Shedding on minox

[aim4hair]

Hey guys,

Quick question, when starting minox does shedding always happen ? Or just for some cases?

Also how early it happens ? Let's say i been using it for 5 days yet with no shedding, does that mean im in the safe side or it takes more time for the shedding to start ??

 

Thanks,

[Podslapper]

I'm not sure what is or isn't typical, but in my experience Minoxidil does cause shedding (I've been using the 5% Kiirkland liquid variety). I started using it last October or so, and noticed a bit of extra shedding for about a month, starting maybe two weeks after I began treatment. After the month was over the shedding stopped, and maybe four months later I noticed my hair was a little thicker than before--might have been my imagination, but I attributed it to either the minox or propecia I'd just begun taking.

 

I also recently had to stop using it for about a month (went to Europe, where apparently it's illegal without a prescription), and when I came back and started using it again I started shedding again two-three weeks later (this time much more massively than the first time I used it, and still ongoing after two months). Hopefully it'll stop soon and I'll regrow some of the hair that I've lost.

 

But anyway, that has been my experience with the product.

Edited August 15, 2012 by Podslapper

[aim4hair]

Thanks man, is minox good for diffuse thinning, or there is a risk the thin hair will not grow back after shedding?

[Podslapper]

There's always that risk, but I think the philosophy is that since those hairs are bound to disappear anyway, it's probably worth it to strengthen the hairs that haven't been completely ravished by DHT yet. From what I understand, minox causes your hairs to enter the anagen (or growth) phase of the hair cycle, and somehow prolongs this phase. I'm not sure if the shedding caused by the drug is the hair going into the telegen (or resting) phase to prepare for the new growth cycle, but that would make sense to me, since the resting phase lasts appr. 5-6 weeks, roughly the same amount of time most people complain about shedding from minoxidil.

 

In any case, it's important to stay on it through the shedding phase, because this means that the product is working, and most of the hairs you're losing are getting ready to grow back stronger than before.

 

As far as diffuse thinning, I can't say for sure, but it seemed to work for me. My hair loss is mostly in the front and temples, but I've had gradual thinning throughout the whole scalp, and after using minox for a few months, it seemed a little thicker than before. I also noticed a lot fewer hairs in the shower drain and on my pillow at night than I had before ever using the stuff (although I was also on propecia at this point, so it's hard to say which was having the greater effect. I would recommend both if you're serious about trying to control your hair loss).