Finasteride is one of the most commonly prescribed medications for hair loss. It is available from clinicians and physicians in a variety of strengths and dosages and packaged as several different brands produced by pharmaceutical companies.
Taking Finasteride before or after a hair transplant will not impact the success of your procedure. This is all down to the skill and precision of our expert surgical teams, who have years of experience completing bespoke hair transplants for clients of all ages.
However, Finasteride can be a useful way to prevent further hair loss, especially if your hair growth concerns are linked to androgenetic alopecia, which is better known as male pattern baldness and is connected to your genetics. [1]
Key Takeaways
- Finasteride is a widely used non-surgical medication often prescribed to assist with hair restoration, especially in clients with pattern baldness for whom future further hair loss is more likely due to their genetics.
- Although Finasteride cannot often fully replenish hair once it has been lost, it can limit the production of the dihydrotestosterone (DHT) hormone. An excess of DHT contributes to follicle shrinkage, which results in hair thinning and loss.
- KSL Clinic does not prescribe Finasteride to every hair transplant client, and there is no obligation to take medications after a transplant if you do not wish to. However, Finasteride can be a useful supplement to encourage longer-term healthy hair.
Using Finasteride After a Hair Transplant: The Facts
Finasteride is a safe, effective medication that works to promote healthy levels of testosterone, reducing the amount of dihydrotestosterone, which is the primary culprit in causing pattern baldness.
It is available in various formats and brand names but is usually prescribed as a tablet in 1mg strength. To achieve the best results, it should normally be taken over a period of treatment lasting at least six months.
Although Finasteride cannot reverse hair loss or replenish a thinning hairline or widow’s peak, it actively prevents further hair loss once the client has begun taking the medication. It is important to follow the guidance of your surgeon carefully, as we’ll explore, since DHT levels can return to higher levels within 14 days of stopping taking the medication.
There is no mandatory expectation that you will take a medication like Finasteride after a hair transplant or an alternative such as Minoxidil, which is better suited to clients experiencing facial hair loss.
Women should also not take Finasteride because it impacts the levels of testosterone in the blood, which are naturally different between genders.
That said, Finasteride can be used during the longer-term management of male hair loss and to augment the results we can achieve through a minimally invasive FUE hair transplant. It can control ongoing hair loss over time, help expedite regrowth following a transplant, and keep normal post-transplant shedding to a minimum.
Advantages of Finasteride in Male Hair Transplant Clients
Hair transplants can be transformative. We use your own healthy donor follicles to replenish areas where you have seen hair loss, a receding hairline, or changes to the growth pattern or thickness of your hair.
KSL Clinic can suggest a variety of treatments, medications and therapies that increase the speed at which your scalp heals from a transplant and the rate at which your newly implanted follicles begin to grow.
Alongside Finasteride and other medications for female patients or those treating facial hair loss, we may recommend:
- Plasma-rich platelet therapy (PRP), which uses rich biodynamic platelets from your own blood to support faster recovery and stimulate inactive and dormant follicles.
- Laser hair treatment uses laser light to treat thinning or patchy hair, encouraging regrowth and a healthier hairline.
Finasteride is also a commonly used medication, which can help protect other areas of your scalp that haven’t yet been impacted by genetic hair loss and are away from the location of the hair transplant.
For example, if you have progressive hair loss, you might opt for a hair transplant to treat those locations where you have minimal or very little hair or where hair loss has meant the areas are now entirely bald.
That doesn’t necessarily mean that other areas around your crown, temples, or hairline will automatically be immune to future hair loss since genetic factors often cause hair loss to be progressive and continue over a number of years.
Taking Finasteride can help preserve the health and density of those other follicles while boosting recovery following your transplant. This ensures that your treatment with KSL Clinic doesn’t only treat and correct your current issues but also acts as a long-term solution.
Effectiveness and Downsides of Using Finasteride to Manage Hair Loss
Finasteride is clinically proven to have several advantages for people experiencing hair loss, exposed to hair loss due to family genetics, or who have undergone a hair transplant to correct pattern hair loss:
- Promoting hair growth across the scalp
- Preventing future additional hair loss
- High tolerance levels with minimal risks
The medication works by preventing the body from converting testosterone to dihydrotestosterone, with evidence showing that 48% of recipients report improved hair growth within one year and 66% within two years.
Clinical studies comparing finasteride recipients with participants receiving a placebo also found that after two years, 83% of those given the medication had not experienced further hair loss from the start of the study, compared with 28% taking placebos. [3]
In terms of downsides, a safety review found that Finasteride, like many prescription-strength medications, can have potential side effects, including issues connected to depression.
Because the drug impacts hormone production and reduces the levels of dihydrotestosterone in the body, it may be unsuitable for patients with previously diagnosed hormone imbalances or with a risk of mental health issues. [4]
However, the majority of the small number of users who have reported side effects have had underlying and often undiagnosed mental health disorders. The advice is to ensure anybody prescribed Finasteride is provided with full details about safe dosages and information about possible side effects.
If negative side effects emerge, your surgeon will advise you to stop taking Finasteride immediately and may recommend alternative therapies or treatments to achieve your hair restoration aims.
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The Post-Hair Transplant Care Timeline
You’ll find a series of detailed guides and before and after pictures in our previous articles, which outline exactly what you can expect at each stage following your hair transplant. We have published explainers covering the following:
- The recovery progress to expect after one week
- Recovery ten days after a hair transplant
- Regrowth at two weeks post-procedure
- Hairline growth three weeks after your transplant
- How your hair will have recovered after three months
Finasteride can help to improve the pace at which newly implanted follicles grow while also preventing further hair loss by prompting those follicles into the growth phase, technically referred to as the anagen stage.
In short, hair follicles naturally pass through a cycle which ranges from growth to transition, a telogen phase when the hair rests and then begins to shed. Boosting the time taken for a follicle to hit the growth phase simply means the hair grows faster than it otherwise might.
The outcome is that patients can see the physical and visible signs of their hair transplant sooner and experience a speedier recovery, where donor follicles and sections that have been trimmed will regrow quickly, concealing any indication that you have had a hair transplant.
The medication also reduces shedding—something that is completely normal and usually occurs around two to four weeks after a hair transplant. Many patients are concerned about shedding, perceiving that it means a follicle has ‘failed’, but in fact, this is typical and happens when existing and new follicles shed and then regrow healthily.
In most cases, shedding happens because of the tiny areas of trauma to the scalp, and Finasteride can keep that to a minimum, expediting all aspects of recovery.
Alternative Hair Loss Medications to Finasteride
We’ve noted that women, facial hair transplant clients and those with mental health conditions may not be able to take Finasteride, either because side effects are more likely, because the medication is unlikely to be effective, or because their hair loss is not caused by hereditary pattern baldness.
We also noted other supplementary therapies, like PRP and laser therapy, which are equally effective ways to stimulate hair growth and speed up the recovery time after a hair transplant.
Other medications may also be suitable, including Minoxidil, which is a non-hormonal hair growth medication more appropriate for female clients. This treatment is usually available as a liquid or foam that is applied directly to the scalp in a range of strengths. It works over a period of at least six to eight months to help regrow hair.
Adhering to Aftercare Guidance Following a Hair Transplant
The key to a successful hair transplant and long-term satisfaction with your restored hair is to follow all the advice given by your surgeon carefully. Unfortunately, although several treatments and medications can improve recovery times and augment your results, there are no shortcuts worth taking.
Aftercare guidance is essential since exposing newly transplanted follicles to toxins and contaminants can seriously affect the stability of those hairs and increase the risks of infection, soreness, inflammation, and other unwanted side effects.
Our online aftercare guides clarify what you can expect after a hair transplant and cover all the most important advice about sleeping, diet, nutrition, hydration, exercise, and when you can safely return to your normal routine.
Please contact KSL Clinic anytime to learn more about Finasteride and hair transplantation or to schedule your free consultation with our sector-leading hair transplant specialists.
Finasteride and Hair Transplantation: Frequently Asked Questions
Can I Take Finasteride Before a Hair Transplant?
You can, and we may recommend Finasteride, provided you are a good candidate for the medication and do not have any contraindications that may mean another treatment or course of action would be safer or more appropriate.
Taking Finasteride before the transplant can halt any progressive hair loss connected to pattern hair loss and maintain a baseline from which your hair transplant surgeon will work when planning your customised hair transplant procedure.
Do You Need to Take Finasteride Forever to Prevent Future Hair Loss?
We’ve noted that Finasteride is often used as a long-term treatment to combat androgenetic alopecia or male pattern baldness and that the levels of dihydrotestosterone in the blood can return to their previous high levels within as little as two weeks after stopping taking the medicine.
Therefore, depending on the nature of your hair loss, the extent of thinning, and the size of the hair transplant area, we might suggest Finasteride as an ongoing way to manage and prevent hair loss.
As always, this relies on a thorough clinical assessment of your scalp and hair, your medical history, and the outcomes you’d like to achieve since powerful prescription medications can only be prescribed by a qualified professional who believes Finasteride will be safe and effective.
Do I Have to Take Finasteride Following a Hair Transplant?
No – Finasteride isn’t the right option for everyone. It may be inappropriate for some clients, including women, patients undergoing beard transplantation, and those with underlying health concerns or diagnosed mental health conditions.
If you have concerns about taking medication, it is well worth bringing this up during your initial consultation. We encourage every client to provide full details of their medical history and any factors that will influence the treatments, recovery advice, or transplant process we recommend.
Dr XX says:
‘Finasteride is a well-known and commonly used tool to combat hair loss and achieve the hair growth you aspire to – but there are scenarios where we may decide that this or any other medication is not the right option.
Hair transplantation is a fully bespoke service, and there isn’t any one-size-fits-all approach, medication or therapy that will be ideal for every client. Please book a private, discreet consultation at your preferred KSL Clinic location, and we’ll be delighted to run through all the options in greater detail and discuss an action plan designed specifically for you.’
References and Sources:
- National Library of Medicine: Male Androgenetic Alopecia
- National Library of Medicine: Finasteride
- National Library of Medicine: Finasteride: A Review of its Use in Male Pattern Hair Loss
- Medicines & Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency: Safety Review of Finasteride
- National Library of Medicine: Minoxidil and its Use in Hair Disorders