My Surgeon Said to Put Rogaine on My Newly Transplanted Grafts for 3 Months

I am 57 and had a hair transplant three weeks ago. I had a full head of hair until I was 40, and then very gradual thinning. The transplant was done to provide more thickness in the front and in the crown. The surgeon who performed the transplant said that in addition to taking finasteride (which I have done for several years), he advised using Rogaine (Regaine outside of the US) for three months on the new grafts.

However, the Rogaine website specifically says that the product should be used on the top of the head only. When I checked with their help line, they said that research had not been completed about success using rogaine at the front of the head. My guess is that this is because the success rate (both to promote new growth or even to arrest hair loss ) in the front of the head has not been good. I am looking for a second opinion and want to know whether it is best to ignore the front and just put it on the crown. If so, I wonder why one would apply six pumps to the area rather than one or two, the recommended dose, regardless of the area being covered.

The Rogaine representatives are clearly pleased that the product is being recommended by tricologists for hair transplant patients in the post operative stage but they will not endorse the use of the product on the front although they believe one should follow the advice of one s doctor. With your knowledge of transplanted follicles, what would you say about it? Many thanks

I did a study some years ago where I used minoxidil on 1/3d of the transplants and on the other 2/3rds I did not. I maintained the treatment for the entire growth period for the hair transplants (6-8 months) and noted:

1. That both sides grew in at the exact same rate
2. That both sides started growing at the exact same time

I never published the study because the doctor who was doing this with me was a bit sloppy in his record keeping and I was not surprised at the outcome. I was able to conclude, however, that minoxidil has no effect on transplanted hair.