Is Finasteride needed after hair transplant? (Photo)

Question

Is finasteride usually needed after a hair transplant? 33M here, my crown has been balding for about 5 years now. I absolutely hate it... I'm not very keen on messing with my hormones for something aesthetic. Not sure if transplant would still be an option for someone my age who doesn't want to take the meds... PS. I'm afraid to use rogaine because of my pet cat who likes to sleep on my pillow. Thanks!

Marco Barusco, MD · Answer

Based on the picture, it looks like your hair is very full other than that small area in the crown. I can see why it bothers you. I think a transplant can work very well to fill in that area. but you need to understand that without finasteride or dutasteride, this area of hair loss can significantly increase as you age. You are still very young and, if the hair loss expands, you will need more procedures to keep up with the thinning. Having said that, your donor area seems abundant and the quality of the hair quite good, so a good situation overall.

Christine M. Shaver, MD · Answer

While finasteride is the most effective FDA-approved medication for male genetic thinning, you could also consider medication such as oral minoxidil, which will not risk exposure to your cat as the topical version would have. Medications will help prevent further thinning so that you do not have to repeat transplants as you continue to thin. Both finasteride and oral minoxidil can help to regrow/thicken hair after 1 year of use, but finasteride will work more effectively than minoxidil.

Anna Chacon, MD, FAAD · Answer

Patients should consider hair transplant surgery if they have turned 35 or older. Patients younger than 35 ought to consider hair loss medications first to stabilize their hair loss before considering surgery.Finasteride can provide a significant hair-boosting effect after hair transplant surgery. Finasteride helps improve hair survival, enhance density, and maintain long-term results by inhibiting the conversion of testosterone into dihydrotestosterone.

Kulakarn Amonpattana, MD · Answer

Hello I'm Dr. Wipawan Vathananai, a co-worker of Dr. Kulakarn Amonpattana, from BHI Clinic, Bangkok, Thailand. It is recommended to continue taking finasteride after the hair transplant because it will slow down the ongoing hair loss which is unpredictable. In case you don't want to use topical minoxidil, you can ask your dermatologist to prescribe oral low-dose minoxidil instead. Furthermore, now there's is dutasteride mesotherapy which might be your option.

Matt Tahsini, MD · Answer

Hello and thank you for your question. You might consider using Finasteride before you think about a hair transplant due to your age. You are young and could continue to lose hair and Finasteride could stabilize hair loss. It’s something to think about, a hair transplant is a big step. Please reach out to me if you have questions or would like a free consultation. Best of luck to you.

Dr. T

Dr. T

Utkan Kiziltac, MD - Account Suspended · Answer

We know that the hair taken from the donor area and transplanted into the recipient area also has DHT receptors, albeit in low amounts. We know that hair follicles become more sensitive to DHT due to the stress caused by the hair transplant operation. For this reason, while the hair in the donor area is normally resistant to testosterone, they shed after hair transplantation, and some may not grow. Of course, this is not the only reason, but it is one of the most important reasons. Therefore, assuming that other optimal conditions are provided during hair transplantation, Finasteride to be used after hair transplantation seriously affects the result of hair transplantation. We can say this thanks to our clinical experience as well as scientific publications. That's why I recommend my patients to use Finasteride. The results of these patients are much better than those who do not use Finasteride. When I examine your photo, I see that there is a small opening in the Crown area; your donor area is sufficient. Since you are a suitable candidate for hair transplantation, we can get very good results from transplantation even if you do not use Finasteride.

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