Rogaine alters existsing hair to be dependant on Rogaine

[Pianist]

EDIT: Sorry, I forgot to put a question mark on the threat title. This wasn't a statement but a question. Can't edit the title...

My doctor (non dermatologist but a male endocrinologist and testosterone replacement specialist) told me that Rogaine/Minoxidil alters existing hair in such a way that it gets dependent on the drug and won't grow without it.

Is that true? Can anyone knowledgeable confirm or deny this?

I'm having androgenic alopecia but it's partial yet, I'm still able to style existing hair to (almost) hide my problematic area on forehead.

Will my existing hair (including on the back and sides) get altered in such a way that even this relatively healthy areas will start shedding once I stop Rogaine?

I haven't started Rogaine yet but considering.

 

[MissingPixels]

No this is not true, or at the very least it's a misleading statement. A hair that is healthy will not be "altered" and become dependent on Rogaine/Minoxidil.

Hair loss progresses because healthy hair becomes unhealthy and miniaturizes. Healthy hair that makes this switch to being unhealthy while you're on your treatment will be propped up by minoxidil, so it would technically be dependent on it. Perhaps this is what your doctor meant.

Stopping minoxidil will make you lose the hair you gained during your treatment as well as the hair you would have lost if you had not done anything at all. You will not lose more hair than if you had done nothing at all.

However minoxidil without a proper DHT blocker is not a long term solution. In fact if you're already having trouble hiding problem areas you might need a stronger regimen than just Rogaine and derma rolling.

 

[resu]

Didn't happen to me and I've stopped and resumed quite a few times so I know how much hair I gain or lose. Doesn't really matter much if you start it and then decide to give up.

 

[Pianist]

What about the fact that it makes weak hair fall out in the beginning.... That's weird and as if "reprogramming" existing hair... Isn't it supposed to increase blood supply and make all hair grow regardless of weak or strong?

 

[Lurker85]

Your endocrinologist sounds like he is uninformed, uneducated on basics of hair loss, and if I were you I'd find someone that actually researches before opening their mouth.

Sorry if this comes off as abrasive, but giving a patient sh*t information as facts is outright dangerous and unethical.

Was he trying to sell you a magic solution that your existing hairs wouldn't become dependent on? If so, message me his info and I'll personally rip him a new one so that he stops hurting people with bad information.

 

[blue16]

What about the fact that it makes weak hair fall out in the beginning.... That's weird and as if "reprogramming" existing hair... Isn't it supposed to increase blood supply and make all hair grow regardless of weak or strong?

Blood flow isn't the only theory why Rogaine works. The truth is, we don't really fully understand the mechanism behind which minoxidil regrows hair. The reason why the hairs fall out in the beginning is apparently it speeds up the hair growth phases and 4 months worth of shedding happens in 4 weeks, then those weaker hairs are replaced by stronger hairs.

 

[el_duterino]

we know how minoxidil works, its a potassium channel opener.

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faseb.onlinelibrary.wiley.com

 

[jamesbooker1975]

EDIT: Sorry, I forgot to put a question mark on the threat title. This wasn't a statement but a question. Can't edit the title...

My doctor (non dermatologist but a male endocrinologist and testosterone replacement specialist) told me that Rogaine/Minoxidil alters existing hair in such a way that it gets dependent on the drug and won't grow without it.

Is that true? Can anyone knowledgeable confirm or deny this?

I'm having androgenic alopecia but it's partial yet, I'm still able to style existing hair to (almost) hide my problematic area on forehead.

Will my existing hair (including on the back and sides) get altered in such a way that even this relatively healthy areas will start shedding once I stop Rogaine?

I haven't started Rogaine yet but considering.

Lets spouse that yes, it do. So ? You will need to use it chronically anyway. So what is the difference ?

 

[jamesbooker1975]

Blood flow isn't the only theory why Rogaine works. The truth is, we don't really fully understand the mechanism behind which minoxidil regrows hair. The reason why the hairs fall out in the beginning is apparently it speeds up the hair growth phases and 4 months worth of shedding happens in 4 weeks, then those weaker hairs are replaced by stronger hairs.

"Blood Flow " can't believe people still repeating that stupidity from the 80s.

 

[jamesbooker1975]

we know how minoxidil works, its a potassium channel opener.

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faseb.onlinelibrary.wiley.com

So? No all the potassium channel opener works to growth hair.

 

[Pianist]

Blood flow isn't the only theory why Rogaine works. The truth is, we don't really fully understand the mechanism behind which minoxidil regrows hair. The reason why the hairs fall out in the beginning is apparently it speeds up the hair growth phases and 4 months worth of shedding happens in 4 weeks, then those weaker hairs are replaced by stronger hairs.

Yes. So if we don't know how the drug works, how can we know that it doesn't do what I suspect it does? The manufacturer spent millions of dollars researching the drug, so I don't buy that they don't know.

 

[pegasus2]

Yes. So if we don't know how the drug works, how can we know that it doesn't do what I suspect it does? The manufacturer spent millions of dollars researching the drug, so I don't buy that they don't know.

We know it doesn't do what you suspect it does because the studies show it doesn't. When minoxidil is discontinued there is an almost immediate and severe shed, in which hair counts drop to slightly below placebo and then bounce back to even with placebo. 3-6 months after discontinuing minoxidil it's like you never took it.

 

[Pianist]

When minoxidil is discontinued there is an almost immediate and severe shed, in which hair counts drop to slightly below placebo and then bounce back to even with placebo. 3-6 months after discontinuing minoxidil it's like you never took it.

But never worse than before you took it?

 

[pegasus2]

But never worse than before you took it?

No.

 

[Lurker85]

But never worse than before you took it?

I used it on my beard for 8 months because I wanted to fill in my cheeks a bit more and extend my terminal length. I filled in decently and went from struggling to push 2 inches to an 8 inch beard. I haven't touched minoxidil for my face the last 2 months since I'm happy with my results. I haven't had any shedding. For beards, discontinuing during the vellus or transitional stage risks shedding of those hairs... once they are fully matured they are permanent. It has no impact on existing healthy hair other than causing it to grow faster and have a longer terminal length.

 

[Pianist]

3-6 months after discontinuing minoxidil it's like you never took it.

What about initial shedding that happens after starting Minoxidil? When Minoxidil is stopped, the hair goes back to pre-Menoxidil, or post initial shedding but pre-new growth?

 

[pegasus2]

What about initial shedding that happens after starting Minoxidil? When Minoxidil is stopped, the hair goes back to pre-Menoxidil, or post initial shedding but pre-new growth?

According to Ralf Paus, hair only miniaturizes during anagen, and possibly only during the very late stages of anagen. If that's true then the hairs shed from minoxidil initiation wouldn't be subject to miniaturization until after they grow back, meaning they would come back just like before even if you stopped minoxidil.

 

[LouisSarkozy]

I used it on my beard for 8 months because I wanted to fill in my cheeks a bit more and extend my terminal length. I filled in decently and went from struggling to push 2 inches to an 8 inch beard. I haven't touched minoxidil for my face the last 2 months since I'm happy with my results. I haven't had any shedding. For beards, discontinuing during the vellus or transitional stage risks shedding of those hairs... once they are fully matured they are permanent. It has no impact on existing healthy hair other than causing it to grow faster and have a longer terminal length.

would this work for eyebrow too? i'm afraid to end up worst if i stop

 

[Lurker85]

would this work for eyebrow too? i'm afraid to end up worst if i stop

One study looked at the efficacy of minoxidil 3 percent for eyebrows and compared it to another hair loss treatment called bimatoprost (Latisse) in a 0.03 percent concentration. After 16 weeks, about 50 percent of participants saw hair regeneration nearly equally with both products. Based on this one clinical study, Rogaine appears to modestly increase eyebrow growth and is comparable to Latisse.

A subsequent studyTrusted Source compared Rogaine with a placebo to see if minoxidil can really treat eyebrows. Forty participants applied a 2 percent concentration to their brows over a period of 16 weeks. At the end of the study, participants who used Rogaine saw better results overall. The researchers deemed that, based on these results, Rogaine can be a safe and effective treatment for eyebrows.

Can Rogaine Regrow Thinning Eyebrows?

Learn what the research says about using the popular hair-loss treatment on your eyebrows.

www.healthline.com

 

[Pianist]

According to Ralf Paus, hair only miniaturizes during anagen, and possibly only during the very late stages of anagen. If that's true then the hairs shed from minoxidil initiation wouldn't be subject to miniaturization until after they grow back, meaning they would come back just like before even if you stopped minoxidil.

I'm still struggling to understand this paragraph....

Let's say I started using Minoxidil and got initial shedding, then I stopped. I will be left with how I stopped - worse than before Minoxidil because it caused shedding, correct?