Going almost bald during shedding phase?

[Chamiga]

Hi,

 

I'm new to the forum, but I'm currently using Rogaine (strong) for the very first time and going through the shedding phase and having a (bit of a) panic.

 

I have read a lot about it and understand that it's a necessary phase of hair regrowth, but I'm worried that the regrowth won't begin before my hairloss becomes painfully noticeable.

 

I've always had super thin and fine hair, the best hairstyle has been a ponytail or straightening and lots of products, but I'm shedding so much right now that I'm afraid there will be visible bald patches / very visible scalp before any new hair arrive. It seems to be a little bit worse every time I shower.

 

I've used Rogaine twice a day for just over three weeks now and shedding has been really bad for the past 10 days or so. The articles I've read have said that shedding could last from 1 to 3 months; I'm ok with the 1 month, but not so with 3 - I don't think there will be anything left to shed when I get to three months!

 

Is this actually possible though? Can one go bald or have visibly balding hair during the shedding phase because the hair was naturally very thin? I understand that all the hair that was going to fall out at one point is falling out at the same time, but could that be the majority? Or will hair growth start while I'm shedding and my body somehow naturally makes sure that not all of it will fall out?

 

Lots of questions and probably not the smartest ones, but it's really knocking my confidence so I'm hoping that my fears get put to rest or at least I will know that I need to start looking for a wig

 

Chamiga

[mahhong]

Hi Chamiga,

 

As you say, shedding is normal with minoxidil and unfortunately sometimes a necessary process before the positive effects of the drug become noticeable. It's impossible to say how long it will last for or how severe it will be, although I would imagine total baldness is extremely unlikely. The hair becoming visibly thinner, however, may be a possibility.

 

Rather than a wig, it may be possible to use concealers to cover up some of the hairloss in this phase, perhaps? They usually do a very convincing job when there is some hair but it has thinned, so they may work well to cover up the temporary hair loss. It's a less drastic measure than a wig.

 

Or you may find the shed is not as severe as you first feared - I think a heightened sense of fear is to be expected, so you may find things don't get as bad as you thought they might. Or perhaps you can talk to a stylist that might be able to create a layered hairstyle that can cover much of your loss for the temporary shed (this might combine with concealer, too).

 

The shedding is usually, in the longer term, a good sign though, so keep hold of that thought when going through this temporary distress!

[Ernie]

Chamiga,

 

I had a big scary post-op shed too. I felt like I had made a huge mistake - but it all came back just after 4 months