What is considered a BIG shed?

[philippe]

Hi all,

I have been on Propecia now for 9 months and while the initial shedding was pretty intense, and lasted well into the 6-7 month mark, things have begun to stabilize over the last couple of months prompting the beginning of Rogaine 5% use. I have been on Rogaine foam now for 1 month and I have begun to shed a bit again. When I say "shed" I mean I am losing at least 100-120 hairs a day for the last few days. I was wondering what the consensus is on the shedding amount and what is considered average, to a lot, for daily shedding when starting a new treatment? Secondly, how long does a typical Rogaine shed last for?

Thanks for any tips of info!

[Tracy C]

When I say "shed" I mean I am losing at least 100-120 hairs a day for the last few days.

It is completely normal for humans who are not suffering with hair loss to shed about 100 hairs per day. This is the normal amount of shedding and is not an indication of hair loss. Some days you may shed more. Some days you may shed less. This is normal. If you are only shedding 100 to 120 hairs per day, you are fine.

[philippe]

Hi Tracy,

Thanks for your response. It's hard to imagine that my current shedd is part of a "normal" hair growth cycle. I always recognize an oncoming shedd because I will start to see hairs around my place be it on my desk or on my keyboard or pillow, etc, and then it begins. I am certainly no doctor but when I run a comb through my hair and see nothing but hairs on it, my first thought is not that it is normal. What would you term a lot of shedding, for example how many hairs would one have to lose on a daily basis (for a couple of weeks) to be considered as going through a heavy shedd?

[Tracy C]

You do not have to believe me that it is normal for humans to shed about 100 hairs per day. Just ask a handful of doctors who specialize in treating hair loss and they will tell you the same thing. The reason they will tell you the same thing is because it is true.

I went through three separate periods of shedding during my first two years of treating my hair loss - but I never counted hairs. Counting hairs is one of the worse things you can do. I just rode out the shed until it stopped. A few months later my hair would be a little thicker than it was before.

Counting hairs can drive you nuts, so don't do that. Just ride it out.