17 Year Old and New to Minoxidil

[eenough]

Hey guys, I'm 17 and it's been extremely tough for me dealing with hairloss.
My hairloss is starting mostly on the crown, and it's quite visible. My hairline seems to not be as dramatic.
When I went to a dermatologist and she diagnosed me with male pattern baldness, she recommended me Rogaine 5%.
She wasn't much help, and my family doctor (who I can actually talk to, unlike her, who I only had a short 6min convo with) is not very experienced with this field.

So hopefully you guys can give me advice and answer a few questions?

Starting Minoxidil:
The initial shedding--how long does usually it last for? And does it make your hair look significantly thinner during that time?

While using Minoxidil:
How expensive is it to keep using it? I know the liquid minoxidil is much cheaper, but I heard it takes long to dry and makes your scalp flaky..
Is there any cheap ways I can get Rogaine/minoxidil foam?

Ending Minoxidil: (please answer)
There's a big chance I may just stop for health or money reasons.
But there's shedding involved too--how long does it last for? And once it stops, is my hair actually worse off than before minoxidil?


Also about Propecia/dutasteride, I won't be considering that until I become much older.

Thanks guys for the help! It's really hard dealing with hairloss at such a young age, since I have no one to relate to.

 

[eenough]

Hey man, thanks for the response.
Great to know there's a chance of regrowth (although a longer time than expected!). And I'll try looking at Amazon.

But most men who do respond to it do right after their hair fell out.

What do you mean by this?
Are you talking about quitting minoxidil? Because I'm still wondering about that

I'm still wondering about how severe the shedding is. Is it a lot that i'd probably have to apply a concealer for the meantime?

Again, thanks for the response

 

[eenough]

Oh, that's really tough...do you think tapering off (like gradually decreasing usage) would work?
It really seems like a no-turning-back kinda thing to me now...

Also about the initial shedding, is it that bad? Like would it make my bald spot that worse? (I'd like to be prepared so I won't get shocked and depressed before the Rogaine starts to actually work lol)

And thanks guys, I think I might start tomorrow once my questions are answered. If there's any advice going against starting minoxidil at all, or any general advice, please tell me!

 

[Iopu]

I never shedded at all when starting minoxidil. I've been using it for years now.

 

[eenough]

Oh, so I guess it just varies a lot.
But I'm still wondering, is it basically a no-turning-back type of treatment? As in you will lose a lot of hair when you quit?

And is there any argument/advice against using it before I start? I don't want to ruin anything for me.

 

[Iopu]

Yeah u kinda have to stay on it. As long as your looking to maintain results and hair!

From my experience with it. I recommend you do start using it (if you are losing your hair and could benefit from the treatment). I have no side effects at all. And I've also found using it once per day is nearly as effective as twice! So it really is not that much bother at all to apply at least once. Will take you 3-4 minutes a day.

 

[shouldistart]

Just used it twice for the first time today and it burns badly. Is this normal?

 

[Wowjpk]

I've never had sides with minoxidil and I don't think it's common. I wouldn't quit so early but it won't affect your current hair since you've used it so little. If you quit later on it could and probably would. If your hair is getting worse I would use it just to halt the process until you use finasteride. I'm also 17 and experiencing hair loss I know it sucks!