cruel summer ahead?

[returnoftheshedi]

Hi, this is my first post, although i've lurked for a little. I am 27 years old in a few weeks and have been losing hair for about 4 and a half years.

Pretty much right away I started treating with finasteride (after a very brief stint with minoxidil). While I have never stopped shedding over these 4 years, my hairloss has basically been undetectable...as a caveat, i should note that i keep my hair relatively short. Anyway, about four or five months ago I started to notice that when i went to bed i'd always wake up wiht a faux hawk (my hair is normally kinda spiked). This seemed a little weird which made me notice my hair a lot more. I started doing the double mirror thing and I was convinced that a) overall i had definitely lost density, and b) the back seemed like the worst part. Even with this analysis, I still was not noticeably thinning, it just became my perception that my hair was thinner than before.


About 5 weeks ago I started using minoxidil 5% and applying mainly in the back. Since this time i've shed much more than normal, and worse, the density of my hair has completely changed. It is DEFINITELY thinner than it was all across the top, and it even feels different in texture. The top used to feel "firm" after applying styling cream, now it feels very soft.

Can anyone give me a heads up as to where this is going? Does a drastic shed from minoxidil mean drastic regrowth is ahead? Since the entire top of my head has been so negatively effected, does this mean i'm a diffuse thinner?? Is it normal for hairloss to be undetectable for so long, and then hit so hard like this?

 

[lynne]

minoxidil is crap. don't use it. ever.

the summer ahead will be cruel if (like me) you've just been shedding a lot and it's already thinner than before only to be getting thinner as the summer induces more shedding.

anyways, if your worried about hair loss and have still got most your hair go for dht inhibitors.

 

[returnoftheshedi]

minoxidil is crap. don't use it. ever.

i have been using a dht inhibitor (Finasteride - real & generic at 2.5g per day) for almost all of the time that i have been losing/shedding hair. What makes you think that minoxidil could make you lose more hair in the long term? The consensus on this board seems to be that you need to stick it out for at least 3 months or more to see results.

For those who have experienced good results with minoxidil....do things get worse all the way up to the time they start to get better? i dont know if you can deal with 7 more weeks of getting worse.

 

[ShedMaster]

Theres a reason that they say using hair loss treatments is like a roller coaster ride. You will experience periods of improvement followed by periods of shedding. This is common with most hairloss treatments. That is why many say just be consistent with your treatments and look at your head, yes I know this is hard, for a good 6-8 months before determining success or not.

So minoxidil is crap huh? interesting observation. I don't suppose you tried it and experienced your temporary shed from the minoxidil and then declared that it doesn't work and then gave it up?

 

[lynne]

ok, i admit that saying 'minoxidil is crap' was a sweeping statement and to b honest i've never tried it. so apologies for that.

it just seems that if your going for long term regrowth you might as well regrow it properly and *more* naturally using some anti oxidents, anti dht, and anti seborrhea treatments (i choose cider vinegar mixed with water n pour it on to my head - it really works btw)

I get the impression that minoxidil would regrow some hairline n as soon as you stop the hairline will just vanish again. spreading stuff on your head everyday just for that doesn't seem worth it. but that's just my arbitrary personal opinion etc.

 

[Mickey]

One good thing about the summer your hair grows faster