|
 Dr. Alan J. Bauman is the Founder, Medical Director and Chief Surgeon of the Bauman Medical Group, P.A. located in Wharfside at Boca Pointe in Boca Raton, Florida. His practice is dedicated exclusively to treating male and female pattern hair loss. Dr. Bauman uses state-of-the-art medical and surgical techniques to help his patients maintain and/or restore their scalp hair.
skinny
2005-07-25
should I stop using minoxidil?
HI
I\\\'ve been using Minoxidil 5% for about four weeks now and i\\\'ve noticed a massive increase of hairloss since the middle of the second week. I\\\'m confused because the so-called initial shed was only supposed to affect the areas of the scalp where minoxidil is being used. And i\\\'m only using minoxidil in the temples area, yet the shed affecs the entire scalp, including the crown, the back of my head and the area above the ears. What\\\'s going on? I\\\'ve seriously considered dropping minoxidil, especially since my shedding got so bad that i now lose hair almost constantly and showering is terrible. It appears that if it keeps this bad i\\\'ll be bald in no time... Could it be that the shedding is just a normal evolution of my hairloss and has nothing to do with minoxidil? And please would you also inform me about the possibility of a likely shed happen with propecia (because i\\\'m considering starting to take if there\\\'s no danger of it making things worse)
Any help would be very appreciated
The shedding may or may not be related to the minoxidil. Minoxidil is a hair follicle stimulator. It tends to shift follicles from a resting phase into a growing phase. Sometimes a shed after starting the medication is seen. In general, it is believed that this is due to large numbers of resting follicles (with hair shafts in place) that are now starting to grow (and then push out the old hair shafts). Continued use of minoxidil will keep the hair follicles growing. If you are male, you should consider Propecia if there is male pattern hair loss in your family and/or if you see the signs of male pattern hair loss (recession of the hairline, thinning in the crown). Shedding associated with starting Propecia occurs only very very rarely. Remember that it takes at least 6 months to see decent results with minox or propecia. You should have hair density measurements performed regularly to track the progress. These will likely show an INCREASE in density (despite the shedding) and help you continue the treatment until you can see some results. Most people discontinue minoxidil BEFORE the true results of the medication are realized.
Because I don't have photos of your condition, you might want to consider a Virtual Consulation through my website, for a more accurate assessment.
Sincerely,
Dr. B.
doctorb@baumanmedical.com
www.baumanmedical.com
Click here to return to Dr. Alan J. Bauman, MD's Q&A page.
|
