HOW MUCH SHEDDING OCCURS???

[Angie #7]

I was wondering if anyone could tell me how much shedding they had when first going on Minoxidol?
I would like to try this product for my son(16yrs old) but he gets upset know with maybe 15-20 hairs coming out when styling.
He's probably a Nor2-2.5, and since he is going back to school next week I don't want the hairloss to look to noticeable.

 

[iamnaked]

My experience was that the shedding was noticeable. My frontal density (where I was applying it) really took a hit, looking flat and lifeless. This occurred about the third month in. Thereafter it improved, before I suffered a dip in form at the six month mark. Since then it's all been gravy however. I rate minoxidil, however - I really believe that stuff works.

 

[exstatic]

Alot of shedding, you have to deal with it.. as the old saying goes, you have to spend money to make money.. in this case, lose hairs to make hairs..

 

[shh5455]

Yeah chances are he could lose some density but that doesn't necessarily mean it will be noticeable. I shed a lot for about 4 months the first time I went on it and it wasn't really that noticeable. I would look at propecia first though.

 

[exstatic]

Yeah chances are he could lose some density but that doesn't necessarily mean it will be noticeable. I shed a lot for about 4 months the first time I went on it and it wasn't really that noticeable. I would look at propecia first though.

shh5455, you shouldnt recomend a hormone manipulating drug to a person who hasnt even reached full maturity, it is certainly way to early for him to be using propecia.

I suggest, get some nizoral, maybe some American Crew Revitalize, and t-Gel/Sal shampoo, just make sure he keeps good scalp health.

Non-Topicals can be dangerous, and the side affects of such drugs in a person so young could cause issues.

 

[Angie #7]

The propecia thing, Tyler wants nothing to do with right now, he's afraid of the side effects and I want him to reach full maturity before he considers it.
He just wants to maintain the hair he has now, and maybe regrow if possible some of the temple area, that was hit the worst so far. He is still loosing hair some weeks more than others.
I mentioned to him the minoxidil this morning, the only thing is the shedding, I wish I had started him the beginning of summer this way maybe the shedding would have calmed down. If he starts it now, I guess he could always shave his head to a #1 until regrowth occurs?
Also I live in Canada and my pharmacy said it does not carry minoxidil 5% the 2% is available on the shelf but I know this doesn't work.
I am going to see if they have it in Buffalo at a pharmacy, if not when the time comes I'll order it online.
Tyler is using American Crew revilalize line, I have a little of the old packaging serum left and then I will try folligen or Tromin.
Thanks for the help

 

[exstatic]

Actually, the more I think about this, the more it concerns me.. I would go get some bloods and tests done first rather than diagnose it as male pattern baldness yourself and end up buying a cocktail of drugs off the internet.

Go see a derm, and get a medical answer, it is possible that your son is losing his hair for other reasons, have a look on the main sections of this website for other causes of hairloss, i.e; stress, thyroid etc..

But all in all, it may be best to see a professional before starting any treatment.

 

[Aplunk1]

You and your son should talk to a dermatologist or your GP.

He/She can best decide the treatments available for your son.

The 5% is available in the U.S. for over-the-counter treatment. However, I'm not sure if it's available in the 5% form in Canada. You can order from http://www.ebay.com for a cheap 3-month supply.



For me, the shedding from minoxidil wasn't that bad... I had a hard time coping with the additional loss of hairs. I thought that I was just going even more bald... but the treatment eventually kicked in, and I'm still seeing benefit from it. I've used it for about 9/10 months, and it really works.

Because there can be some irritation when using minoxidil, you should consider buying your son a good shampoo. I recommend the following: Head and Shoulders - Refresh with Mint, Nizoral shampoo, T/Gel (There are generics of this at any store... it's called Coal Tar Shampoo), T/Sal.

They will all alleviate any irritation from the Rogaine, and they leave your scalp feeling great.

Look into it.

Hope this helps.

 

[Angie #7]

The first place I took Tyler was to my GP and then to the dermatoligist.
If you look on tell your story, I have posted a long explaination of my son Tyler's treatment, up until now. I won't repeat it because it is loonnngg.
To sum it up though, he has had blood work all normal, he was on accutane at 14 (when the trouble with his hair began), he has had a saliva male hormone test with the naturopath, I posted those results in some other area here, but his dht count was 96 and his testoterone was>1000, so he is on all this natural herbal, and homeopathic stuff to apparently balance his hormones. But I think I have wasted alot of time and money and I honestly don't know if it is working.
I have even taken him to a tricholigist in Toronto, who deals with hair diseases, hair loss, problems with the scalp. He feels that the accutane he was on may have kicked his system in to earyl male pattern baldness. Accutane can cause permanent hair loss in some people 1 in every 14.

So this is why I'm turning to you guys, the ones I say have the most experience so that hopefully I can help Tyler make some smart, informed decisions, and stop wasting all this money chasing rainbows.

I am also a hairstylist, and I can honestly say that in my 25 years of doing many heads of hair I have never come across too many males that are starting to go bald at this age. Since I have visited these sites I see that it is common. I no longer 100% blame the use of accutane.

 

[iamnaked]

I sympathise with you and your son's situation. I was in a near identical situation to him - such an image conscious age is never a good time to start losing your hair.

We've been having discussions over the other part of the site in which Bryan mentioned that testosterone regulation is unlikely to have much of an effect, because of the feedback mechanism which leads to upregulation of testosterone production where the regulatory cells detect a drop in serum concentration.

My advice would be to take a look at the family history. If he has any family members with male pattern baldness, I would cut out the expensive consultations and get him on an aggressive regime of topicals. I would recommend a combination of Nizoral,
Copper Peptides (Tricomin, Folligen, American Crew), Minoxidil (Generic will do) and a topical 5-ar inhibitor (some suggestions are Spironolactone, Fluridil, Flutamide, RU - these vary wildly in expense). You should probably do some research on each of these before making the plunge. This needn't be wildly expensive. A four month course of Nizoral, Folligen and Topical spironolactone costs me the equivalent of only about seventy bucks.

The nizoral and the 5-ar inhibitor will have a topical anti-androgenetic effect, stopping the follicles from being damaged more than they already are, whilst the copper peptides will help keep his scalp healthy and the minoxidil should in time provide a growth offset which, if he takes to it, should mask the worst of the existing damage.

You could also get him to consider some cosmetic treatments, especially during the initial phase of treatment, when shedding can be a problem (some kind of masker, or microfibres: e.g. Toppik).

A systemic DHT-inhibitor like finasteride or dutasteride is the logical next step. The only thing to watch out for in this is that inhibiting DHT production can affect puberty (DHT affects hair and genitalia growth during puberty) so you want your son to be sure he's finished that before he starts on a course of those.

 

[Angie #7]

So the Nizoral shampoo stops the dht from connecting and further damaging the hair?

 

[IBM]

.

 

[Angie #7]

Then what is the purpose of the shampoo? If its to maintain a healthy scalp, there have been recent studies that say dandruff shampoos such as head and shoulders (I don't know if Nizoral contains any of the same ingredients) the ingredients contain carcingens, and I was also told by the tricholigist I saw that dandruff shampoos actually makes the scalp produce more flakes, which causes you to have to continue using it.

 

[agent_sam]

Then what is the purpose of the shampoo? If its to maintain a healthy scalp, there have been recent studies that say dandruff shampoos such as head and shoulders (I don't know if Nizoral contains any of the same ingredients) the ingredients contain carcingens, and I was also told by the tricholigist I saw that dandruff shampoos actually makes the scalp produce more flakes, which causes you to have to continue using it.

that to me sounds bull sh*t

 

[iamnaked]

Well there was a study done (some way back -forgive me I'm too lazy to do the legwork) which noted that ketoconazole (nizoral's active ingredient) had a similar effect to minoxidil in stopping haircounts from decreasing. Reasons for this which have been suggested are:

a) It improves scalp health by clearing detritus and killing fungal colonies and mites which, it has been suggested amplify the immune response which causes hair follicles to atrophy.

b) It has a mild antiandrogenetic effect.

I am more inclined to believe a) than b), but both have been suggested. Some people on this forum really swear by nizoral. I just use it occasionally. I don't think it's bad stuff though. Certainly the cancer-causing claims I think are very wide of the mark. Everything these days is cancer causing.

 

[iamnaked]

I was also told by the tricholigist I saw that dandruff shampoos actually makes the scalp produce more flakes, which causes you to have to continue using it.

No doubt so he could try to sell you some of his herbal home made stuff. Why are trichologists such quacks? I always seem to see them coming out with some ridiculous crap like this. It's no surprise that your scalp starts to produce dandruff after you stop using the shampoo, because THAT'S WHAT YOU STARTED USING THE SHAMPOO FOR IN THE FIRST PLACE! :hairy:

 

[Angie #7]

Thanks for the info, I'm going to start adding this to Tyler's regimen, now that I know what it is intended for. As for the Tricholigist, your right, I am sick and tired of throwing my money away on these natural people. I have tried a naturopath and my son is on a thousand things sincfe March that have done nothing, the tricholigist with his special diet and his natural lotion has cost me $600.00 since July and I still see hair falling from Tyler's head like crazy. I just emailed him today and told him I was not happy and he said be patient, I said this thing started with Tyler in March he is now a norwood 2.5 heading for a 3 and I'm sure by this March if I continue on this route he will be bald. The only thing that this diet did for him was make him loose 11lbs which he did not need to loose. He is 5'9 and now weighs 142 pounds.

 

[Hellboy]

So the Nizoral shampoo stops the dht from connecting and further damaging the hair?

Nizoral did nothing for me. I have used it for 6 months and I swear to god it makes my scalp worse every time I use it. I usually shampoo at 11 pm. Immediately after my hair dries , I feel more itching and see red spots on my scalp. In the morning I discover more flake built up . I don't know if this is a common side effect among Nizoral users though.
Here's a warning guys , Nizoral is some really nasty sh*t and even on the instructions paper inside the package they say " Seborrheic Dermatitis is a condition that is associated with hairloss. This also can happen when using Nizoral "
:freaked: :freaked: :freaked:

By the way , I dropped it two weeks ago and switched to "Item" ( a sebum regulating shampoo) , and I'm starting to see better results !

 

[Angie #7]

Hellboy: I was just curious if your regimen is working for you?
I am now thinking about putting Tyler on Minoxidil, and I am looking for feedback. How was the shedding period? Did you see results? and how bad is your problem and if you don't mind your age? Were you ever on accutane for acne problems? any info would be appreciated.
Back to the Nizoral, this is why I was asking questions about what it is exactly Nizoral is used for before using it on Tyler.
I noticed that when he used head and shoulders for a while his flakes became more severe and he complained of itching. Wherever he itched he lost hair.
He now alternates between AC revitalizing shampoo and Avalon all natural Rosemary and lavendar shampoo, there has been no flaking ever since, but I thought the Nizoral had some other qualities since everyone here seems to use it or suggest it along with other remedies.

 

[Hellboy]

Hellboy: I was just curious if your regimen is working for you?
I am now thinking about putting Tyler on Minoxidil, and I am looking for feedback. How was the shedding period? Did you see results? and how bad is your problem and if you don't mind your age? Were you ever on accutane for acne problems? any info would be appreciated.
Back to the Nizoral, this is why I was asking questions about what it is exactly Nizoral is used for before using it on Tyler.
I noticed that when he used head and shoulders for a while his flakes became more severe and he complained of itching. Wherever he itched he lost hair.
He now alternates between AC revitalizing shampoo and Avalon all natural Rosemary and lavendar shampoo, there has been no flaking ever since, but I thought the Nizoral had some other qualities since everyone here seems to use it or suggest it along with other remedies.

Well here's my story !
First ,I can't say my regimen is working for me or even maintaining my hair. I am 26 and I have fair dark brown hair. My temples started receding since 2002 I was 22 back then and it wasn't so noticable. Fortunately , I don't know anything about accutane or acne problems.
In early January this year , I went to a Dermatolog to treat my Seborrheic Dermatitis and he told me as a side note that I should do something about my hair loss and that I was a Norwood 2.5 ( and I was like " what da hell is a Norwood pattern ? ".
Before then , I knew nothing about the causes of hairloss , hairloss treatments or this forum. He prescribed minonoxidil 2 % and asked me to return after 3 months. After that I became so obsessed with my hairloss that I educated my self and learnt most things about causes and different treatments and regimes thanks to this forum. I never returned to my derm because I knew he couldn't tell me anything that I didn't know.
I bought a 5% genric minoxidil as I didn't wanna bother with the 2 % , and Nizoral 2 %. Fortunately , I was expecting the shedding ( thanks to this forum). It started a week after the first application and was really scary for the first 3 months , loads of hair on the sink when I comb. It slowed down gradually until completely stopped in May. The shedding had left noticable thin spots around my temples , which even receded like 1.5 cm further.
Up to now ( seven months , 12 days on minoxidil to be exact ) I haven't regrown all the hair I shed , let alone any gains. I have recovered like 50-70 % but not all I shed.Some how, my hair overall looks more dense and healthy than it ever was and there's some vellus hair emerging in my temples which I really don't expect to grow terminal after reading similar posts. Sometimes I still see some spots around my hairline become even thinner like I'm still shedding.
I don't know whether I'm going to see results later on or I'm doomed to lose this battle already , which in this case I'll be hugely disappointed with minoxidil.
As for Nizoral , I told you what it did to my hair in my previous post , but I can't just generalize the fact that it doesn't work because everyone is different , so who knows , it might just work for you.
I hope this was helpful.