Finasteride pre and post hair transplant surgery?

Question

I never wanted to take Finasteride to treat MBP because of the side effects it can cause. However a lot of surgeons recommend that drug especially to younger men who want a hair restoration surgery. How long before and after a Hair Transplant surgery do I have to take finasteride - in order to prevent "shock loss" of my existing hair? If I decide to take Finasteride, would it be better to take 0,25mg/day in order have less side effects? Is 0,25mg/day still an effective dosage? Thank you!

Jae Pak, MD · Answer

Propecia (finasteride) is an optional medication for treating male pattern balding.  It is meant to be taken for life.  If you have issues with the medication or do not want to take it, let your doctor know.

Robert S. Houser, DO · Answer

The use of finesteride is important for preventing further hair loss, not necessarily preventing shock loss.  You don't HAVE to take it, but it would be highly recommended to try and keep what you have!  If you're fortunate to have a very dense "donor" area on the back of your head and you knew that you were only going to lose a little hair, it wouldn't be a big deal.  But it's hard to predict the future.  The side effects of the medications are generally rare and and reversible if you stop the medication.  Anything less than the 1mg a day dose is probably wasting your time and money.

Ryan Welter, MD · Answer

Despite many peoples concerns, finasteride is tolerated by most people.  Unless you have very low DHT levels at baseline, you should go on 1 mg of finasteride daily and monitor the effects under the guidance of your physician.  I have recommended topical finasteride for those who do have side effects and I have had great results with this in most people.  I also strongly recommend cellular therapy such as PRP and SVF because the are natural and safe and have the benefit of both promoting hair growth and slowing hair loss.

Brian Goertz, MD (retired) · Answer

It works very well in the crown area of the scalp and starting earlier when crown balding is noticed is better than allowing the balding to get worse. The effects begin immediately showing noticeable improvement in most men within 8 months and continues improvement to 3 years the levels off. The benefits of hair regrowth Finasteride will disappear after stopping the treatment. Most men will not complain of any side effects.

William Rassman, MD (retired) · Answer

The recommended dose is 1mg, A smaller dose will reduce the value. IF you take 0.25mg, it is believed that the value will be reduced by half. You are predicting side effects, but you did not try it yet and that makes no sense to me.  Try it first at the regular does of 1mg and then if you get side effects (a 2% risk), you can start reducing the dose. This drug should be taken at least 1 week before the transplant and then for the rest of your life to maintain its value as hair loss is a progressive process and you should want to stop it from progressing.

Finasteride pre and post hair transplant surgery?

Answers (5)

Answer: Finasteride therapy to prevent Male Pattern Balding

Answer: Finasteride therapy to prevent Male Pattern Balding

Answer: The use of finasteride before and after a hair transplant

Answer: The use of finasteride before and after a hair transplant

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Finasteride pre and post hair transplant surgery?

Answers (5)

Answer: Finasteride therapy to prevent Male Pattern Balding

Answer: Finasteride therapy to prevent Male Pattern Balding

Answer: The use of finasteride before and after a hair transplant

Answer: The use of finasteride before and after a hair transplant

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Recommended reading

Everything you need to know about Hair Transplant

Our mission is to create a world where every investment in modern beauty is Worth It.