What a transplant does, what it doesn’t, and how medication protects the hair around your grafts.
Find Your ProtocolFor most men, yes. A transplant moves follicles from the back and sides of your head, which are naturally resistant to DHT, into thinning areas. It doesn’t touch the hair that was already there. DHT keeps shrinking that native hair, and without treatment you can end up with transplanted hair standing alone while everything around it keeps thinning.
No. It redistributes the hair you have. Male pattern hair loss is driven by DHT, and only a DHT blocker like dutasteride addresses that. Think of the transplant as the rebuild and the medication as the protection. Why dutasteride →
Transplanted follicles come from the DHT-resistant zone, so they tend to hold up on their own. The medication’s job is protecting your native hair around them, which is what keeps the result looking full and natural over the years.
Chris Kite, our founder, has had three hair transplants. The first one failed. He didn’t hear about dutasteride until after his second surgery, even though it had been on the market since 2001. That’s a big reason MANE & STEEL exists. Read Chris’s story →
Many surgeons recommend starting months before. It stabilizes your hair loss, shows how much native hair you can keep, and can change how many grafts you actually need. Ask your surgeon what they prefer.
Follow your surgeon’s instructions. Many surgeons keep patients on DHT blockers but ask them to pause minoxidil, oral or topical, for a short time around the surgery date. Tell your surgeon everything you take.
Some men shed native hair near the grafts in the weeks after surgery. It’s usually temporary. Keeping DHT low helps give that hair the best chance to come back.
It depends mostly on how much native hair you keep. Your donor area is limited, so every bit of hair medication protects is hair you don’t have to move later. Results vary from man to man.
Dutasteride lowers DHT more than finasteride (about 95% vs. about 70% in the blood). Many men add oral minoxidil to push growth. You choose the protocol, and a licensed physician guides it. How to choose your dose →
Yes. Take the 2-minute protocol quiz and Chris will message you personally, or book a call.