Regarding minoxidil stoppage

[baldyboy]

Just wanted to post my stats and hopefully get some feedback.

Age: 25

Treatment : 8 months of propecia

Stopped Rogaine 4 months ago after 2 years of usage as it had done little for my hairline, shed a TON (Minoxidil had been doing more for my over all hair outside my hairline then I realized...)

I quit Rogaine as I plan on getting a transplant to fix my temples and I didn't want any minoxidil-dependent hair on my head when getting the procedure. Perhaps in retrospect this was a mistake, I'm not sure.

So, should I get back on the minoxidil and then later on get the HT?

Should I go for the HT and then use minoxidil to kick-start the hair growth?

Or should I just continue with my original plan? That is to use Propecia to keep my non-DHT-affected hair and get a transplant on top, without using rogaine again?

I've posted pictures, keep in mind that in the latest ones my shedding has literally just stopped after quitting Minoxidil 4 months ago so of course it's a bit more diffused/thin then it should be in a few weeks/months time.

[baldyboy]

bump

[baldyboy]

Considering:
- your age
- the effect minoxidil had on you

You may want to consider staying on the minoxidil longer before making the HT leap. You are at a point that it would not hurt to go into an HT clinic and get an in person opinion. In fact, if you have time and are near several of them, get 2 opinions from 2 clinics.

Also, if at some point you plan to stop minoxidil(or if it just stops working). You may ultimately end up needing an HT anyway. I guess the question is would you rather just get it out of the way now or hold off as long as possible.

Yeah, I suppose a transplant at 25 years old is quite early, and seeing as Minoxidil was doing more then I realized I think I'll jump back on it for now and try to salvage or save some of the damage done by quitting.

I'll see what my hair looks like about 6 months from now with minox+propecia to see if I really need a transplant or if it can wait.

I'll try to get an opinion from a couple of good clinics too.

Cheers!

[AubreyMcClendon]

Baldy - I'm interested in hearing your progress as I'm in a similar position (ultimately will pursue a HT but not sure if I should supplement with Minox prior to the procedure).

Would appreciate if you share your experience at the clinics! Good luck.

[baldyboy]

Baldy - I'm interested in hearing your progress as I'm in a similar position (ultimately will pursue a HT but not sure if I should supplement with Minox prior to the procedure).

Would appreciate if you share your experience at the clinics! Good luck.

I'll keep you posted once I visit the clinics!

As for my take on it, are you on Propecia/Finasteride to help keep what you've got?

I think that's probably 80-90% the most important thing before getting a HT, to see if your hair-loss has stabilized/stopped before getting the procedure.

I'm personally getting on the minoxidil because I believe after 2 years on it, some of the hairs in my temples are technically "dead" (because I didn't use Propecia) but the minoxidil may have kept them alive so they're dependent on it.

[AubreyMcClendon]

I'll keep you posted once I visit the clinics!

As for my take on it, are you on Propecia/Finasteride to help keep what you've got?

I think that's probably 80-90% the most important thing before getting a HT, to see if your hair-loss has stabilized/stopped before getting the procedure.

I'm personally getting on the minoxidil because I believe after 2 years on it, some of the hairs in my temples are technically "dead" (because I didn't use Propecia) but the minoxidil may have kept them alive so they're dependent on it.

I am on Fin 1mg every day, liquid minox every night + foam rogaine every other morning. I also use Niz 3x a week and take a heap of vitamins.

Quick aside - I've seen good results thus far, but am going to suspend both fin and minox in the coming weeks as my wife and I are about to begin trying to conceive. I haven't been able to find any studies firmly linking fin or minox to birth defects but better safe than sorry, I'd feel guilty if I didn't take the precaution. I'm hoping (for various reasons) that things happen quickly as my regimen has totally stopped losses and has led to moderate regrowth.

I think temples are key as they help to frame the face - do everything you can to preserve them!

What docs are you considering? Bernstein (NY), Rahal (Ottawa), Cooley (NC) and Dauer (Los Angeles) are some I'm considering.

[gillenator]

Surgical hair restoration should always be the last resort. So if we can regrow any hair using effective hair loss meds, why not use them.

Low dose finasteride is more recommended to curb or slow the progressive rate of MPB. That's because it is proven to inhibit DHT in most men. And while the use of minoxidil won't do anything to inhibit DHT, it can rejuvenate some new growth by bringing some dormant hair follicles out of the resting period and back into the growth phase. And stopping either medication will result in losing any of the gains made.

Many guys use both to get the most optimal medicinal results aside from surgery.