Losing Hair Faster After Starting Treatment

[Hairmess]

Keep with it! Honestly i don't see any loss in density from your picture earlier in the month. If anything it's remained the same! I would definietly stick with until you speak with the specialist. But from my opinion I don't think it's making you lose any hair. Remember the suggested time is 6 months. I'm right here with you when it comes to the dreaded shed. I am still losing quite a lot of hair but when I loooked very closely to my hair line I see tiny little hairs sprouting! I am see a trichologist Monday that specializes in hair loss. I'm going to talk to her about rogaine shed and I'll keep you updated. Hope this helps.

 

[BaldingGuy]

Hi, so yesterday I went to the hair specialist and he confirmed what I thought. He said that 4 months of shedding more hair than before the treatment isn't normal and the shedding should've stopped or slowed down by now.
After he checked my scalp he also confirmed that it was really messed up and it was most likely the cause for my abnormal shedding. He prescribed me oral deflazacort and a clobetasol propionate foam for the inflammation/itching. My hair fall should normalize within 15-30 days. I just hope it does and that the hair I've lost isn't permanently lost... He said my hair should be fine and I would be ok... but I dunno...

Another thing, the new minoxidil he prescribed me is just PPG, ethanol and purified water but the one I was using had two extra ingredients - isopropyl alcohol and salicylic acid. maybe one of them was messing my scalp..?

I've noticed is that this new minoxidil doesn't leave me with all the white residue the other did but this one is a lot more greasier. I feel stupid for thinking that every minoxidil was the same. Should I be worried that a shed from switching brands of minoxidil can happen ? Really hope not.

 

[Hairmess]

Hey balding guy, it might have been the salicyclic acid! I've had shampoo wth that in it and it really irritated my scalp. It's very drying! That may have made your scalp inflamed resulting in prolonged shedding? I'm no professional but once you get the inflammation down it might give the minoxidil a chance to work! I'm glad you are sticking with the minoxidil. Im still holding strong to it. My shed is still pretty bad. I'm a little over a month in. It's so stressful!! I hope it works for us both

I don't think you will have an increased shed switching as minoxidil is the main ingredient and is what pushes the resting telogen hairs out to make room for stronger thicker hair. That's why we have such a crazy shed in the beginning. It's such a tough process to go through. I'm hoping in a few weeks when I'm closer to my two month mark I will have a significant decrease in shedding. My hair is looking thinner than ever!

Pray for it!!

 

[BaldingGuy]

Hey balding guy, it might have been the salicyclic acid! I've had shampoo wth that in it and it really irritated my scalp. It's very drying! That may have made your scalp inflamed resulting in prolonged shedding? I'm no professional but once you get the inflammation down it might give the minoxidil a chance to work! I'm glad you are sticking with the minoxidil. Im still holding strong to it. My shed is still pretty bad. I'm a little over a month in. It's so stressful!! I hope it works for us both

I don't think you will have an increased shed switching as minoxidil is the main ingredient and is what pushes the resting telogen hairs out to make room for stronger thicker hair. That's why we have such a crazy shed in the beginning. It's such a tough process to go through. I'm hoping in a few weeks when I'm closer to my two month mark I will have a significant decrease in shedding. My hair is looking thinner than ever!

Pray for it!!

Thanks for all the replies!!
The doctor made a 'what the hell' type face when he saw my scalp... It was priceless! lol

Yeah, when the doctor asked me what brand I was using and prescribed me another one I compared the ingredients in both and it makes sense. This new minoxidil doesn't make my scalp all messed up.

As for the shedding: It's been almost a month since I stopped applying minoxidil on the mid and back of my scalp and honestly I'm not having the mother of all sheds like it was reported but we'll see in the next 2 months what happens. As for the front where I still apply it it's getting thinner. The temples were looking better but now they're worse again.. (the shedding increased in the last week).

How about you?? Is your shedding worse or about the same ?? Stay strong, it will get better!! But just an advice, if it doesn't stop or decrease drastically in the 2nd month, if I were you I'd go to the doctor to get it checked out.. I have no doubt that my hair would be in better shape if I went to the derm in my second month.

It's really depressing.. Today I bumped into an ex coworker of mine and as we were talking she was like "oh you look different" then looked to my face -> hair -> face and she was like "i dunno you look strange. Maybe it's the beard".... It was like a punch in the stomach.. Yeah I lost some weight being depressed all the time, yeah my beard is a bit different, but deep down I know my thinning is starting to show.. Let's see if it gets better with the new treatment...

Praying for the both of us!!!!!

 

[BaldingGuy]

So, 7 months in and I'm definitely going to stop minoxidil for good... These last few months were brutal. But oddly enough the areas were I stopped applying minoxidil back in July haven't got visibly worse, just were I apply it. Maybe I got my answer.. I also developed dermatitis (which I never had before) so yeah...

Should I just stop or start applying it just 1 time for awhile and then stop ?