Hair Transplant + Topical Finasteride

[JoeTillman]

1) Should I have gone on the oral prior to my surgery? Would it have made a difference to the ugly duckling phase?

It may have as it could strenthen miniaturized hairs that are more susceptible to shock but at the same time it is an unquantifiable issue one way or the other and can only be answered from, at best, anectdotal evidence and experience.

2) If I begin applying the topical after the second month, how long will it take before I start seeing the effects?

Finasteride takes time for the results to manifest as visible improvements. Some patients see improvements six months after beginning their treatment, some see improvements 18 months after initial treatment begins, some only see a maintenance with no visible improvements or degradation.

3) I have read that the ugly ducking phase lasts 3 months. But what does this involve? Will the shock loss be noticeable during the first 3 months? Can it be covered by native hair before the first 3 months are over? My shock loss is looking pretty bad and it has me really worried. At what point will I return to my pre-op hair? 2 months 3 months?

Shock usually starts to kick in about one month and can take three months to return the patient to "par" or to the point that they looked before surgery before improvements above and beyond what they started with start to become evident. I've seen patients look "normal" at three months and I've seen some take five months. What needs to happen is the redness needs to subside, which is happening quickly at this point and any hairs that are returning will take one month to grow 1cm to 1 1/4cm (average).

4) I'm a teacher, so I have the summer off. I had my procedure done in early July. I've been wearing H&W's black baseball cap whenever I go out in public. I'm dreading the beginning of September, because school will be starting and I will still be in the ugly duckling phase. What can I do when school starts? How effective, really, are Toppik and Nanogen when you have no hair on your head or shock loss areas? How bad will it be at the 2 month mark compared to the one month mark?

It may be worse at two months but you'd be surprised what topical concealers can do and with how little hair they need to work well. Try Toppik and experiment with it now to get used to using it and to see how you like it.

5) Is it normal to be developing pimples in the crown 1 months post-surgery? My crown is by far the worst part. I have less hair on the crown than I did pre-surgery. It's just demoralizing when I look in the mirror.

Normal? Depends on how many you have. If you have a few, sure, kind of. This indicates early growth or it could indicate mild folliculitis. If you have a lot and the crown is red, inflamed and just "angry" looking you should head to your doctor and have it looked at. The last thing you want is a bad infection. The pimples may have to be drained/squeezed as well. It's not a big deal but give HW a call first then consider your next steps.