37 year old male, still have almost all my hair... I had chemotherapy a few years ago and was told I would definitely lose all my hair, and then I didn't much at all. I (wrongly) took this as a sign that I would never lose my hair lol.
So awhile back, I randomly decided I was gonna grow it long. THAT was when I realized it was thin as hell at the crown. I did alot of reading up on minoxidil, and I figured I would be a good candidate for it. Didn't need a miracle, just something to help me hold on to what I had, or best case a slight improvement which would basically mean a full head of hair for me. Everything I read said start early, so I was on it, and I was prepared to stick with it for the long run. There was definitely some shedding in the beginning, I knew what it meant and braved on.
About 4 months in, I wasn't feeling so good. Chest pain, chronic heartburn... I'm NOT claiming minoxidil was responsible, I don't really know. But if it was even a possibility that it was an aggravating factor, I decided my hair wasn't worth it. Whether or not minoxidil was causing me bad side effects isn't the point of my post, so I don't really need the lectures from those are convinced it can do no wrong and that I made a terrible mistake. So yeah, 4 months in... while I was still waiting to see results and had already induced shedding I quit minoxidil. That was about 6 months ago... and as you have probably guessed my hair looks like absolute crap now, as I have the combined initial shed with the shed from quitting, and NONE of the benefits. Yes, I know I stopped at the worst possible time but it was a decision I felt had to be made.
I'm ok with the idea of losing my hair. It's disappointing, but I've had buzz cuts alot of my life anyway and I'm quite prepared to go with a shaved head. But since my hair loss was barely progressed at all to begin with, what I'm wondering is when can I be confident that I'm actually back at my baseline so I can really judge where I'm at? I have long almost shoulder length hair... so shaving it is a pretty extreme move, once I do it, I'm not getting it back. If there's any hope it might go back to where it was before I started using minoxidil, I'd keep it the way it is for awhile. But if I know it's definitely only gonna get worse from where it's at right now, it's probably about time to say goodbye.
For quick reference, I started using minoxidil about 10 months ago, and stopped about 6 months ago. Please keep responses focused on when I can be confident I'm at my baseline as that's all I'm interested in. I don't want to go back on minoxidil, and I don't want to get on finasteride, though I'm sure they work great for many. Thanks
So awhile back, I randomly decided I was gonna grow it long. THAT was when I realized it was thin as hell at the crown. I did alot of reading up on minoxidil, and I figured I would be a good candidate for it. Didn't need a miracle, just something to help me hold on to what I had, or best case a slight improvement which would basically mean a full head of hair for me. Everything I read said start early, so I was on it, and I was prepared to stick with it for the long run. There was definitely some shedding in the beginning, I knew what it meant and braved on.
About 4 months in, I wasn't feeling so good. Chest pain, chronic heartburn... I'm NOT claiming minoxidil was responsible, I don't really know. But if it was even a possibility that it was an aggravating factor, I decided my hair wasn't worth it. Whether or not minoxidil was causing me bad side effects isn't the point of my post, so I don't really need the lectures from those are convinced it can do no wrong and that I made a terrible mistake. So yeah, 4 months in... while I was still waiting to see results and had already induced shedding I quit minoxidil. That was about 6 months ago... and as you have probably guessed my hair looks like absolute crap now, as I have the combined initial shed with the shed from quitting, and NONE of the benefits. Yes, I know I stopped at the worst possible time but it was a decision I felt had to be made.
I'm ok with the idea of losing my hair. It's disappointing, but I've had buzz cuts alot of my life anyway and I'm quite prepared to go with a shaved head. But since my hair loss was barely progressed at all to begin with, what I'm wondering is when can I be confident that I'm actually back at my baseline so I can really judge where I'm at? I have long almost shoulder length hair... so shaving it is a pretty extreme move, once I do it, I'm not getting it back. If there's any hope it might go back to where it was before I started using minoxidil, I'd keep it the way it is for awhile. But if I know it's definitely only gonna get worse from where it's at right now, it's probably about time to say goodbye.
For quick reference, I started using minoxidil about 10 months ago, and stopped about 6 months ago. Please keep responses focused on when I can be confident I'm at my baseline as that's all I'm interested in. I don't want to go back on minoxidil, and I don't want to get on finasteride, though I'm sure they work great for many. Thanks
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