Exact Answer: At least after 5 to 10 days of surgery
Hair transplant surgery is a procedure that involves removing hair follicles from one side of the body which is resistant to balding and transferring it to another side that is bald. Hair transplant surgery can be done to restore even eyebrows and eyelashes. Minoxidil is a type of foam and solution which helps in hair growth and is used in treating “male pattern baldness” This solution can be administered only if you are 18 years and above.
How Long After Hair Transplant Can I Use Minoxidil?
Many people lose their existing hair after transplant surgery. Using minoxidil might stop that. In some cases, the minoxidil surgery might speed up your hair growth process. You may see hair growth in a month or less. This process takes 3 months, without the use of minoxidil or other such solutions.
Some doctors advise you to start using it immediately, whereas some ask you to wait for 5 days or a week at least to use minoxidil. Once you begin using it, it can go on for a period of 4 to 6 months. It depends on how long you can use minoxidil on your scalp. If you are using it to prevent the fall of your existing hair, then you need to use it for a time more than what is required but if you are using it for enhancing your hair growth, then you should use it for 4 months or more according to your doctor’s suggestion. Some studies suggest that minoxidil can show permanent results only if you use it indefinitely.
In any case, you are not allowed to take the decision on the amount of dosage or the period of use, your doctor is to take the call. You don’t have to worry about the usage because, before administering it to you, doctors will tell you everything about the uses such as, when you can start using it and for how long.
Why Does it Take So Long to Use Minoxidil After Hair Transplant?
The doctors wait for the newly transplanted hair to set in your follicle before you let any external foam your solution get in its way. This is why doctors, by looking at your condition ask you to wait up to 4 to 7 days before you can start applying minoxidil.
There is something called “shock loss” which occurs after surgery. People might lose their existing and transplanted hair in a few days. Minoxidil might save you from that shock. This works better on women, as per the studies. If you use minoxidil continuously after surgery, there might not be serious shredding of hair because doctors say that if you go for a transplant before you turn 35 years old, you experience a lot of hair fall even after surgery. This solution basically helps to stop hair fall rather than boosting the growth process.
| Kind of Solution | Applying Technique | Can be used by |
| Topical Solution Dosage Foam | 1ml to the scalp two times a day | Adults |
| Topical Foam Dosage Foam | Half a cup, two times a day | Adults |
Minoxidil is suggested only to adults. If being administered to children, the doctor decides the amount of dosage and the number of times it can be used.
Minoxidil, however, is not advisable for everyone. You cannot use it on your own. You need a prescription to use the foam or the solution. The results are not the same for everyone. For some, the hair might grow in a month, for some it might take 10 weeks, and for some, it might take at least 16 weeks. You need to understand that everyone’s body is different and takes its own time to show the process.
Conclusion
Though minoxidil speeds up your hair growth or stops hair from falling, it is not necessary that you use it. Some people go for hair transplant surgeries to avoid using medicines long-term. These kinds of people stop themselves from using minoxidil because otherwise, their transplant would not make any sense. Use minoxidil only if you can stick up to the instructions suggested by your surgeon. You should be sure about when can you start using it, how to use it and when to stop.
References
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK482378/
- https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0190962287700887
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