Was anyone else advised to use Rogaine 2 times a day for 1 year following your HT? I was and have been for the first month but it is really drying my skin out and causing dandruff. I wear a baseball hat so it doesn't matter much now but when growth starts I don't want my hair flakey. Is it really necessarry-especially when I'm on Propecia already? Any one else???

KenEastCoast,

Many surgeons do recommend using minoxidal beginning a couple weeks after surgery to increase blood flow in the recipient area. But I don't think it is essential. I never used it after surgery and most patients don't.

I guess if you've already been doing it for a month you may as well keep doing it for a few more months to see if it does speed up your new hair growth.

Best wishes for a bumper crop. Pat

You can try backing off to once a day, and you will still get "some" benefit. That may be less irritating.

Some guys find the Propylene Glycol in most Minoxidil formulas to be irritating. You may want to look around for non-PG formulas (you would need to mail order that I believe).

Minoxidil always irritates my scalp too, sooner or later.

Yea-my scalp is getting itchy and flakey due to the stuff-plus it's expensive and he wants me to use it for a year. I'll try to suffer through it but if my scalp gets worse I'll ask him what he thinks about me stopping. I am on propecia. Thanks guys

Ken...
My dr. said, "In a years time your hair should ideally be mature regardless if you use rogaine or not." My advice, it's going to grow regardless. Stop putting yourself through all the messy applications. There is know studies that show rogaine helps recent HT's, and if it does, what have you gained. In a years time it is all the same.

zerro, all rogain to a ht is fertilizer.

It won't add more hair. The general application of rogain, is to bring back what you still have. Then after a HT, help the growth process.

So your Doc, is wrong and right at the same time.

Zerro i just have had my 2nd procedure and used it on both occassions for 2 months after and then stopped it.Its only used to increase the blood flow to your follicles in the early stages.It certainly doesnt do any harm taking it ,but i also found out that it made my scalp itchy too and dry.

Rgds
Damo

Damo, HairBeThere...

I apologize for not explaining myself more clearly. What it was I was suggesting was... regardless if you use Rogaine on a recent HT for a stimulant/fertilizer and perhaps it works or not... what my doctor said was that in a years time it really don't matter what you do because inevitably your hair will be the same length. That timeline is what people have been calling a mature HT. I know it doesn't increase hair. Only that it may jump start it.

All I was suggesting was that if there is no real advantage to using it why go through the madness.

I'm just two months post-op now and I have a whole lot of hair growing... it's about a half inch or so in length and I never used rogaine on it.

I really don't no if it works or not, but from my experience... it wasn't/isn't necessary to use it.

Thankfully, I think I'm ahead of the average time line that my dr. told me and what I read on here from other guys.

I would like to add one more thing... When I think of baldness, I invision NW5 plus... that's me. I forget that people are getting HT's with hair still on their head. Which is a good thing and I should have done this years ago. So, yeah rogaine may work to keep existing although, it never worked for me. ~zerro

It is *not* necessary to utilize minoxidil post-op but it *can* help promote early growth. There is also the possibility that the surrounding hair can become minoxidil-dependant and when the patient discontinues useage, those dependant hairs can suffer.

If you react well to the medication and plan on using it for life at least on the crown area then by all means, use minoxidil. However, if you are having the problems you are having and plan on dropping it anyway, either drop to 2% minoxidil, use it only once per day, or drop it altogether.

-Robert

I never thought about hairs becomming dependent on it-I do not plan on being on it for life-propecia maybe but not that stuff.

KenEastCoast,

I didn't mean to put on a negative aire about minoxidil. It is all about weighing the pros and cons.

It would take more than a couple of months for surrounding hairs to become dependant on minox. If one wished to utilize minoxidil for a few months to stimulate a surgical hair transplant and then discontinue, they should be fine.

-Robert

Personally, for over 12 years, I have advised my transplant patients to use minoxidil typically once daily for the first 3 to 4 months after a procedure. It has been my experience that this results in an acceleration of regrowth from transplanted hairs, cutting down the interval between procedure and new hair growth from 3 1/2 to 4 months, down to 2 1/2 to 3 months. Not necessary, but certainly helpful- and can even be helpful if used as infrequently as once every few days.

Jeffrey Epstein, MD, FACS
Foundation for Hair Restoration
Miami and NYC

Thanks for jumping in, Dr. Epstein. Can you give some insight as to how long it may take for surrounding hair to become minoxidil-dependant enough to where halting the medication could become detrimental? Could it be as early as six months? 12?

Thanks,

Robert

Yes, it helps scock loss, dormant, and growth of new FU-- Dr. Shapiro recommends this (usually after first week)