Panic! Didn't stop Minoxidil and I have a hair transplant in 3 days, can I use ice to slow the blood?

Question

Hi guys. Panicking. My surgeon's pre-op info said to stop minoxidil foam (5%) 'at least one week' before treatment... that means I only stopped 3 days pre-op. i know opinion varies greatly on when to stop (some say months before, some say the day before.) Surgery is now in 2 days. If the problem Minoxidil causes is more blood to the scalp and therefore more bleeding during the op, I wonder about icing my forehead tonight to help speed up the post-Rogaine slowing down process. Stupid idea? Thanks

Jae Pak, MD · Answer

It is best to contact your doctor and stop the panic.  Just explain to your doctor  your problem and things should be fine.

Sahar Nadimi, MD · Answer

I would not worry about not discontinuing the Minoxidil foam in time for your surgery. I recommend that you let your surgeon know about it but it is highly unlikely that this will cause problems at the time of surgery.

Ilhan Serdaroglu, MD · Answer

Do not panic .Just contrary, I recommend my patients to use minoxidil before surgery to support implanted hair .

Sean Behnam, MD · Answer

I doubt it will cause a significant difference in your transplant if you only stop a few days before instead of the full week. But, you should definitely talk to your doctor about it just so that they're aware of the status of your medications before going into the transplant.

Karl Hekimian, MD · Answer

Don't ice your head.  This probably won't be a problem, but do contact your surgeon and let him/her know right away.

David Josephitis, DO · Answer

I would not be concerned about it.  It is a good idea to stop the minoxidil now though.  The reason we have you stop the minoxidil prior to surgery is the same reason we have you stop vitamins, supplements, and blood thinners.  It just makes the surgical process easier with less bleeding.
Having said that, we still do transplants on patients who have stopped some of these items just before surgery without any complications.
Certainly, there won't be any harm to the outcome of the transplant if you stop it now.

Cory S. Goldberg, BSc, MD, FRCS(C) · Answer

Hello VainandAnxious,First of all, relax.  Minoxidil was originally used to treat high blood pressure by relaxing tight blood vessels.  If you were taking Minoxidil by mouth, there could theoretically be some risk of increased bleeding.  But even in the oral form, its half-life is only 4 hours.  That means if you stopped taking it now, 98% of it would be completely gone after 1 day (24 hours), 99.99% of it would be gone after 2 days (48 hours).  Minoxidil on the scalp doesn't work by increasing blood flow to the hair follicles.  If you stop it now, 3 days before surgery, there should be no problem at all.  You definitely don't want to put ice on your scalp. Not only would it not reverse the effects of minoxifil, you could cause frost bite injury to your scalp.  Don't take any thing by mouth or apply anything to your scalp to try and reverse the effects.  Stop applying Minoxidil now and you don't need to worry about it.Good luck with your hair transplant.

William Rassman, MD (retired) · Answer

Minoxidil stimulates blood flow. There is no time like the present to stop it. I am sure that the hair transplant will be fine

Panic! Didn't stop Minoxidil and I have a hair transplant in 3 days, can I use ice to slow the blood?

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