Rogaine and Propecia regiment: Questions for you!

[softsoapjones]

Ok, I have been on the "big 2" for about 2.5 weeks now, and I have questions for people on the exact same regiment or something very close:


1) Shedding: still happening big-time, especially in the shower, when does this stop (on average)?

2) Propecia doesn't cause shedding right?

3) The hair I lose after I started using Propecia/Rogaine should all grow back right, so most likely, over time, I will end up keeping the amount of hair I had when I started?

4) Give me YOUR ESTIMATE as to when Hair Multiplication will be a realistic option for us - and why is it taking so long?

5) Is there anything I can do to minimize shedding? (currently I use a rotation of Head and Shoulders shampoo/Alberto V05 Tea Therapy shampoo and Garnier Fructis conditioner once a day - all "volumizing" versions).

NEW QUESTION: I know Rogaine isn't intended for use on the top/front/temples, but is it going to hurt me if I use it there? I don't want to do more damage, but if there's a chance it will help and will definitely not hurt, I'll keep applying there...

I will probably come up with more questions and edit as needed.

***Please DON'T move this thread. This forum is split up enough. If you want it specified so much, WHY even create a "general" section.

 

[mre]

I know I'm not answering your question, but what do you consider big time shedding in the shower?

You've been on the stuff for such a short time, have some patience. From what I've read the MAX time a should should last is 90 days.

 

[softsoapjones]

a conservative guess would be 40+, some thin ones, some thick ones...

I think that may be in the range of "normal" for rogaine use, but that leads to most of my questions above.

also, are there any other solutions to making your hair look thicker? (especially for someone with hair with average length of 4 inches)?


EDIT: after showering and rethinking my numbers, I would say maybe 65+ hairs/day in the shower.

 

[softsoapjones]

although I am not providing pictures, I'll go ahead and state the following:

I am not at the level where you can not even really tell that there is hair loss (the majority of posters on this board seem to have either very very little or very noticeable loss).

My hair: it always looks like I am losing it, unless I use a thickening shampoo, do NOT apply rogaine (to keep from getting it "wet" again), and comb it *just* right. Sigh. But I love keeping my long hair, which is why I am asking about the time frame of results here, if I can maybe ride it out...

 

[j25]

Losing 40+ hairs in the shower is not really big time shedding. On average people lose like 100-150 hairs a day, the majority will fall when washing your hair.

 

[softsoapjones]

Yes, I've heard a statistic like that before a lot on these boards, but that brings about another question:

What do you mean by "on average" - do you mean normally lose when they have male pattern baldness and are actually shedding the hair? or do you mean a completely normal person who has no male pattern baldness?

Because I definitely did not lose more than like 10 hairs (if that, I don't recall more than 5 if any) in a single day before the whole male pattern baldness shedding thing kicked in. So if by "average" you mean no male pattern baldness, I'm pretty sure that statistic is just a tool for staying in denial.

 

[Womble]

Because I definitely did not lose more than like 10 hairs (if that, I don't recall more than 5 if any) in a single day before the whole male pattern baldness shedding thing kicked in.

Really? I find that improbable. The majority of hair shed each day is most likely unnoticed unless your head is encased in a plastic bag to collect the lost hair (not compatible with life!) How could you tell if a hair from the crown of your head blew off while walking down the street? How can you tell how many hairs you lose in the shower? Do you scrabble around in the plug hole? (Ooerr missus) Even if you were to count up hairs in the plug hole, how many do you think are washed away before you get there?

Begin to see my point?

You may well be shedding more now, but I very much doubt you only lost 10 hairs a day in the past.

 

[softsoapjones]

Ok, this is straying, back to the questions in the main post, please answer those - I'm WORRIED!

 

[SE-freak]

1) Shedding: still happening big-time, especially in the shower, when does this stop (on average)?

Propecia is said to kick in about 3 months after starting. And this makes sense, as in three months the follicles that entered tellogen phase before treatment will have all cycled back.

Having read your previous posts, I realize that your"big time shed" is a terrible overstatement. Any mechanical stress will cause telogen hairs to detach. Shampooing is inducing such mechanical stress and most of the hairs daily shed are expected to fall then.

If you are referring to the "65 hairs big-time" shed then it will never stop.

And it shouldn't. It's normal.

2) Propecia doesn't cause shedding right?

...

No, propecia does not cause shedding normally. What can cause shedding is the change in follicle environment. The environment after the decrease in dht levels due to inhibition is a healthy environment. Follicles might want to express their gratitude and enlarge after shedding. Any objections?

3) The hair I lose after I started using Propecia/Rogaine should all grow back right, so most likely, over time, I will end up keeping the amount of hair I had when I started?

No.

You are looking for guarantees. No guarantees here. If this was true then there would be no bald man around. No one guarantees that your hairloss will completely seize(remember maintenance is success) so you might be losing hair during treatment. (Losing: follicle miniaturization not just shedding-you seem to be mixing those up)

This treatment has very good chance of working for you, though.

4) Give me YOUR ESTIMATE as to when Hair Multiplication will be a realistic option for us - and why is it taking so long?

I cannot answer this question. Sorry.

5) Is there anything I can do to minimize shedding? (currently I use a rotation of Head and Shoulders shampoo/Alberto V05 Tea Therapy shampoo and Garnier Fructis conditioner once a day - all "volumizing" versions).

You are making things more complicated than they are. Shampoo will have minimal(to none) impact on hairloss, unless we are discussing a ketoconazole shampoo. Vitamins and herbs are mostly irritants on scalp tissue so dont fall for mass consumer attraction techniques. Follicles are fed by the "inside".

What makes hair shafts shed happened months ago. You are 2,5 weeks in your regimen and the hairs that entered tellogen phase during pre-treatment days need to shed. The healthier environment that you are ensuring with your current regimen will start being expressed some months into treatment.

You are not using stimulants so things will take time.

 

[softsoapjones]

yea, I knw I have to wait.... but it's SO annoying!

 

[softsoapjones]

NEW QUESTION: I know Rogaine isn't intended for use on the top/front/temples, but is it going to hurt me if I use it there? I don't want to do more damage, but if there's a chance it will help and will definitely not hurt, I'll keep applying there...

 

[softsoapjones]

You are not using stimulants so things will take time.

What does this mean? Are there stimulants out there that will speed up the process?

 

[mre]

The hole issue of not using Rogaine on your temples is not related to the fact that it doesn't have the potential to work. The reason they say it is for the crown is because that's where it was tested in clinical trials. I have read stories where people claim that their hair has thinned in the temples/hairline since starting minoxidil, but there is not scientific evidence to prove that this is the case.

Case in point, my hair is much thinner at the hairline than when I started using it back in June. Is it because of the minoxidil? Is it because my hair is simply thinning, and the minoxidil isn't working? Who knows, is the answer.

 

[softsoapjones]

wtf. it could actually get noticeably worse? admittedly my temples and hairline are where the have always been, although my hairline is starting to thin out (the hair itself is becoming thin as well). hence the application of minoxidil basically front to back (covering top of head and crown, I have thinning every, sigh).