Need some advice (pls help)

[skychief]

Hello Gentleman.

About 7 months ago I went to my family doctor and told him I am worried about my thinning hair and receding hairline. I told him I wanted to take propecia. The dr being bald himself seemed insulted that i was worried about my hair loss and told me that is nature you will need to stay on the drug forever to maintain your hair so tough luck.

Fast forward until now, and I am getting married in 1 month, and I find my hair has gotten worse. Been dealing with so much stress I can feel tingling in my thinning area and it worries the hell out of me that I will lose even more hair before my wedding. Out of panic I ordered some 5% rogaine foam and 5% topical with out seeing a dermatologist or anything.

Is this risky for me to start using right now considering my wedding is in 1 month from today? I hear it cause shedding, and last thingI want is to shed more hair leading up to my wedding.

Any advice would be appreciated

[mattj]

The Minoxidil could cause a shedding phase, and since you only have one month until the wedding it might be a good idea to hold off from starting it until after. I doubt if you'll lose that much hair naturally between now and then.

[WarLord]

Hello Gentleman.

About 7 months ago I went to my family doctor and told him I am worried about my thinning hair and receding hairline. I told him I wanted to take propecia. The dr being bald himself seemed insulted that i was worried about my hair loss and told me that is nature you will need to stay on the drug forever to maintain your hair so tough luck.

Fast forward until now, and I am getting married in 1 month, and I find my hair has gotten worse. Been dealing with so much stress I can feel tingling in my thinning area and it worries the hell out of me that I will lose even more hair before my wedding. Out of panic I ordered some 5% rogaine foam and 5% topical with out seeing a dermatologist or anything.

Is this risky for me to start using right now considering my wedding is in 1 month from today? I hear it cause shedding, and last thingI want is to shed more hair leading up to my wedding.

Any advice would be appreciated

You are asking questions that nobody can answer. We don't know, how your body will react to the drugs. The first rule is to start as early as possible. The chart of the most effective treatments is as follows:

1/ Dutasteride (the success rate is unknown, but in theory, it should be close to 100%)
2/ Finasteride (close to 90% success rate)
3/ 5% minoxidil (may work in more than 50% men)

I myself started on minoxidil in 1997, and if I exclude two unhappy switchings of my regimen, I have kept all my hair without any change (Norwood 1.5). Only recently I added dutasteride and finasteride to be ahead of the process. There are people, who have maintained their hair on minoxidil for 20-25 years, but nobody can guarantee you that you will belong to this category.

By the way, I have never experienced any shedding on minoxidil - until I tried 15% minoxidil in 2011. That was a big shock for my hair that did more harm than good. If you are so afraid of shedding, I think that the best compromise should be starting with 2% minoxidil and then switching to 5% minoxidil.

[clandestine]

You're speaking nonsense. Minoxidil is a growth stimulant; it won't 'maintain' your hair. People often experience sheds on going on Minox initially; your word is not God, your experience is entirely subjective. Try and understand this.

OP; people often report initial sheds when starting Minox. Up to you whether you'd like to risk that for your wedding day. Personally, I would recommend a concealer such as Caboki or Nanogen.

[hellouser]

The Minoxidil could cause a shedding phase, and since you only have one month until the wedding it might be a good idea to hold off from starting it until after. I doubt if you'll lose that much hair naturally between now and then.

Actually, 1 month can make a world of a difference. I switched from 2% to 5% minoxidil in december, 2012 and by the end of january my hair was noticeable thinner. Only way around this is to add a high dosage of RU or CB but that still doesnt guarantee not going through a shed.

But you make a good suggestion to hold off until after.

[mattj]

Actually, 1 month can make a world of a difference. I switched from 2% to 5% minoxidil in december, 2012 and by the end of january my hair was noticeable thinner. Only way around this is to add a high dosage of RU or CB but that still doesnt guarantee not going through a shed.

But you make a good suggestion to hold off until after.

You're talking about a Minoxidil shed. I know that can cause some rapid loss. I suggested that in one month he's unlikely to have shed that much hair naturally (due to the progression of MPB) so he's likely to be better off at the time of his wedding if he waits until after before starting Minoxidil.

[Shan]

youre not gonna go bald bald in 1 month and min wont grow hair in a month. if anything it will shed. so hold out for month. peace

[WarLord]

You're speaking nonsense. Minoxidil is a growth stimulant; it won't 'maintain' your hair. People often experience sheds on going on Minox initially; your word is not God, your experience is entirely subjective. Try and understand this.

Please, can you understand, what a nonsense are you writing? So minoxidil is a growth stimulant, it only regrows hair, but can't keep the existing hair? I will bet that your source is Bryan the Mythmaker, a shaddy persona of internet hairloss forums.

When will we get rid off this nonsensical crap? There are many people maintaining their hair on minoxidil for 20-25 years. I myself have been on minoxidil for 16+ years. For me, it has ever been a very reliable stuff, as for hair maintenance.

[StayThick]

Please, can you understand, what a nonsense are you writing? So minoxidil is a growth stimulant, it only regrows hair, but can't keep the existing hair? I will bet that your source is Bryan the Mythmaker, a shaddy persona of internet hairloss forums.

When will we get rid off this nonsensical crap? There are many people maintaining their hair on minoxidil for 20-25 years. I myself have been on minoxidil for 16+ years. For me, it has ever been a very reliable stuff, as for hair maintenance.

I agree with Warlord here. I have been using Minox for 5 years and currently not using FIN or any antiandrogen and have maintained what I have.

If I miss a few days of application my hair feels lifeless, thin, and sheds. I, without a doubt, know my hair is 100% Minox dependent at this point and if I stop I will go seriously bald.

So, yes, Minox can maintain as I have stayed the same the last 3 years with only minor recession and thinning. Minox is the only hope I have right now and if not for that, I'd be seriously bald.

[WarLord]

I agree with Warlord here. I have been using Minox for 5 years and currently not using FIN or any antiandrogen and have maintained what I have.

If I miss a few days of application my hair feels lifeless, thin, and sheds. I, without a doubt, know my hair is 100% Minox dependent at this point and if I stop I will go seriously bald.

So, yes, Minox can maintain as I have stayed the same the last 3 years with only minor recession and thinning. Minox is the only hope I have right now and if not for that, I'd be seriously bald.

To be frank, 6 years ago I was still untouched by the internet negativism and I naturally supposed that I would keep my hair on minoxidil until the end of my life. I have spent all those years before in a state of blissful naivety But even now, I think that it is possible. The long-term studies from late 80's indicate that you can stay above baseline for a very long time. In fact, Olssen et al. (1990) documented that one-third of studied patients was gaining hair even after 5 years on minoxidil. And although the average number of hairs started to decline after 2 years, the average minoxidil user in this study would reach the baseline after ca. 15 years.

I know several people, who have been using minoxidil successfuly (for maintenance) for 20-25 years. Several days ago I read a post from a guy, who had been on minoxidil for 23 years and he has been "slowly losing gains" during the recent years. In other words, he is still above baseline after 23 years on minoxidil. My internet experience tells me that guys complaining about the "loss of efficiacy" after few years are almost invariably lazy fellows, who started to be sloppy with their application. Many of them are so stupid that they can't even realize, what blunders they make. They think that when they don't take minoxidil for a week (when they go "for a trip"), it will keep their hair by some mysterious magic. Some even interrupt the use for several months, like if it was normal.

To put it simply, the drug increases the resistance of follicles to DHT. This degree of resistance is certainly very individual and at present, I am not sure, if it worked in me forever. Similarly like in old people, the follicles may resist many hair cycles, but they may start to perish one day, albeit at a much slower pace. Therefore, I decided to add 5-AR blockers to be ahead of this process. It is always better to be ahead, rather than to panic from a sudden resumption of hair loss. I would recommend you the same. You can start with finasteride. The 5 mg version is quite cheap and furthermore, the addition of finasteride can bring you many benefits in terms of regrowth.

[Shan]

If you're going to start anything now, start Fin though you might not see any improvement in a month.