Question on the application of Minoxidil and it's effectiveness

[PotatoHairLoss]

Hi there,

I'm 23 this year and have been using Minoxidil 5% ( minoxidil 5, Trima ) for about 3-4 years as consistently as possible.
Sometimes, I only apply it once daily on the crown of my head before I get to bed. My hairloss started slowly at a small patch of my crown and after 3-4 years of Minoxidil usage.

At 23, it seems to have become worse by spread into a large area accompanied with the overall thinning of my hair with the crown being the more affected part. Also, I think i'm still experiencing shedding as every time I take a shower about 30-40 hair would get wash down the sink . It's like it had never stopped shedding since I started minoxidil.

Now that the majority of my head is thinning should I be applying it around the more affected areas or to my entire head ? Secondly, as I have been trying to apply it twice daily, once before I go to sleep and the other in the morning. Do I have to wash my hair again in the morning even if I had showered the night before (then apply night dose) to apply the morning dose of Minoxidil again.

Been puzzled by these for years now . Hope that the community could help me out here, thank you in advance .

 

[dusty]

Apply minoxidil to all areas that are thinning.
You do not have to shower before every application.

 

[PotatoHairLoss]

Apply minoxidil to all areas that are thinning.
You do not have to shower before every application.

Hey dusty,

Even if I had applied minoxidil the night before, the following morning it's ok for me to re-apply?

 

[dusty]

Hey dusty,

Even if I had applied minoxidil the night before, the following morning it's ok for me to re-apply?

Yes absolutely but you may experience some irritation. If that is the case then look into using Rogaine or another more expensive alternative for one of your applications to reduce irritation.

 

[dack]

I've found minoxidil to have the same effect as you. I don't think it works for some people and there is a rotating hair issue in terms of hairs shedding at the same time. I've found it better not to use it than using it and getting off of it and using another alternative (like finasteride) better.

I was going to make an announcement here but perhaps you can since spam measures require me to make a lot of excess posts, which seems pointless for me. Propecia is better for me. The Walgreens / Duane Reed generic brand did not work well. Many wondered whether it was created outside the US (I believe it was) and whether it really contained the same ingredients and concentration - I doubt it. I don't trust them. The branded version by merck is what worked.

Duane Reed / Walgreens huge Propecia price increase and that Walgreens no longer covers Propecia can't be posted without making four posts. Since I'm unfortunately swept out with the spammers, feel free to make the announcement that Walgreens has now raised the price of Propecia a HUGE amount, no longer covers it with their discount card.... probably trying to move users to their generic brand. I wouldn't buy it from Walgreens or Duane Reed.

 

[PotatoHairLoss]

Yes absolutely but you may experience some irritation. If that is the case then look into using Rogaine or another more expensive alternative for one of your applications to reduce irritation.

Thank you dusty for the information =)

- - - Updated - - -

I've found minoxidil to have the same effect as you. I don't think it works for some people and there is a rotating hair issue in terms of hairs shedding at the same time. I've found it better not to use it than using it and getting off of it and using another alternative (like finasteride) better.

I was going to make an announcement here but perhaps you can since spam measures require me to make a lot of excess posts, which seems pointless for me. Propecia is better for me. The Walgreens / Duane Reed generic brand did not work well. Many wondered whether it was created outside the US (I believe it was) and whether it really contained the same ingredients and concentration - I doubt it. I don't trust them. The branded version by merck is what worked.

Duane Reed / Walgreens huge Propecia price increase and that Walgreens no longer covers Propecia can't be posted without making four posts. Since I'm unfortunately swept out with the spammers, feel free to make the announcement that Walgreens has now raised the price of Propecia a HUGE amount, no longer covers it with their discount card.... probably trying to move users to their generic brand. I wouldn't buy it from Walgreens or Duane Reed.

That's unfortunate ,the thing is that I have been using it for so long now , I'm afraid if I get off it I might lose even more hair??
And about finasteride and Propecia after a lot of articles I read about side effects such as ED and Libido , I'm really uncertain about taking them =(. I'm pretty lost as what I am suppose to do right now actually.

 

[recedingyt]

Minoxidil is not a long term solution to fight male pattern baldness by itself. Eventually, you will hit a point where minoxidil will not maintain/keep up with the amount of hairs you are losing to male pattern baldness. That is where DHT inhibitors come in.

 

[recedingyt]

But minoxidil actively stops the process of DHT/inflammation killing the follicle as long as you apply it consistently?

Minoxidil doesn't effect your hormone levels. Idk about inflammation, as I couldn't find anything about that after a quick google search on that, but I've never heard of it helping with male pattern baldness-related inflammation.

The process by which minoxidil grows hair is not fully understood but it does not treat the core cause of Androgenetic Alopecia/male pattern baldness: androgen sensitivity (particularly to DHT) in the follicles and thus it is not an effective, long term treatment by itself for most people. It will give the appearance of maintenance/improvement for an amount of time but at a certain point the root cause will win out unless it is also treated.