WTF!? Can't be a shed this fast

[Guest]

I've only started rogaine foam last thursday and now I think I'm already experiencing a shed. I'm losing a lot of hair, about 80% of it is shorter than my current hairlength and almost white! I restarted finasteride 04/26 after a months' hiatus, could it be it? Also I used liquid minoxidil on my hairline and vertex from 05/01 to last thursday (I know, a mistake). Hope this is a good sign, it's freaking the hell outta me anyways. If my hair gets any worse I have no option but to buzz it really close.

 

[vipergts]

I've only started rogaine foam last thursday and now I think I'm already experiencing a shed. I'm losing a lot of hair, about 80% of it is shorter than my current hairlength and almost white! I restarted finasteride 04/26 after a months' hiatus, could it be it? Also I used liquid minoxidil on my hairline and vertex from 05/01 to last thursday (I know, a mistake). Hope this is a good sign, it's freaking the hell outta me anyways. If my hair gets any worse I have no option but to buzz it really close.

Hey bro - Foam made me shed BIG TIME for 6 weeks straight. It was so bad that I finally stopped. In retrospect I think I would have done better to ride it out as many people say that the shedding stops around week 8 or so. Now I am back to liquid minoxidil/ Xandrox the same one I have been using for 3 years and I can safely say that I am having no shedding from the minoxidil at least.

What do you mean by " Also I used liquid minoxidil on my hairline and vertex from 05/01 to last thursday (I know, a mistake)" ? Why would it be a mistake? minoxidil (liquid or not) CAN grow hair on the hairline and vertex. So I am confused by what you said.

 

[Guest]

Hey bro - Foam made me shed BIG TIME for 6 weeks straight. It was so bad that I finally stopped. In retrospect I think I would have done better to ride it out as many people say that the shedding stops around week 8 or so. Now I am back to liquid minoxidil/ Xandrox the same one I have been using for 3 years and I can safely say that I am having no shedding from the minoxidil at least.

What do you mean by " Also I used liquid minoxidil on my hairline and vertex from 05/01 to last thursday (I know, a mistake)" ? Why would it be a mistake? minoxidil (liquid or not) CAN grow hair on the hairline and vertex. So I am confused by what you said.

Yeah I know liquid CAN grow hair just like foam can. It's just that it's a worser version of foam and irritates the scalp much more. It's just damn confusing with these treatments, I have used something for almost a year non-stop and my hair has literally gone to hell. So dunno if there's even a catch for me to continue using anything. It doesn't help that everyone in my family keeps saying that my hair is just like always. f*** them...

 

[vipergts]

Yeah I know liquid CAN grow hair just like foam can. It's just that it's a worser version of foam and irritates the scalp much more. It's just d*** confusing with these treatments, I have used something for almost a year non-stop and my hair has literally gone to hell. So dunno if there's even a catch for me to continue using anything. It doesn't help that everyone in my family keeps saying that my hair is just like always. f*** them...

Bro, I TOTALLY know where you are coming from. The confusion and frustration are the worst aspects of losing this battle with hair loss. Here we are using the best and most proven treatments and still losing ground. Trust me I am going through the same thing. I wanted to quit minoxidil so bad because it irritates my scalp beyong words! However literally everyone on this forum thinks doing so will lead to losing all the minoxidil sensitive hairs within 3-6 months. This is obviousoly scary Shi* and due to this fear I continue using minoxidil. Honestly my hair is very much like yours. I wish I hadn't even started minoxidil and used only Propecia. Now I am too afraid to stop using minoxidil. Here is what I suggest - first of all calm down and take a deep breath! You are a great looking guy and even if you go bald (worse case) you will probably get twice as many chicks as most guys with a NW0 ;-) I suggest sticking with the Foam a few more weeks to see if the increased shedding stops. If it doesn't then I recommend trying a LOW PPG formula like Spectral or a NO PPG formula like Dr Lee's minoxidil with Glycerine. I have used both these products and they improve the itching problem a lot. Of course your other option is to either lower the dosage of minoxidil to 0.5ml twice a day or 1ml once a day in the morning. Use Aloe Vera, Copper Peptides and Emu Oil to counter the itch if it gets severe. Try mixing some Emu oil (only a few drops) with your nizoral and leave it on your scalp for 10 minutes. Trust me your scalp will thank you later.

Tell yourself that you are not alone in this battle - we are all going thru the same thing. It's something frustrating and depressing BUT worst things will happen to us in this life and if we can't deal with something as basic as Hairloss what chance do we have against the fights that are yet to come....

 

[Guest]

Yeah I know liquid CAN grow hair just like foam can. It's just that it's a worser version of foam and irritates the scalp much more. It's just d*** confusing with these treatments, I have used something for almost a year non-stop and my hair has literally gone to hell. So dunno if there's even a catch for me to continue using anything. It doesn't help that everyone in my family keeps saying that my hair is just like always. f*** them...

Bro, I TOTALLY know where you are coming from. The confusion and frustration are the worst aspects of losing this battle with hair loss. Here we are using the best and most proven treatments and still losing ground. Trust me I am going through the same thing. I wanted to quit minoxidil so bad because it irritates my scalp beyong words! However literally everyone on this forum thinks doing so will lead to losing all the minoxidil sensitive hairs within 3-6 months. This is obviousoly scary Shi* and due to this fear I continue using minoxidil. Honestly my hair is very much like yours. I wish I hadn't even started minoxidil and used only Propecia. Now I am too afraid to stop using minoxidil. Here is what I suggest - first of all calm down and take a deep breath! You are a great looking guy and even if you go bald (worse case) you will probably get twice as many chicks as most guys with a NW0 ;-) I suggest sticking with the Foam a few more weeks to see if the increased shedding stops. If it doesn't then I recommend trying a LOW PPG formula like Spectral or a NO PPG formula like Dr Lee's minoxidil with Glycerine. I have used both these products and they improve the itching problem a lot. Of course your other option is to either lower the dosage of minoxidil to 0.5ml twice a day or 1ml once a day in the morning. Use Aloe Vera, Copper Peptides and Emu Oil to counter the itch if it gets severe. Try mixing some Emu oil (only a few drops) with your nizoral and leave it on your scalp for 10 minutes. Trust me your scalp will thank you later.

Tell yourself that you are not alone in this battle - we are all going thru the same thing. It's something frustrating and depressing BUT worst things will happen to us in this life and if we can't deal with something as basic as Hairloss what chance do we have against the fights that are yet to come....

Yeah I know I'm not alone, thanks for the kind words. It's just that no one I know is balding, everyone seems to have a full head of hair except me and my twin brother. If my brother wouldn't be such a f*****g moron we could support each others, but no, he doesn't wanna talk about this, he just tries to act like the hairloss doesn't even bother him. Everyone else in my family just keep telling me my hair is like it always has been. Damn, I've lost 50% of my hair in the past year, I'm not making that up you stupid weirdos :lol: . Dunno what is their goal with trying to deny all this sh*t... do they think that I suddenly start to believe them instead of my eyes?

 

[RaginDemon]

I've only started rogaine foam last thursday and now I think I'm already experiencing a shed. I'm losing a lot of hair, about 80% of it is shorter than my current hairlength and almost white! I restarted finasteride 04/26 after a months' hiatus, could it be it? Also I used liquid minoxidil on my hairline and vertex from 05/01 to last thursday (I know, a mistake). Hope this is a good sign, it's freaking the hell outta me anyways. If my hair gets any worse I have no option but to buzz it really close.

I experienced a shed 2 weeks into treatment as well, you gotta ride it out. Remember most of the hair your shedding will come back thicker. GL!

 

[Guest]

Well I don't even know if this is a shed anymore. I lose probably < 5 hairs when shampooing, 0-2 on my pillow in the morning etc., some 10-15 on my shirt during day so no big deal. Besides, most of them are shorter and thinner than my normal hairs. I haven't really been obsessed about counting hairs since last summer so it's hard to tell. Anyhoo, since I think a lot of the hairs on top of my head have already started miniaturizing, will I f*****g lose all of them during the treatment? In that case I'd be practically bald before I'd even begin to see the benefits. Another question, how good a chance do I have to reverse the miniaturizing process with finasteride/rogaine foam? I have almost good enough density on top of my head, the problem is mostly the miniaturization.

P.S. I'm probably dramatizing the cosmetic effect the "shed" is having, I know I was shocked about how bad my hair looked already in March so it can't be that much worse.

I wish I hadn't even started minoxidil and used only Propecia. Now I am too afraid to stop using minoxidil.

Word! I don't think I was doing that bad on finasteride only. Then I used minoxidil for 3 weeks and lost shitloads of hair during that time and my scalp hurt like hell! I'm sure it would've grown back had I stayed on minoxidil but I just couldn't deal with the itch.

 

[Guest]

Now it's confirmed. It IS a shed. I just woke up and there was like 10 hairs on my pillow, which is about 10 times a normal amount. This time there was some thick hairs in the mix and that kinda freaked me out. I can't afford to lose many thick hairs in my current hair state.

 

[Mobbo]

it seems that you`re being overly dramatic. just push through it. you`ll come back thicker.

 

[Guest]

it seems that you`re being overly dramatic. just push through it. you`ll come back thicker.

Damn right I am :lol: . I'll continue, I'm damned if I don't anyways. Keeping my thinning hair for a year longer (without treatments) doesn't change anything, so might as well hit it big time.

 

[RaginDemon]

well i have been shedding out mostly small tiny hairs......I checked the overall density of my hair recently and it has not been changed much. After using nizoral for a while, I do however noticed it tends to make my hair softer.

 

[Guest]

well i have been shedding out mostly small tiny hairs......I checked the overall density of my hair recently and it has not been changed much. After using nizoral for a while, I do however noticed it tends to make my hair softer.

Yeah, same here. Losing mostly tiny hairs but some potent terminal hairs aswell (I really don't know what's a terminal hair anymore lol). My hair doesn't look much worse than it did on January, though.

 

[RaginDemon]

well i have been shedding out mostly small tiny hairs......I checked the overall density of my hair recently and it has not been changed much. After using nizoral for a while, I do however noticed it tends to make my hair softer.

Yeah, same here. Losing mostly tiny hairs but some potent terminal hairs aswell (I really don't know what's a terminal hair anymore lol). My hair doesn't look much worse than it did on January, though.

I know what you mean bro. It is still scary to see whole bunch of tiny hair falling everywhere. I just kept telling myself it's a good sign and the hair will come back thicker.

 

[Guest]

well i have been shedding out mostly small tiny hairs......I checked the overall density of my hair recently and it has not been changed much. After using nizoral for a while, I do however noticed it tends to make my hair softer.

Yeah, same here. Losing mostly tiny hairs but some potent terminal hairs aswell (I really don't know what's a terminal hair anymore lol). My hair doesn't look much worse than it did on January, though.

I know what you mean bro. It is still scary to see whole bunch of tiny hair falling everywhere. I just kept telling myself it's a good sign and the hair will come back thicker.

The thing that scares me even more is that my scalp has been hurting like hell recently (I had these periods even when I wasn't on foam so I don't think it's it)...

 

[Meddller]

GHG, I'm new to the forum and I've read a lot of your posts. I just purchased 5% foam and I'm not sure if I want to go on it yet? I'm scared I'm going to lose more hair than I have now (your thoughts?). Stay positive and keep me posted. I appreciate reading your posts and listening to your thoughts of minoxidil......it helps me big time.

 

[Guest]

GHG, I'm new to the forum and I've read a lot of your posts. I just purchased 5% foam and I'm not sure if I want to go on it yet? I'm scared I'm going to lose more hair than I have now (your thoughts?). Stay positive and keep me posted. I appreciate reading your posts and listening to your thoughts of minoxidil......it helps me big time.

Glad to be of help. I don't really have nothing to say about the foam yet. It's relatively easy to apply, doesn't irritate the scalp as much as the liquid, I haven't had a proper shed yet. Of course, no results yet since I have used it only about 2 weeks. My scalp is really sensitive to begin with and I had these periods of scalp pain already in the fall when I wasn't using any topicals. If your scalp is sensitive, stay clear of liquid minoxidil though, it's a big satan :lol: .

 

[rkim]

GHG,

An update on your minoxidil progress?

 

[pproctor]

I've only started rogaine foam last thursday and now I think I'm already experiencing a shed. I'm losing a lot of hair, about 80% of it is shorter than my current hairlength and almost white! I restarted finasteride 04/26 after a months' hiatus, could it be it? Also I used liquid minoxidil on my hairline and vertex from 05/01 to last thursday (I know, a mistake). Hope this is a good sign, it's freaking the hell outta me anyways. If my hair gets any worse I have no option but to buzz it really close.

Dr P sez: According to the Rogaine package insert, early inducd shedding of loss-phase hair due to follicles being driven out of dormancy can happsn as early as two weeks after starting treatment. In my expereince ( and I probably discovered this phenomena in the first place over 20 years ago), 3-6 weeks is much more typical. So minoxidil is unlikely as a cause of your shedding. From the timing, Finesteride (propecia) is more likely. Or it could just be coincidental.

Anyway, here is my usual advice: 1. The hair was about to fall out anyway. 2. If treatment is causing it, it means treatment is working. 3. Because it tends to mean an early and extensive response, it tends to be associated with a good eventual result.

Peter H. Proctor, PhD,MD