How long before seeing maximum results?

[wimp]

I took 1/4 of a Proscar table for ~1 year and then I added in 5% minoxidil. I'm curious to know when I should no longer expect any results (when the maximum benefits have set in). When should I be able to guage whether my hair is the best it will ever get? I've been on the minoxidil since July.

 

[jc444]

Its quite likely that your hair is at the best it will ever get right now. There are definitely some great success stories (see the section on this) so of course this wont be the case for everyone.

What you can realisticly expect to do however, is maintain the hair you have, or at least dramatically slow the balding process. My hair has never really improved on my long term treatments but i have slowed the balding process to such a degree that i find myself with hair far better than i would have imagined a few years ago. While its not the hair i used to have, im positive its far and away better hair than i would have had sans treatment. to me this is a result

 

[Aplunk1]

Finasteride study results show the greatest amount of hair count at about the 2-year mark.

Minoxidil should further raise the haircounts. You should do better than maintenance on those two.

 

[techprof]

Norwood scale is very important when it comes to growth or maintenance.
if you are only NW1.1 you may not get any regrowth at all.

 

[wimp]

Thanks for the info on max haircount and finasteride. Anybody know similar data about minoxidil?

I started off around a 3V on this scale
http://www.hairtransplantnetwork.com/Sh ... sp?Class=6

Now I'm a 2.5 or so, diffuse thinner with a medium thin vertex. I'm just hoping to fill in the vertex and the rest of the top...don't know if there is any hope for that.

 

[techprof]

wimp you might want to try xandrox 15 if you believe you got what your maximum results from minoxidil already.

 

[wimp]

Thats the question...I dont know if I have. Any idea (preferably links/studies) that have determined how long before minoxidil has its peak effects?

 

[Aplunk1]

Between 2 to 3 years, you should see maximum regrowth from minoxidil. After that, it's a matter of maintenance of those hairs.

 

[wimp]

Do you know of a study or website that states it takes that long?

 

[Aplunk1]

The actual bottle of minoxidil says that regrowth beyond 48 weeks has not been studied, but Dr. Lee assures me that 2-3 years is typical. There is no tolerance to minoxidil, and it should keep those regrown hairs on your scalp for the rest of your life, if you keep using it, that is.