Both topical minoxidil and oral finasteride can be used to slow or even halt the loss of hair due to male pattern baldness, or androgenic alopecia. Both medications should also be used to slow the hair follicle miniaturation process that eventually results in hair loss.  'Shock loss' is a phenomenon oberserved in some post-transplant patients, in which existing hair in the thinning regions that was transplanted is partially lost. 

Here are our thoughts about preventing post-transplant 'shock loss'.

1. Finasteride is effective at reducing the amount of shedding of normal hairs in the thinning zones after hair transplantation. 

2. The timing of hair transplantation is important - if you are a young person experiencing early hair loss and have a large density of miniaturized hairs (impending hair loss), then hair transplant surgery may accelrate your current hair loss pattern. 

3. Plan for a sufficient number of grafts to offset any marginal amount of 'shock loss' of existing hair.

4. Minimize surgical trauma to the scalp with gentle local anesthetic technique and accurate recipient site creation

We do not think that Neograft hair transplantation results in less shock loss. We do believe that Neograft is a superior method for hair transplantation based on observed graft survival rate and the fact that there is no long, linear scar in the donor site scalp.