What do these hairs mean? Good or bad sign? [pic]

[ericgerard]

Recently, after 10 months on fin and a few months on minoxidil, I've been shedding a lot of these kinds of hairs. They are short (1.5 inches maybe) and tapered off at the tip. In other words, they start off wispy and thicken towards the root. Up until a few months ago or so I never shed these kinds of hairs.

Could this be a sign of wispy, miniaturized hairs converting to terminal as they grow? That would be great. Or.. are they miniaturized hairs that have taken a long time to grow and through washing and so on have thinned near their ends?

I should mention that the rest of my hair is fairly short. I just had a lot of hair lopped off a few months ago, so these shed hairs are not too much shorter on average than the rest of my hair.

[Artista]

Good question Ericgerard...Anyone care to comment?
I have been on Fin' close to 10 months now.
My hair loss has STOPPED and I have been experiencing better scalp density.
I have not noticed any shedding.
If I were on Minoxidil as well, could that possibly cause shedding?

[35YrsAfter]

Recently, after 10 months on fin and a few months on minoxidil, I've been shedding a lot of these kinds of hairs. They are short (1.5 inches maybe) and tapered off at the tip. In other words, they start off wispy and thicken towards the root. Up until a few months ago or so I never shed these kinds of hairs.

Could this be a sign of wispy, miniaturized hairs converting to terminal as they grow? That would be great. Or.. are they miniaturized hairs that have taken a long time to grow and through washing and so on have thinned near their ends?

I should mention that the rest of my hair is fairly short. I just had a lot of hair lopped off a few months ago, so these shed hairs are not too much shorter on average than the rest of my hair.

A lot of 1.5 inch hairs may indicate that something is shortening your anagen phase. Rogaine has a rare side effect of hair loss which most likely means it sends hair into the telogen phase in some men. I doubt the hair is permanently lost though. Do you take any medications with a hair loss side effect? How's your diet?

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[ericgerard]

Thanks 35yearsafter.

The weird thing though is that since I've started using minoxidil, I've been getting regrowth in my temples in the form of fairly dense vellus hair. This would suggest that the minoxidil is working, rather than making my hair loss worse, right? I hope so anways! I've only been using it for just under two months or so.

The only other meds/suppliments I take are finasteride, MSM, a daily multivitamin, and fish oil. My diet is quite good. I don't eat a lot of garbage food and I am definitely getting the calories I need.

I should add that I have seen a few of these hairs prior to starting minoxidil, but they seem to make up a much larger proportion of my shed hairs now that I am on minoxidil. Again, they are not much shorter than my hair right now. The longest hairs on my head are probably only about 2.5 inches long.

[redy]

I've been shedding these as well for a while now.

Not really sure if it's good or bad, but I figure I'll never know unless my hair gets thicker anyway...

I'd give you the advice to just do what you're going to do and try not to worry about what's happening. I have been worrying non-stop for the 9 months I've been on fin/min/keto and I'm getting inevitably close to buzzing my hair off in frustration. If I do that, then I can't worry anymore because it's gone.

Nobody really has any idea what anything means while using medications.
People know that shed phases happen, not much about why or how long or whatever.
People know that some people regrow, some people don't - they don't know really why or how to predict it.
People know that it is very unlikely for the meds to make you worse off - they don't know how likely it is or if there is any evidence other than the meds just not working and the natural progression continuing.
Etc.

My theory is that with these hairs it comes down to two things:
The hairs are either naturally progressing worse, or they are shedding because the drugs have finally effected them enough to restart the cycle and the shaft is regenerating to fit the new growth stimulus.
But, again nobody will ever know until they either have hair or don't.