gillenator
03-13-2009, 12:25 PM
Hey Guys,
This topic comes up almost daily with me and I get asked to clarify the use of minoxidil post-op. Let me first state to follow your doctor's post-op instructions reagrding the use of minoxidil.
Many HT patients want to know the purpose as it relates to post-op care. The primary reason HT doctors advocate the use of minoxidil post-op is to advance the period before re-growth of the transplated follicles. The trauma of the surgery causes many of the traplanted follicles to retreat into telogen and rest for typically 3-4 months.
The use of applying minoxidil to the recipient area is to bring the transplanted follicles out of resting and into the anagen growing phase sooner. Some patients begin to see the new regrowth as soon as 6 weeks post-op. Some say it made no difference. Some docs are of the opinion that applying minoxidil to the recipient area helps to reduce the level of shockloss as well but I have yet to see anything published on the subject. I think it's more of a theory shared, but not emperically proven.
But we also have to remember that patients respond to the active ingredients in medications differently.
In addition, applying minoxidil to the recipient area post-op IS NOT required indefinitely. I just got off the phone with a man who is 10 months post-op and still applying it to the grafted area! He thought he would have to do this indefinitely for the grafts to keep growing. NOT SO!
But what many of the post-op instrcutions do not explain is how to wean off the minoxidil after all the grafts have broken the surface of the scalp. I recommend to stop applying the product to the recipient area after approximately 90 days of post-op use. BUT YOU MUST WEAN OFF the use by slowly reducing the daily application. If you are applying 5% strength twice daily, after 80 days, back it down to once daily for the next week. The following week apply once per day BUT every other day. By week three you can stop altogethor. By weaning down the application, you minimize and help prevent a massive shedding from stopping the application dead in its tracks.
The general guidelines I have observed in post-op instructions across the board is to wait approximately two weeks post-op before applying minoxidil to the recipient area. The outer layer of scalp tissue (epidermis) must first be completely healed with all crusts and scabbing gone.
Hope this helps to clarify some confusion about this subject.
This topic comes up almost daily with me and I get asked to clarify the use of minoxidil post-op. Let me first state to follow your doctor's post-op instructions reagrding the use of minoxidil.
Many HT patients want to know the purpose as it relates to post-op care. The primary reason HT doctors advocate the use of minoxidil post-op is to advance the period before re-growth of the transplated follicles. The trauma of the surgery causes many of the traplanted follicles to retreat into telogen and rest for typically 3-4 months.
The use of applying minoxidil to the recipient area is to bring the transplanted follicles out of resting and into the anagen growing phase sooner. Some patients begin to see the new regrowth as soon as 6 weeks post-op. Some say it made no difference. Some docs are of the opinion that applying minoxidil to the recipient area helps to reduce the level of shockloss as well but I have yet to see anything published on the subject. I think it's more of a theory shared, but not emperically proven.
But we also have to remember that patients respond to the active ingredients in medications differently.
In addition, applying minoxidil to the recipient area post-op IS NOT required indefinitely. I just got off the phone with a man who is 10 months post-op and still applying it to the grafted area! He thought he would have to do this indefinitely for the grafts to keep growing. NOT SO!
But what many of the post-op instrcutions do not explain is how to wean off the minoxidil after all the grafts have broken the surface of the scalp. I recommend to stop applying the product to the recipient area after approximately 90 days of post-op use. BUT YOU MUST WEAN OFF the use by slowly reducing the daily application. If you are applying 5% strength twice daily, after 80 days, back it down to once daily for the next week. The following week apply once per day BUT every other day. By week three you can stop altogethor. By weaning down the application, you minimize and help prevent a massive shedding from stopping the application dead in its tracks.
The general guidelines I have observed in post-op instructions across the board is to wait approximately two weeks post-op before applying minoxidil to the recipient area. The outer layer of scalp tissue (epidermis) must first be completely healed with all crusts and scabbing gone.
Hope this helps to clarify some confusion about this subject.