First time Minoxidil (Rogaine) user here with a Question

[HairLoss916]

Background, I'm 30 but I've been losing hair since around 17 or so. Up to know i've done no treatments (too scared of sides from finasteride) but recently I started noticing my crown is starting to get very noticeably thin, even at low cuts. It's not completely bald yet, but the density is about half of the rest of my hair.

I also have a NW2 hairline with diffuse thinning on top. Not really noticeable in my opinion, at least not to the extent my crown is. The crown is a very recent thing, as it's taken maybe 6 years to get to "just starting to thin" and "noticeably thin"

Anyhow, because of this, I decided to take the plunge on some rogaine with 5% minoxidil. The Foam type. My question is, is 5% minoxidil effective or could I/should I get a stronger one online? Is foam application the best type or should I get liquid? Right now I'm applying the recommended dose to my crown and diffuse top, and another half a dose to the missing parts of my hairline and temples. Is this dosing good?

 

[meddyharry]

Hi HairLoss916, the 5% minoxidil is fine. Many people mix it with vodka so they have a 2.5% solution, which should be enough as well. The amount you use is sufficient. Can't tell you though if the foam is inferior/superior to the liquid, haven't seen a study on that one (and also can't remember reading experiences from users). Good luck!

 

[WarLord]

Background, I'm 30 but I've been losing hair since around 17 or so. Up to know i've done no treatments (too scared of sides from finasteride) but recently I started noticing my crown is starting to get very noticeably thin, even at low cuts. It's not completely bald yet, but the density is about half of the rest of my hair.

I also have a NW2 hairline with diffuse thinning on top. Not really noticeable in my opinion, at least not to the extent my crown is. The crown is a very recent thing, as it's taken maybe 6 years to get to "just starting to thin" and "noticeably thin"

Anyhow, because of this, I decided to take the plunge on some rogaine with 5% minoxidil. The Foam type. My question is, is 5% minoxidil effective or could I/should I get a stronger one online? Is foam application the best type or should I get liquid? Right now I'm applying the recommended dose to my crown and diffuse top, and another half a dose to the missing parts of my hairline and temples. Is this dosing good?

Too scared of sides from finasteride? LOL What sides? Alleged erectional dysfunction in 1-2% men? LOL The stuff is harmless, because it suppresses a hormone that your body won't miss. Sure, there can be exceptions, some people can get eczema even after strawberries. But you shouldn't believe internet fearmongering.

Personally I think that if you are relatively young (and your androgen levels are high) and you approach Norwood 4, then your treatment should be aggressive: Dutasteride + minoxidil (applied on the whole scalp).

Sure, you can buy some stronger minoxidil, but with increasing strength, it becomes a Russian roulette. Some people can greatly benefit from 15% strength, while others experience annoying telogen effluvium. Not all follicles can tolerate 15% minoxidil. If you wanted to use 15%, then I would certainly recommend to increase the dosage very gradually.

Another problem I see here is the fact that companies selling 10-15% minoxidil emerge and disappear rather quickly. If you couldn't suddenly find the strong version and went on 5% minoxidil, you would experience a very severe shed of hair that would hardly resume.

 

[Molex]

Sure, you can buy some stronger minoxidil, but with increasing strength, it becomes a Russian roulette. Some people can greatly benefit from 15% strength, while others experience annoying telogen effluvium. Not all follicles can tolerate 15% minoxidil. If you wanted to use 15%, then I would certainly recommend to increase the dosage very gradually.

Interesting.
I've been using 15% since last November without any success (0 regrowth except for peach fuzz on my temples. I'd much rather see regrowth in frontal region which is the thinnest area on my head). It could be that my hair just can't tolerate that high of a dosage (i'm a diffuse thinner nw6 pattern).

So, I will start on 5% today and see if the low dosage does anything for my hair. To minimize the shed, should I taper down from 15% EOD to every third to fourth and so on? or should I just completely switch over to 5%?

 

[SDK]

I applied 5% once and the next day I developed a full body rash. That was the end of that.

 

[WarLord]

Interesting.
I've been using 15% since last November without any success (0 regrowth except for peach fuzz on my temples. I'd much rather see regrowth in frontal region which is the thinnest area on my head). It could be that my hair just can't tolerate that high of a dosage (i'm a diffuse thinner nw6 pattern).

So, I will start on 5% today and see if the low dosage does anything for my hair. To minimize the shed, should I taper down from 15% EOD to every third to fourth and so on? or should I just completely switch over to 5%?

If you have been on the 15% minoxidil for many months and you apply it on the whole head, I wouldn't risk it. It could have disastrous consequences. Perhaps, you could taper it down to 10%, but I wouldn't recommend a switch from 15% to 5%.

If I were you, I would rather stay at 10-15% minoxidil and added finasteride or dutasteride. Believe me, I also didn't observe much success, when I upgraded minoxidil concentration (up to 15%). But the effect was much better after I added 5-AR blockers (finasteride, dutasteride) to 5% minoxidil.