a hair transplant, usually starting 2 to 3 weeks after the procedure. There is a definite shortening of the interval between when the procedure is performed and when the hairs start to regrow, often times reducing it by as much as a month or more from the typical 4 to 5 months down to 2.5 to 3.5 months. I have patients continue using it for the first 3 to 4 months after the procedure until the hairs start growing in. It seems to work by dilating the blood vessels and thus increasing blood flow to the regenerating hair follicles.
Posted by Jeffrey S. Epstein, MD, FACS
