Could Minoxidil 5% be causing extreme hair shedding, 7 months after FUE hair transplant? (Photo)

Dear Yerma,Thank you for writing in with your question. This is a little perplexing, as you should have quite a bit of growth by 7 months following your procedure. This may have something to do with you stopping your propecia. If you stopped your propecia around the time of your procedure or shortly thereafter, this may just be the resulting shedding as a result of stopping the propecia and allowing your DHT levels to increase. That can happen, particularly in younger men like yourself. It’s typically best to taper off of any medication like propecia or rogaine. I don’t think it’s likely that the rogaine is causing your shedding, but as I tell my patients, we need to wait 12 full months for the results of the surgery to be evident. I would stay on the rogaine, and I would consider taking finasteride twice a week to see if you can take it without the side effects. Also, adding low level laser therapy (LLLT) would be a very good idea, as this can really help to slow down hair loss, and in some cases, particularly in men under 35, it has the potential to actually grow hair back. I hope this information is helpful to you.

Minoxidil can cause shedding at first.  I'd wait a year, continue with the minoxidil.  Things should improve.  Hang in there.

Shock hair loss occurs few weeks after surgery.  If you stopped Propecia (due to side effects) you can have "catch up" hair loss where you lose all the hairs you gained from Propecia.  This happens after several weeks to months.Minoxidil can cause hair loss during the first month of use.

Starting minoxidil and stopping finasteride can both give shedding. But there are quite a few other reasons too. For my patients who shed with minoxidil, I advise continuing minoxidil through the shed. I also advise getting blood work to check iron, thyroid, B12, hemoglobin and sometimes a few other things too. Keep close tabs on your hair changes through monthly photos. You'll likely know in 6 months what the cause was.  

Topical minoxidil can cause shedding within the first several weeks/month of use. If you recently stopped using finasteride (Propecia), you may be experiencing loss of the hair that was being "rescued" by the Propecia. Shock loss after hair transplant tends to occur in the first weeks/month after transplant. Significant shedding 7 months after transplant is unusual.You could consider Low Level Laser Therapy (LLLT) as an alternative to Propecia. I personally like the wearable devices as offered by LaserCap. These are clinically proven to be effective and are very easy to use.I would also suggest you ensure that there have been no changes to your general medical health, ie thyroid function, nutrition, etc.Good luck!