is this true about minidoxil

[trisha2]

is it true that the hair which grows because of it is very thin and doesnt grow more than 2mm?? and that it might stop working after few years?
thanks for answering:)

[phurrballe]

is it true that the hair which grows because of it is very thin and doesnt grow more than 2mm?? and that it might stop working after few years?
thanks for answering:)


That is what I had read more than a few times as well. One of the reasons I decided against using it (at least for now :) ).

[esmerelda]

I've used minoxidil 2% since January '09... some things that I can share from my experience are that the product seems to work VERY well for me on areas of most recent hair loss.
-On areas where hair loss has gone on longer, it takes a long time for the hair to grow back in.
-In some areas, where the loss has gone on the longest (ie., 10 years), the follicles are no longer viable and the product does not work there at all except for producing a little fine hair. I guess I'm ok with this; for me, its better than a shiny patch in the middle of my forehead which is what I had before.

~The good news is that in the areas of most recent loss, ie., temple area and fringe of my bangs, my regrowth is long, probably 1/2 inch to 3/4 of an inch. Everywhere else it is about 1/4 of an inch to 1/2 inch.

~I use only the 2% and am thinking about trying the 5% to see if this accelerates my hair regrowth rate.

Also, a couple caveats:
-the regrowth (if any) is usually not as thick or as dense as the original hair
-in the areas of most recent loss, I would say my regrowth is moderate. In the areas of longer loss, the regrowth is minimal. and as before, the longest loss areas do not seem to produce any real hair at all
-the product does not work for everyone and if it works for you, it may not work as well for someone else as it works for you or vice-versa
-the product does not seem to regrow hair consistently, but it may stop shedding, which for some people, may be enough. It has stopped my shed cycle. I still lose a normal amount of hair, but I'm not reaching up and pulling out clumps of hair that send me into panic-attack mode.

and most importantly, people need to be sure they know the reason for their hair loss, as the product will not work for some specific loss conditions.

The rogaine site said something about the product not working so well after the age of late 50s or somewhere in that range - I can't recall but you could go to www.rogaine.com and poke around for it. I do not recall anything about a loss of effectiveness after several years of application. This does not mean it doesn't happen; i don't recall reading it, though.

Also, I'm only been using it for six months. Rogaine can take up to a year to work completely. I don't know how well it will end up working for me. My hair may not grow any longer than it is now or (fear) my hair loss cycle may only be deferred and I always wonder if it will start back in at some point. I'm trying to be optimistic but I don't want to sugar-coat everything and make it sound like a wonder product that will fix everyone's hair problem.

-hope this helps.

is it true that the hair which grows because of it is very thin and doesnt grow more than 2mm?? and that it might stop working after few years?
thanks for answering:)

[VictoriaG]

It's always good to hear when something has worked for somebody. Even though this may not be the right product for some of us, it gives us hope that there is something out there that does work! Thanks for the information

[trisha2]

hi esmerelda, i checked the site and found that people below 18 shouldnt use the solution i am 17.. should i stop using it....its been 10 months since my sudden hair loss after a week of colouring.....and it hasnt grown so i went to he dermatoligist and he prescribed finax and minidoxil..i dont know what to do i experiencd hair looss after using it and now in the back of my head my scalp is really visible...now the hair fall has stopped i dont know whether to continue or not because i also got a lot of facial hair....i anted to ask if hair doesnt grow back within 10 months of hair loss does that mean it will never grow back...????

[trisha2]

one more question...if hair would have grown back without using rogaine if i stop using it will it affect the normal hair growth..i mean will the hair grow back the way it would before using rogaine?

[esmerelda]

Hi there
I guess thats a better question for your dermatologist.

If your derm prescribed rogaine/ minoxidil for you and the dr was aware of your age, you may wish to call his office with this concern and make certain that this is indeed what you should be using. I cannot advise on medical prescriptions or directives.

The Rogaine website information says that the minoxidil pushes out the weak hairs to make room for new ones. Are you still using the minoxidil?

I'm not sure what happened - you colored your hair and then had a sudden hair loss a week later? Then went to the doctor and he said to use Finax & minoxidil??? And so you started using both but have not had any success with either and have been using both consistently for the past 10 months??

If you would please provide a little more information, I will try to offer some ideas. Keep in mind hat I've only been using minoxidil since January; I'm by no means an expert :)

Hair loss is frustrating but here in the forums & on the network, we have a lot of great minds who have lots of info and experience to share :)

hi esmerelda, i checked the site and found that people below 18 shouldnt use the solution i am 17.. should i stop using it....its been 10 months since my sudden hair loss after a week of colouring.....and it hasnt grown so i went to he dermatoligist and he prescribed finax and minidoxil..i dont know what to do i experiencd hair looss after using it and now in the back of my head my scalp is really visible...now the hair fall has stopped i dont know whether to continue or not because i also got a lot of facial hair....i anted to ask if hair doesnt grow back within 10 months of hair loss does that mean it will never grow back...????

[esmerelda]

The product works differently for everyone I think.... some people use it and dont get any results, some people only experience a cease in their shedding. Some get good regrowth all over, some get minimal regrowth, some get varied regrowth.

If your hair loss is due to female pattern hair loss, your hair should revert to growing back in the way it did before rogaine/ minoxidil, but it will also send it back to the hair loss cycle too.

check out the rogaine.com website. it has some good information.



one more question...if hair would have grown back without using rogaine if i stop using it will it affect the normal hair growth..i mean will the hair grow back the way it would before using rogaine?

[esmerelda]

Thanks Vicki,

I'm hot and cold on it. Yes it works, but will it end up working as well as I'd hoped? Maybe, maybe not, but I'm willing to give it a try. Maybe my experience will help someone else or give them the courage to give it a shot and maybe they will have really good results.

Thanks for the encouragement. You're a sweetie :)

~E

It's always good to hear when something has worked for somebody. Even though this may not be the right product for some of us, it gives us hope that there is something out there that does work! Thanks for the information

[trisha2]

hey there thanks again...no i coloured my hair 10 months back.........i coloured it one day and then a week later i experience sudden hair loss and i waited for weeks for it to stop but it didnt then i went to a dermatoligist he prescribed biotin and dexorange...hair fall stopped completely but i was left with very little hair.........then for ten months i just waited it to grow and it didnt then again i went to another dermatoligit he prescribed finax and minidoxil.........and i shed a lot of hair after using minidoxil.....specially at the back..i can now clearly see my scalp...its been 2 months since m using minidoxil...

[esmerelda]

Hi there

I went to the Rogaine.com site and pulled this information for you:

"The minoxidil works by reinvigorating shrunken hair follicles which increases their size and helps to regrow thicker hair over time. It can also help reverse the progression of hereditary hair loss.
Within the first few weeks you may experience some shedding of hair. This is temporary and an expected part of the process. The shedding shows the product is working, stimulating the new, healthier hair to push out the weaker hair. If this shedding continues after 2 weeks on, talk to your doctor.

If you do not see results after 4 months of twice daily use, talk to your doctor."

I guess my interpretation would be to check in with your doctor, have him/her evaluate your hair if you're really concerned about it. The minoxidil/ rogaine regrowth doesn't typically start for most until four months into the usage. Many people get to the point that they lose hair and then they panic and give up. I think its important to stick with it through that time frame.

A couple things to keep in mind: You've been evaluated by a dermatologist who suggested the product. Did the doctor diagnose you with hereditary hair loss/ female pattern hair loss?

You could also get a different opinion. I would wonder if you have had any bloodwork done to check your thyroid levels.

If the underlying reason for the hair loss is not addressed, ie., low iron or a thyroid problem, if you dump all the minoxidil in the world on it every day, it won't fix the problem. Hence, why I wonder what your diagnosis was.

Also, one thing to keep in mind, the minoxidil doesn't work for everyone. Some people it may only stop their shedding, some it may not even do that, for others, it may regrow some hair. And, the real rub is, sometimes, its not obvious how well the minoxidil works until it is stopped. For me, if I stopped it, I would lose a lot of hair. Its given me a small amount of regrowth, not as much as I'd hoped for, but its also stopped my sheds :)

You could try Dermmatch, Toppick, Couvre. The DM & Couvre work by lessening the contrast between the scalp & the hair so that the scalp is not as pronounced. The Couvre is a lotion. DM is a powder that, I *think* is applied damp. Toppik is a spray of teeny tiny hairs that are charged up and they stick to your hair and build it up. Some people use the DM or Couvre in conjunction with the Toppik. I think all three are safe to use with minoxodil. Check their respective websites to verify.

Hope this helps.

hey there thanks again...no i coloured my hair 10 months back.........i coloured it one day and then a week later i experience sudden hair loss and i waited for weeks for it to stop but it didnt then i went to a dermatoligist he prescribed biotin and dexorange...hair fall stopped completely but i was left with very little hair.........then for ten months i just waited it to grow and it didnt then again i went to another dermatoligit he prescribed finax and minidoxil.........and i shed a lot of hair after using minidoxil.....specially at the back..i can now clearly see my scalp...its been 2 months since m using minidoxil...

[Kiara]

Hi
i have AGA, have had it for 10 years since I was 15. I'm 25 now. I have been using rogaine for 2.5 years. I started in Jan 07 with 2% twice a day. Had a big shed for almost 2 months, then started seeing result in June 07.
Jan 08 I switched to 5% foam once a day, didn't have a big shed from the switch. Between May-Aug 08 my hair was at its best. Then from Dec 08 - May 09 I had a big shed. I've heard about summer shed. Maybe that was it. Summer here is from Dec-Feb. My daily shed doubled in this period, some days more. When it stopped last month I realise my part has somehow been maintained during the shed. If i hadn't been using rogaine i think a big shed like that would have made my hl look worse.
During rogaine use from Jan 07 till now I have always had up and down in shed. For two months I would shed little and my hair would look good, then I'd shed for a month or so and my husband would notice that I've been shedding as more scalp shows. This shed period is usually followed by a month or two of little shed, where my husband would tell me how very little scalp is visible. I've become used to this roller coaster. Of course, the longest and hardest shed periods were when I first started rogaine in Jan 07 for 2 mths, and from Dec 08 - May 09.

My hair seems to favor winter (June-Aug)

My part is okay, it has somehow been maintained.
The back of my head is recovering, i hope. It feels bare, more than last year. I don't know if it's going to get better in that area, but i'm crossing my fingers.

I hope my experience will help anyone with questions here.

Trish, my thoughts are that you are so early in your hl to be on rogaine or rogaine plus finasteride. It may have been caused by the colouring, or it may not. If it was, I'd think that rogaine wouldnt be your treatment option. Rogaine (minox) and finasteride are normally treatments for androgenetic alopecia (AGA). It usually takes a good derm to do biopsy on your scalp and maybe with bloodtest, to determine whether you have AGA or not. It has been said many times that minox will not work on other types of HL such as patchy hairloss (Alopecia Aerata) or allover body hairloss (Alopecia Totalis and Alopecia Universalis).

[Kiara]

Androgenetic Alopecia (AGA) is female pattern hairloss.
If it happens in male, i think it's still called AGA.

[esmerelda]

Thanks Kiara
I was wondering if, down the road, I would still experience some shedding. Right now it seems to be on hold, but I've only been using it for 6 months. If I do experience a shed, I won't panic :)
I'm assuming that your hair grows back in quickly after a shed?

Also, is your hairline receding or is it all over hair loss? i was thinking of using the 5%, but the product information says that the 5% is NOT for receding hairlines. So I'm wondering why this is and am hesitant to use it.

[finaleofseem]

Esmerelda,

I'm fairly certain that they just put that on the Rogaine box b/c the area that was used with all the Rogaine trials was the vertex, or that little bald patch men get at the back of their head. It's not as effective in the front for a lot of people.

That said, I put it up at my hairline, and I have some new babies sprouting up there.

[esmerelda]

OOOooh congrats!

I have some regrowth but it is sooooooo slow. I will try the 5% when I kick this last bottle of 2%.

Esmerelda,

I'm fairly certain that they just put that on the Rogaine box b/c the area that was used with all the Rogaine trials was the vertex, or that little bald patch men get at the back of their head. It's not as effective in the front for a lot of people.

That said, I put it up at my hairline, and I have some new babies sprouting up there.

[Kiara]

Esmeralda

Finaleofseem is right. Rogaine cannot claim its product works on parts of head that they didn't do trials on. That's why they said "if you are a woman, do not use this product" Because they haven't trialled it on women, or on hairlines, or sides of head.

And about hair growing back quickly after shed, i don't know.
But just from what my husband says, it probably does. Say i've been shedding more than usual, hubby would say "you've been shedding haven't you, i can see a bit more scalp."
then around a week or two after my shedding has gone down he'd say "hair looks really good".
so it's likely that hair that was shed was replaced fairly quickly.

my hl is allover. at the moment i feel it's more apparent in the back of head under the crown. Esp after the last heavy shed period. that area feels more sparse.. I think my hairline (frontal and sides near ears) is affected by aga too, but i had never put rogaine there until a week ago, i want to see if those area will improve.

[trisha2]

Thanks again everyone, Hi Kiara, i know i totally agree with you, but in my city there arent many dermatoligists, i feel cheated this doctor never told me what minidoxil is actually i found out from the net. i dont know how to explain my hair loss it happened 10 months ago as i mentioned earlier..no pattern just thinning all over the head. and then 10 months later when i started uzsing rogaine i am BALD at the back because of hair shedding...i feel miserable and i can talk about this only to you guys...my mom doesnt care about me she just gets irriated when i mention it to her.....i think i am gonna change my dermatoligist......even now i have tears in my eyes because i cant take it it is really really thin now i just need someone to check my scalp and see whats wrong.....he just took a hair scan and told me its alopecia areata but i dont agree my hair loss was sudden and it stopped as soon as i started taking biotin and stress reliveing tablets...i am just wondering how can it be permanent hair loss...i am gonna stop using minidxil.....i wanted to ask you if i stop will it worsen my situation..if my hair follicles were alive has minidoxil damaged it...did i do a mistake by using minidoxil.?

[trisha2]

Esmerelda, Kiara will the hair sue to minidoxil grow long like till your neck?and will it grow thicker?

[esmerelda]

Hi Trish

From what I've read, the minoxidil widens the hair follicles to allow them to push out thicker hairs. Its not supposed to kill or damage hair follicles, only make them wider to halt or reverse the miniaturization process.

If your diagnosis is A Aleata, the rogaine may not work for you, as its intended for Androgenetic Alopecia, or for hereditary hair loss. I wonder why your doctor put you on it. Of course, I'm not a doctor, so I think you should ask him.

If you go to the rogaine.com website, it has information posted there about which types of hair loss the product is intended for. I do not *think* it includes A Aleata. I would suggest going to the website, reading up on it, and then talking with your doctor to find out why he put you on the rogaine if that is not what the rogaine is supposed to treat.

I'm sorry that you're having a rough time. I can't talk with my mom about anything either, I never have been able to as she's abusive on all levels. If you're really stressed and upset, I might suggest seeing a counselor just so that you have someone to talk with and discuss.

Please keep us posted :)

Thanks again everyone, Hi Kiara, i know i totally agree with you, but in my city there arent many dermatoligists, i feel cheated this doctor never told me what minidoxil is actually i found out from the net. i dont know how to explain my hair loss it happened 10 months ago as i mentioned earlier..no pattern just thinning all over the head. and then 10 months later when i started uzsing rogaine i am BALD at the back because of hair shedding...i feel miserable and i can talk about this only to you guys...my mom doesnt care about me she just gets irriated when i mention it to her.....i think i am gonna change my dermatoligist......even now i have tears in my eyes because i cant take it it is really really thin now i just need someone to check my scalp and see whats wrong.....he just took a hair scan and told me its alopecia areata but i dont agree my hair loss was sudden and it stopped as soon as i started taking biotin and stress reliveing tablets...i am just wondering how can it be permanent hair loss...i am gonna stop using minidxil.....i wanted to ask you if i stop will it worsen my situation..if my hair follicles were alive has minidoxil damaged it...did i do a mistake by using minidoxil.?

[esmerelda]

I get hair loss by my ears too - just behind them in fact. I should start putting the rogaine back there too. hrmmmm

Esmeralda

Finaleofseem is right. Rogaine cannot claim its product works on parts of head that they didn't do trials on. That's why they said "if you are a woman, do not use this product" Because they haven't trialled it on women, or on hairlines, or sides of head.

And about hair growing back quickly after shed, i don't know.
But just from what my husband says, it probably does. Say i've been shedding more than usual, hubby would say "you've been shedding haven't you, i can see a bit more scalp."
then around a week or two after my shedding has gone down he'd say "hair looks really good".
so it's likely that hair that was shed was replaced fairly quickly.

my hl is allover. at the moment i feel it's more apparent in the back of head under the crown. Esp after the last heavy shed period. that area feels more sparse.. I think my hairline (frontal and sides near ears) is affected by aga too, but i had never put rogaine there until a week ago, i want to see if those area will improve.

[Kiara]

Trish,
if your hl started all of a sudden and you've lost hair in patches in a matter of months, then my guess is that it's alopecia aerata (AA) rather than AGA (female pattern baldness). If you do have that, minox is not going to help.

Minox is only going to work for AGA. If it's used to treat other kinds of hl, it won't help. It may cause shedding in the first few months of use because it pushes resting hair out to make place for the new hair. If it's stopped being used, the hair that's regrown by it will fall out in 3-4 months and the hair cycle will go back to what it was before minox.

Theoretically, if you have aga and you used minox, same thing will happen. You stop it and the hair regrown by it will be shed in 3-4 months. And then the hair goes back to its pre-minox cycle and the hl will get worse.

So in conclusion, if your hl is not aga, then a few months after you stop minox your hair should just go back to its original condition pre-minox, there should not be anymore minox effect.

Does any of your parents have hl?
Maybe it'll help to read up on androgenetic alopecia. Where do you live? I only know of a dr specialising in hl in NY. I'm in australia so I can't help if you're in a different country. There's another hl forum ***********.com in case you don't know about it yet. A lot of members from the us, uk, even germany. there's a few good hl dr in NY as i understand it. you could post a question on that forum.

[esmerelda]

I'd agree with Kiara.

Also- Kiara, there was someone on the Network who posted a blog asking for referrals to good doctors in NY. Might you have a moment to pop over there and pass on the name or names of any good doctors in NY?

[trisha2]

The product works differently for everyone I think.... some people use it and dont get any results, some people only experience a cease in their shedding. Some get good regrowth all over, some get minimal regrowth, some get varied regrowth.

If your hair loss is due to female pattern hair loss, your hair should revert to growing back in the way it did before rogaine/ minoxidil, but it will also send it back to the hair loss cycle too.

check out the rogaine.com website. it has some good information.


okay so what if its not female patterns baldness...will i gain the hair atleast which i lost due to rogaine?

[trisha2]

Trish,
if your hl started all of a sudden and you've lost hair in patches in a matter of months, then my guess is that it's alopecia aerata (AA) rather than AGA (female pattern baldness). If you do have that, minox is not going to help.

Minox is only going to work for AGA. If it's used to treat other kinds of hl, it won't help. It may cause shedding in the first few months of use because it pushes resting hair out to make place for the new hair. If it's stopped being used, the hair that's regrown by it will fall out in 3-4 months and the hair cycle will go back to what it was before minox.

Theoretically, if you have aga and you used minox, same thing will happen. You stop it and the hair regrown by it will be shed in 3-4 months. And then the hair goes back to its pre-minox cycle and the hl will get worse.

So in conclusion, if your hl is not aga, then a few months after you stop minox your hair should just go back to its original condition pre-minox, there should not be anymore minox effect.

Does any of your parents have hl?
Maybe it'll help to read up on androgenetic alopecia. Where do you live? I only know of a dr specialising in hl in NY. I'm in australia so I can't help if you're in a different country. There's another hl forum ***********.com in case you don't know about it yet. A lot of members from the us, uk, even germany. there's a few good hl dr in NY as i understand it. you could post a question on that forum.




Kiara, none of my parents have hl..but my mom lost her hair because of perming i am not sure if its genetic........i am from India and in a very small city...there are very few doctors here....the thing is i didnt loose hair in patches i just lost all over my head but mostly at the top and at the back...it got worse after using minidoxil...i can see my scalp clearly now in the back....its feels really really bad.........was minidoxil a mistake?

[trisha2]

esmerelda yes even my mom is exactly the same........she just starts shouting.....she doesnt care.........i feel miserable....

[esmerelda]

According to the rogaine.com site, if you discontinue the product, the hair should grow back in.

[Kiara]

Trish, if your hl is not female pattern baldness, then if using rogaine had shed your hair, if you stop it your hair would grow back as normal.
but if you have alopecia aerata or other forms of hl, then using or stopping rogaine won't do anything.

worth mentioning here that female pattern baldness can be caused by a number of things, including PCOS (polycystic ovarian syndrome), hashimoto's disease, other thyroid disease. Or it can be purely genetic.

[Kiara]

Trish,
if your hair loss is not female pattern baldness and it shed because of rogaine, then of course it should grow back in once you stop rogaine.

but if your hl is alopecia aerata (AA) or diffuse AA or other forms, then using or stopping rogaine would not have made a difference.

worth mentioning that female pattern baldness (AGA) can be caused by a number of things: PCOS (polycystic ovarian syndrome), hashimoto's disease or other thyroid disorders. Or just excess testosterone. Or purely genetic (in this case sometimes all your hormones are within normal levels yet you still have AGA).
You need to go see a doc and get tests done so that you can isolate causes.

[Kiara]

Esmeralda, can you give me a link to the blog asking for dr in NY? Sorry i couldnt find it.

I'm not in the us, so i won't know very well, but i've known a few people who go and see Dr Redmond in NY.
There's also another Dr in University of Penssylvania, or was it University of Philadelphia. His name is Dr Cotsarelis. He's working on some breakthrough hl medicine.

[esmerelda]

Here is the link: http://community.womenshairlossproject.com/meemee/blog/2684/

Someone has rec'd Dr Redmond already. The UoP info might be worth passing along.

Esmeralda, can you give me a link to the blog asking for dr in NY? Sorry i couldnt find it.

I'm not in the us, so i won't know very well, but i've known a few people who go and see Dr Redmond in NY.
There's also another Dr in University of Penssylvania, or was it University of Philadelphia. His name is Dr Cotsarelis. He's working on some breakthrough hl medicine.

[Mathilde]

so, i noticed that my hair was thinning about 7 years ago, but lived rooted in denial until last year when I could see scalp through my hair. so i finally bit the bullet, consulted both an endo and derm about it, and started with the rogaine. I'm using the generic. My derm told me to use the 5% solution. I use the tonic (as opposed to the foam). It's only been 2 weeks, so I haven't seen any results yet (still hopeful!), but I'm having some frustration with it in that
a) it takes forever to dry.
b) it doesn't seem to absorb well into my scalp
c) when it does finally dry, it leaves a flaky film on my scalp and in my hair that looks like dandruff. but it's not dandruff, it's not a scalp irritation, it's just dried minoxidil flakes.

is anyone else having any problems like this?

[mandy]

Hi, its my first time on this website don't really know where to begin!

I'm only 21 and have been experiencing a very bad case of shedding after using minoxidil for 3 weeks..i have since stopped for 1 week but the hair dropping has not stopped...

I've since shaved my hair off...just hoping the hair i lost through minoxidil will grow back even if i have stopped using it! Did any ladies who went through this get a regrowth?
:confused:

[mandy]

i dont have problems with dried minoxidil flakes but my hair certainly did drop alot more after that! =s

[Mathilde]

Yeah, I gave minoxidil the ol' college try. Used it twice daily w.out fail for about 9 months (5% for men was recommended to me by my derm), and the only thing I noticed was my scalp itched, and it left a flaky film on my scalp and hair folicles. bummer. I guess I fell into the 30% that it doesn't work for.
so, I just don't know what.