Stopped minoxidil. What has happened now is confusing (7 months off minoxidil)

[whatwhat]

So for a couple of years I was on propecia and minoxidil. Main problem was crown thinning.

7 months ago I got a hair transplant and was told that I have to stay on propecia but that I could stop minoxodil and it wasn't a big deal at all. At first things were okay but then by month 4 I had extreme diffuse thinning all over my top (non transplanted areas)


a couple of months later my hair started to come back in those areas. Now it's 7 months since stopping minoxidil and my hair is shedding like absolutely crazy. I run my hand through my hair and get 5-7 hairs on my hand. I shake my hair over the sink and 30-40 hairs fall out.

This is just by running my hand through my hair and shaking it. I lose even more in the shower.



Is it possible to have 2 massive sheds after stopping minoxidil?

I had an insane shed already that topped out at 4 months off minoxidil, and now I'm getting another one since mid August.


I've heard seasonal shedding is a thing, but it sounds insane to be losing this much of hair during it. Not sure what to do.

If I get back on minoxodil, will it still have a good effect?

 

[g.i joey]

I've read something about diffuse thinning and shock loss when it comes to transplants. Do your digging around those 2 terms and I think you'll find what's happening to you

 

[whatwhat]

I've read something about diffuse thinning and shock loss when it comes to transplants. Do your digging around those 2 terms and I think you'll find what's happening to you

Yeah I did look into that, and I think that's actually what happened on top of stopping minoxodil that lead to that extremely massive shed at the 4 month mark after the transplant and stopping minoxidil... It's weird that my hair grew back in though and now another massive shed at the 7 month mark since I presumably already had the shock loss of stopping minoxidil and the transplant at the 4 month mark

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Yes, I think it is possible. It happened to me just after 2 months off minoxidil, 7 is much more. I think you should get back to minoxidil again.
Also - I would like to ask - why did you stop the minoxidil for such a long period of time? I know you must stop minoxidil before the surgery (like about 1 month before), but I think you are allowed to get back to it like few weeks after the surgery... so no need to quit for good.

It was a convenience thing. I was told that my results were 90% finasteride and 10% minoxodil so stopping minoxidil was not a problem at all and he has a ton of people stop minoxidil after transplants with no issues.

I think my results were clearly bigger than 10% min... I wish I never stopped but oh well. I will get back on

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I also have been taking biotin + msm + niacin for the last 2 months, but I was under the impression that a shed from taking those things

 

[GoldenMane]

Don't forget that the new hairs that were implanted on your scalp were not those that the minoxidil affected on.
Hence, the ones who were affected by the minoxidil, now don't have minoxidil anymore. It's almost the same as leaves that stopped getting their water. Nothing now can help them grow as before, so they starting to fall again. That's why I think minoxidil is a contract for life. You can't drop it unless you give up on those hairs that were affected by the minoxidil.
The only case I would consider dropping minoxidil and finasteride after an hair transplant is such a transplant of a Norwood 6-7 case, where absolutely nothing of the old hair remained, and all of your new hair is from the donor area. But also in this case, we are still not sure these hairs are DHT-resistent in 100%.

This. I was also told before my my consultant that my results were 90% finasteride and 10% minoxidil, but it's not that simple. If you regrew hair on top with minoxidil, then that hair needs minoxidil and always will, it will fall out if you stop taking minoxidil, getting a hair transplant doesn't change the fact that a significant amount of your hair may be minoxidil hair, and without minoxidil, it won't grow.

 

[Jg420]

That is some scary sh***

So for a couple of years I was on propecia and minoxidil. Main problem was crown thinning.

7 months ago I got a hair transplant and was told that I have to stay on propecia but that I could stop minoxodil and it wasn't a big deal at all. At first things were okay but then by month 4 I had extreme diffuse thinning all over my top (non transplanted areas)


a couple of months later my hair started to come back in those areas. Now it's 7 months since stopping minoxidil and my hair is shedding like absolutely crazy. I run my hand through my hair and get 5-7 hairs on my hand. I shake my hair over the sink and 30-40 hairs fall out.

This is just by running my hand through my hair and shaking it. I lose even more in the shower.



Is it possible to have 2 massive sheds after stopping minoxidil?

I had an insane shed already that topped out at 4 months off minoxidil, and now I'm getting another one since mid August.


I've heard seasonal shedding is a thing, but it sounds insane to be losing this much of hair during it. Not sure what to do.

If I get back on minoxodil, will it still have a good effect?

I never found it did that much for me so stopped after 6 months...