No, you do not need to take finasteride after a hair transplant. Transplanted hair can grow and survive without this drug. The answer to “do you have to take finasteride after a hair transplant” depends on your hair loss, current hair density, and long-term goals. Finasteride lowers dihydrotestosterone (DHT), a hormone linked to male pattern hair loss.
Author: Dr. Antonio Aguilar
Dr. Antonio Aguilar
Dr. Antonio Aguilar is a physician dedicated exclusively to advanced hair restoration, with a focus on natural, aesthetic results using the FUE hair transplant technique. He earned his medical degree from Universidad del Noreste and completed his medical internship in the United States at Houston Methodist Hospital and St. Luke’s Hospital. With over 3,000 hair transplant procedures performed, Dr. Aguilar is known for precision, safety, and natural hairline design. He is the founder of BRAXEL, a premium hair restoration clinic in Monterrey, Mexico, serving both local and U.S. patients seeking world-class results and personalized care.
A hair transplant is usually not very painful because local anesthesia numbs the scalp during surgery. The most painful part is often the numbing shots, which may cause brief stinging or burning. Once the scalp is numb, patients stay awake but usually feel only mild pressure, pulling, or movement. The procedure can take 6–8 hours, depending on the number of grafts.
Hair transplants can last for decades or even a lifetime. How long hair transplants last depends on genetics, donor hair quality, and future hair loss. Surgeons take hair follicles from the back or sides of the head, where hair is more resistant to dihydrotestosterone (DHT), a hormone linked to pattern baldness. While transplanted hair can last for life, the natural hair around it may continue to thin.
A hair transplant to lower the hairline moves healthy hair follicles from the back or sides of the scalp to the front. This helps create a lower hairline, fill the temples, and make the forehead look smaller. FUE and DHI-based methods often use local anesthesia, with most early healing taking 1–2 weeks and full results appearing within 12–18 months.
Hair transplants often achieve 85% to 95% graft survival in favorable clinical settings. The hair transplant success rate depends on the method used, donor hair quality, and how well the scalp heals. FUE, FUT, Sapphire FUE, and DHI can all provide lasting results, but no method guarantees better growth. Most patients heal within 10 to 14 days, see new growth after 3 to 4 months, and develop fuller results within 12 to 18 months.
Most patients experience initial scalp healing within 7–14 days, while full hair growth can take 12–18 months. Hair transplant recovery starts with swelling, redness, soreness, and scabs during the first week.
Scabs begin to fall off during the second week, while new hair growth often starts around months three to four. Final results depend on the surgery type, the area treated, and how well the scalp heals.
Former Arsenal and Crystal Palace footballer Rob Holding had FUE hair transplant surgery in 2020 at Wimpole Clinic in London. Dr. Luciano Sciacca performed the procedure using 2,600 grafts from the back of his head. The hair transplant helped restore his receding hairline, which male pattern baldness had affected. He confirmed the surgery in October 2021 and shared how hair loss had affected his confidence.
Hair transplant surgery is generally safe, and deaths are very rare. Still, the exact hair transplant death rate is unknown because there is not enough worldwide data. Claims of fewer than one death per million procedures or fewer than 15 deaths worldwide in the past decade lack strong medical evidence.
Serious risks include anesthesia reactions, severe infections, and heart problems, while more common side effects include swelling, bleeding, scarring, and temporary hair loss.
Zach Bryan has not confirmed a hair transplant, and no verified proof shows he had the surgery. Rumors that Zach Bryan got a hair transplant began after fans noticed his thicker hairline at concerts in Dublin in June 2025.
The rumors spread on social media, Reddit, and news sites like Whiskey Riff and Parade. Grace O’Malley’s Disgraceful podcast later claimed he may have had surgery in Turkey, but no proof exists.
FUE, or follicular unit extraction, is a hair transplant method that removes individual groups of hair follicles from the donor area and places them into areas with thinning or hair loss. Long-hair FUE uses the same method while keeping much of the hair at its normal length instead of shaving the entire treatment area. The surgeon removes individual grafts and places them into recipient sites, while surrounding hair can help cover redness, scabs, and small extraction points.