Worried about minoxidil shedding/losing hair

[dimitar_berbagod]

I've only been using minoxidil 15% (with azaelic acid) for 8 days but I'm a bit concerned as my temples seem to be receding, even in such a short time. I'm a bit concerned that the solution I'm using is too high a concentration and am worried about it butchering my hairline (I tried dutasteride a few months ago but it was doing the same thing).

Has anyone used the 15% solution with good results, or would I be better off with the 5% foam?

Sorry don't have any photos

 

[Nathaniel]

A 15% solution works the same as a 5% minoxidil solution because the body has absorption issues with minoxidil concentrations higher than 5%, meaning it will not absorb above 5% - that's why rogaine and many generic brands carry a 5% solution and not a 15%.

What you are experiencing is a shed you need to ride it out.

 

[BlahBlah12]

A 15% solution works the same as a 5% minoxidil solution because the body has absorption issues with minoxidil concentrations higher than 5%, meaning it will not absorb above 5% - that's why rogaine and many generic brands carry a 5% solution and not a 15%.

What you are experiencing is a shed you need to ride it out.

please show evidence of this

 

[kadosh]

A 15% solution works the same as a 5% minoxidil solution because the body has absorption issues with minoxidil concentrations higher than 5%, meaning it will not absorb above 5% - that's why rogaine and many generic brands carry a 5% solution and not a 15%.

i've never heard that .
i was planning to start 15% minoxidil if i feel that the 5% is not efficient anymore .
are you sure about this ?

 

[Nathaniel]

A 15% solution works the same as a 5% minoxidil solution because the body has absorption issues with minoxidil concentrations higher than 5%, meaning it will not absorb above 5% - that's why rogaine and many generic brands carry a 5% solution and not a 15%.

What you are experiencing is a shed you need to ride it out.

please show evidence of this

Well, the fact that the leading brands haven't developed a 15% product (if this concentration was more effective, then why aren't there any more of these products?) and the fact that Lee advertises azelaic acid as a '5 alpha reductase inhibitor' (which is false due to the fact that it has no effect on sebum production: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entre ... xed=google) makes me a bit suspicious.

This is just my opinion though.

 

[treeshrew]

I tend to agree that rogaine foam is the way to go.

That said, I had a pretty hard shed on the foam right around 8 days - 14 days - very noticeable, it all came back thicker though.

My feeling is minoxidil is a very powerful drug and will burn you a bit before it starts coming back.

 

[ali777]

My first reaction after starting minoxidil was that it made my hair look worse. Now 2 months in, I think I started seeing results.

It's not significant yet, but I can see more hair when I look at the mirror.

Just give it a bit of time.

 

[Hans Gruber]

dimitar,the best advice anyone can give you is ride it out,youre doing something to help your hair ratehr than doing nothing and letting it fall out anyway.I had massive sheds on liquid and foam but all came back stronger.

 

[dimitar_berbagod]

Cheers for the responses guys!

The reason for my concern is not so much the shedding, but worrying if it will grow back. I say this because I was on the 12.5% solution and experienced a big shed/loss in January where my hairline moved back. I kept using the stuff but still seemed to be losing, particularly at the temples.

I thought a stronger solution might be the answer but have lost a bit at the temples in the last couple of weeks so am thinking I should just cut my losses and maybe go to something lower like the 5% foam.

Hans - did your shedding and regrowth occur on the 5% stuff? Was there regrowth at the temples and how long did the whole process take? Cheers

 

[dimitar_berbagod]

Ali77 - was your regrowth on the 5% and on the temples? Cheers

 

[Nathaniel]

Cheers for the responses guys!

The reason for my concern is not so much the shedding, but worrying if it will grow back. I say this because I was on the 12.5% solution and experienced a big shed/loss in January where my hairline moved back. I kept using the stuff but still seemed to be losing, particularly at the temples.

I thought a stronger solution might be the answer but have lost a bit at the temples in the last couple of weeks so am thinking I should just cut my losses and maybe go to something lower like the 5% foam.

Hans - did your shedding and regrowth occur on the 5% stuff? Was there regrowth at the temples and how long did the whole process take? Cheers

Now that you mention I forgot to tell you that I also experienced a massive shed in the hairline area with a 5% solution. The hairline was literally gone but it regrew back. It took about 6 months to normalize.

 

[DoctorHouse]

Cheers for the responses guys!

The reason for my concern is not so much the shedding, but worrying if it will grow back. I say this because I was on the 12.5% solution and experienced a big shed/loss in January where my hairline moved back. I kept using the stuff but still seemed to be losing, particularly at the temples.

I thought a stronger solution might be the answer but have lost a bit at the temples in the last couple of weeks so am thinking I should just cut my losses and maybe go to something lower like the 5% foam.

Hans - did your shedding and regrowth occur on the 5% stuff? Was there regrowth at the temples and how long did the whole process take? Cheers

Now that you mention I forgot to tell you that I also experienced a massive shed in the hairline area with a 5% solution. The hairline was literally gone but it regrew back. It took about 6 months to normalize.

Nathaniel, when you had your massive shed in the hairline, could you tell me about what percentage of your hairline shed. I had a shed from Promox about a few months ago and caused me to lose at least 30 to 40 percent of my hair just in a small isolated area. Some has grown back but still the area looks diffusely thinner than it has ever been. I do see some new hairs growing back. I guess according to your time scale for things to come back thicker, I still have at least 3 to 4 more months to see things come back if they do. I hate to admit this but my hair went downhill the most after I went to using minoxidil once per day and then cut it back to very little because I thought Proxiphen would help more. Now I am not so sure anymore. I know minoxidil does make the hair dry and straw like but it may have been offsetting things more.

 

[ali777]

Ali77 - was your regrowth on the 5% and on the temples? Cheers

After 2 months I don't really have much regrowth in the temples. I have a bit more vellus hair in my temples, but it's nothing to get excited about. Maybe in another 4-5 months they might thicken a bit.

I can see the miniature hair in my hairline growing though. I'm happy to halt my receding hairline and make it regrow a bit.

I think I need at least another 4 months to have visible difference.

PS: edit: some of my new hair is actually thicker than my existing hair. I believe this is a proof that minoxidil not only grows hair but it thickens as well.

 

[FreeloaderUK]

ahhh so its the minoxidil making my hair look dry & straw like. wasnt quite sure what it was & I couldnt remember it being like that before- i was thinking it was the male pattern baldness causing damage to the hairs or maybe it was finasteride. but atleast i know its the minoxidil.

 

[Nathaniel]

Cheers for the responses guys!

The reason for my concern is not so much the shedding, but worrying if it will grow back. I say this because I was on the 12.5% solution and experienced a big shed/loss in January where my hairline moved back. I kept using the stuff but still seemed to be losing, particularly at the temples.

I thought a stronger solution might be the answer but have lost a bit at the temples in the last couple of weeks so am thinking I should just cut my losses and maybe go to something lower like the 5% foam.

Hans - did your shedding and regrowth occur on the 5% stuff? Was there regrowth at the temples and how long did the whole process take? Cheers

Now that you mention I forgot to tell you that I also experienced a massive shed in the hairline area with a 5% solution. The hairline was literally gone but it regrew back. It took about 6 months to normalize.

Nathaniel, when you had your massive shed in the hairline, could you tell me about what percentage of your hairline shed. I had a shed from Promox about a few months ago and caused me to lose at least 30 to 40 percent of my hair just in a small isolated area. Some has grown back but still the area looks diffusely thinner than it has ever been. I do see some new hairs growing back. I guess according to your time scale for things to come back thicker, I still have at least 3 to 4 more months to see things come back if they do. I hate to admit this but my hair went downhill the most after I went to using minoxidil once per day and then cut it back to very little because I thought Proxiphen would help more. Now I am not so sure anymore. I know minoxidil does make the hair dry and straw like but it may have been offsetting things more.

My shed was really bad. I remember even my dad told me that I was getting worse and he is not the type to comment on stuff like this. I would estimate that I probably lost about 50-60%. It was almost slick bald in some areas. I didn't freak out because at that point I was so depressed that I thought if I lose it, I might as well lose it all. But to my advantage things turned out okay as the hair regrew. I have to mention that I applied twice per day religously and this was before rogaine foam came out, so I really sucked it in. To the day, I still take my 2 minoxidil applications per day like a good soldier. I have grown used to it and I would recommend to everyone to keep it this way to ensure maximum hair retention. Even though some guys only use it once/day, I refuse to give up that extra application - if it's working for me why fix it?

Hope you get better....

 

[DoctorHouse]

Nathaniel, thanks for your response. I think you gave me more hope now. I am going to see how things are in 3 more months and if I don't see major improvement I will have to go back to twice a day application. My hair only went downhill the most when I decided to go to once a day application. I think I had been using twice a day application for so long that my hair was dependent on it. I am not crazy about minoxidil but obviously it helped more than I realized. I guess I had to lose alot before I realized what I had gained.

 

[ali777]

My shed was really bad. I remember even my dad told me that I was getting worse and he is not the type to comment on stuff like this. I would estimate that I probably lost about 50-60%. It was almost slick bald in some areas. I didn't freak out because at that point I was so depressed that I thought if I lose it, I might as well lose it all. But to my advantage things turned out okay as the hair regrew. I have to mention that I applied twice per day religously and this was before rogaine foam came out, so I really sucked it in. To the day, I still take my 2 minoxidil applications per day like a good soldier. I have grown used to it and I would recommend to everyone to keep it this way to ensure maximum hair retention. Even though some guys only use it once/day, I refuse to give up that extra application - if it's working for me why fix it?

Hope you get better....

My shed wasn't so bad, but I had it too....

I agree with the comments about the twice daily application. I don't follow is so religiously, I don't even care about the 12 hour separation between the applications. But it get easier in time. I don't even think about it anymore. I do my first application after my morning shower and my evening application when I brush my teeth. I usually brush my teeth after dinner, so there is enough time for minoxidil to dry.

So, instead of having a minoxidil routine, I have my normal routine with minoxidil added in it.

 

[Nathaniel]

Yeah, applying minoxidil twice a day is easy once you get the hang of it. For me, it is almost like brushing my teeth - something I do everyday without even thinking or getting bothered by.

DoctorHouse, I don't think cutting down to once/day would account to significant loses, but if you say you were using even less than that then definitely you may have put yourself in a position to lose ground. I'm not particularly thrilled either with minoxidil, I wish it did more, but the more I read the more I get convinced that consistent applications together with finasteride really gives you the best shot for hair retention.