minoxidil 1x/day efficacy?

[dbaser]

Hey guys.

I added Dr. Lee's 5% minoxidil to my regimen about a month ago. The reason I haven't been using it twice a day is because I started dating a girl who sleeps over and I haven't known her long enough to explain why I'd be going to bed with a wet head every night. Stupid, I know. So I've been using minoxidil only once a day, after my shower.

Question: Am I risking the shedding effects of minoxidil--which I've noticed--without any of the efficacy? If I'm not using minoxidil twice a day, is it worth using at all?

 

[GourmetStyleWellness]

According to Dr. Marty Sawaya who was theoretically a participant in, or present for the FDA trials for Rogaine, she is wholeheartedly in support of Rogaine being applied only once per day. She quite pointedly told me that the only reason they suggested twice per day dosing was so they could sell more of it. That's straight from the horses mouth, so its up to us as to what we want to do with that information.

gourmetstylewellness.com

 

[BadHairDecade]

According to Dr. Marty Sawaya who was theoretically a participant in, or present for the FDA trials for Rogaine, she is wholeheartedly in support of Rogaine being applied only once per day. She quite pointedly told me that the only reason they suggested twice per day dosing was so they could sell more of it. That's straight from the horses mouth, so its up to us as to what we want to do with that information. gourmetstylewellness.com

I don't really agree with that logic. If it was to just make more money by selling more product, why wouldn't they just say apply it once a day and sell 30ml for the current 60ml price....It seems like a no-brainer.
The production costs would be lower and the profit margin would be much higher.
The fact that it would only need to be applied once a day would have boosted sales.
There would be less reports of side effects too.HMMM :?

 

[Guest]

I don't really agree with that logic. If it was to just make more money by selling more product, why wouldn't they just say apply it once a day and sell 30ml for the current 60ml price....It seems like a no-brainer.
The production costs would be lower and the profit margin would be much higher.
The fact that it would only need to be applied once a day would have boosted sales.
There would be less reports of side effects too.HMMM :?

very good points

 

[Rust1]

It worked for me for the longest time at 1/2 the dose. Some days I even went lower than that. Keep in mind though, that I started with quite a bit of hair to begin with. Also, I didn't just drop down suddenly; I just gradually reduced the amount in the morning until it was none at all. I was fine after that.

 

[dbaser]

So you're saying you're totally off minoxidil now? How do you mean you're "fine" now? Sorry, I'm just confused since I didn't think minoxidil was the kind of thing you stop one day because you're "cured".

 

[Old Baldy]

Here's an hair transplant doctor advising a young patient about getting an hair transplant. He talks about using minoxidil and how often also.

I will try to address both your questions and the situation you describe. As to fees and specific treatment reccomendations could you please e mail me directly with some photos at drtrue@hairlossdoctors.com.

The most important thing to talk about is: should you be doing transplants right now? Unfortunately, your hair loss started very early in life, in your teens. Because of this you are at risk to have the most aggressive and progressive form of male pattern baldness. While there may be exceptions, most men who start to lose their hair in their late teens go on to Class 6 or even 7 by the the time they hit thirty. Most of us who have a lot of experience are very cautious about jumping into transplants as a first step with a man of your age. We only want to do treatment if we can be assured that not only will we produce a result that looks good now, but that we will be able to sustain a restoration that will look good and natural for the rest of your life. You definately have to beware of transplanting the crown or committing to a low hairline in you situation as these present the highest risk to cause problems down the line if you balding becomes truly extensive.

You have already taken the most important step for you now in ordering the finasteride. You should start it soon. Do not take the full 5 mg per day as taking a larger dose has no proven additional benfit and carries a much greater risk that you will experience side effects. Buy a pill splitter at the chemist and cut the pills into quarters. Cut up a month's supply at a time and mix up the pieces in the bottle. This will inclease the odds of getting a relatively steady daily dose. You could experience more regrowth if you also use Minoxidil 5% solution to the scalp twice daily for the first four months and one to two times daily afterward (once you have started the minoxidil do not stop it without consulting a hair loss specialist, as abrupt stopping can put you into a period of increased hair loss). I do not advise using dutesteride unless finasteride fails. The odds are very good that this regimine will help you.

In your case you should use the finasteride for several months before having a transplant. It is very important that we see how effective it will be for you and whether you will experience any side effects with it that will prevent you being able to continue with it, before you embark on transplants. Usually it will take three months for the rate of hair loss to decrease; by six months the quality of hair in the balding pattern should be improving, and by 12 months you may actually have some recovery particularly in the crown o recently lost hair. Once we reach this stage we will have a better idea how to approach transplantation for you.

I do understand that I am asking you to be patient about fixing a problem that you would like yo have fixed yesterday. But, believe me, this approach will serve you well over the long run.

Meanwhile, you can continue to learn about transplants and slect the best doctor for you. I will be happy to correspond with you and keep in touch to answer questions as you go along. Amd, we can correspond privately to determine if ultimately I can be of service to you for transplants. You may also want to start using alopecia masking cosmetics such as Dermblend or Toppik. They can be very helpful stopgap measures to hide your thinnning hair until further measures can be taken.

I appreciate you presenting your situation in this open forum as our discussion is relevent to many others and hopefully they will benefit as well.

I look forward to hearing from you further.

Sincere regards,

Dr. True

-------------------------
Robert H True MD MPH

American Board of Hair Restoration Surgery

True & Dorin Medical Group

New York City

 

[yuppy75]

LOL, thats my doctor, that guys a cool guy, i get my propecia from him, hmm, so minoxidil 2x a day for 4 months, then maybe cut back to one, i could live with that

 

[Petchsky]

I have become less religious about my minoxidil applications after 18 months and not noticed any damage... still mainly use 2x a day mostly though.

 

[macdruid]

According to Dr. Marty Sawaya who was theoretically a participant in, or present for the FDA trials for Rogaine, she is wholeheartedly in support of Rogaine being applied only once per day. She quite pointedly told me that the only reason they suggested twice per day dosing was so they could sell more of it. That's straight from the horses mouth, so its up to us as to what we want to do with that information.

gourmetstylewellness.com

Has there been any released information regarding the effectiveness of Rogaine at 1x per/day vs the normal 2x. I've seen the info for finasteride at differing doses but not Min.

 

[Troymaclure]

i'm a proponent of double the recommended amount once a day as opposed to the recommended amount twice a day...my experience with minoxidil has been *okay* and i dont think twice a day usage could have offered me any more benefits.

 

[Bryan]

I've read a whole bunch of topical minoxidil studies, and the only one I can recall that looked at the issue of single vs. double applications per day was the well-known 5-year study by Olsen et al, which I believe is still available in the Research section of this site. They found that when a subset of their subjects were switched over to once-a-day applications after they had been on the normal twice-a-day schedule, they _did_ start to lose a little ground, but it wasn't exactly a DRAMATIC difference. When they went back to twice-a-day, they apparently got pretty much back to "normal". Again, not a HUGE difference, but a noticeable one.

Bryan

 

[Old Baldy]

I guess the point Bryan is: You can go to once a day now and then (mix days with two applications) and have basically the same results after the initial period of two app's. a day.