Shedding - will hair grow back?

[worried]

Hi,
I´ve been using minoxidil products for many years (rogaine, dnc, promox) along with propecia and ketoconazole-shampoo, and have never been troubled by shedding. A month ago, however, I started using a product called Nanominox-FMS (high strength minoxidil with finasteride, ketoconazole and some other ingredients) along with promox 15% minoxidil lotion. For three weeks, I have now seen one of my temples gradually diminish from a severe shed, which is mainly taking place in an area below the MPB area. I have now stopped using the Nanominox, and my question for you is: will the hair lost grow back? It used to be thick and healthy in this area. I would very much appreciate an answer!

[Lain]

Hi worried,

Since Mark the hair loss uber guru is having his free weekend days you will need to be satisfied with my answer. Mark will surely give feedback on Monday.

Minoxidil does not cause any kind of permanent hair loss even when so high concentrated like the brand you used. Some people on the internet forums thou claim that this is devilish stuff and the source of all of their hair loss but one must understand that sometimes these comments are desperation of their ongoing genetic hair loss.

If you say that your hair in that areas was thick and healthy it would be very strange to blame DHT (the hormone responsible for hair loss) for it since the process of a dying hair is fairly slowly. It gets slowly thinner till the hair is so thin that it is barely visible (peach hair) Also when you say that it is an area untypical for MPB it would be strange that this type of hair loss is the case.

From minox temporary hair loss may also occur. I am sure you heard of it probably that there might be some increased shedding from it. However if you lose hair from it, which was fairly healthy, then this hair will actually regrow again. (in about 3 months)

Any further diagnosis what it might actually be is very very hard from this point since there are too many options. If in the next 4 weeks you consider that it gets worse, try to look for a hair specialist that offers a service called: miniaturization. This maps out your scalp and will indicate if it gets better worse or stays the same.

You had any gradual stress recently? Your eating habits havent changed any big the last weeks? Did you put any physical stress on the area where you lost your hair?

[worried]

Hi Lain, and thank you for your answer! I really appreciate it. Two things about this matter are a bit strange: the first thing is that I had virtually no shedding up in the front (the vellus hairs actually seem to have thickened up in this area, which is why I didn´t stop the treatment before), but foremost in the temple, which was hit quite bad everywhere where the nanominox was applied. My own thougths about this is that this area was not "used" to minoxidil like the MPB area, in which I have been using promox 15% before. Since the shed has only occured in the areas where this product has been used(this is very apparent), I do think it does originate from this product, and hence think of this as a minox shed. Please correct me if you think I´m wrong. Right now, I have stopped using the product in this area, only using it once a day in the area which seems to have gained from it. Do you think that this is correct? I know some people would say that I should stick it out and keep using the product, but what´s the point in accepting a shed in an area that used to look nice? What do you think? My worries right now are just that this thin spot won´t thicken up again. But if I get you right, you think it will? Thank you again, best regards Fred

[Lain]

If you never had problem with this specific area in terms of hair loss, there is no point in using minox there. Especially when it is an area not affected by MPB. I think its the right decision to stop using minox there and keep using it where you had a gain and in an area affected by MPB. (this area I define by the Norwood scale)

Yes in case that the minox shed was the reason for your hair loss, your hair will very likely regrow. I know many people who had this minox shed and the worst that happened was that the simply regrew in the same manner as it was before. Healthy and thick hair just does not die so quickly and simply stops growing. There are of course some exceptions which are linked to certain diseases.

Just on a side note: It is generally wiser (note that my facts are only based upon studies I have read, not from my professional personal knowledge which I simply dont have) to use minox 2 times a day however you may use lower concentration. (5%) That would also be cheaper and has less side effects. But if your current approach has worked right for you then just stick to it.

Mark will certainly comment this again and you will get more certainty to your current course. :)

[worried]

Thank you for your answer, it´s reassuring to read. I have actually been using minox also in this area before, but not these products (whichs I believe to be quite strong) and not to this extent. You know one sometimes applies the minoxidil slightly outside the balding areas, but with the 5% dnc/dnc-l and promox, I have had no problems with shedding before. I am now using minox twice a day, but have switched from nano to dnc-l at bedtime, and totally avoid the nano in the area affected by the shed. Looking forward to furter comments!

[Mark]

Again, Lain has it spot on.

My question is whether there was a particular reason you chose to go to such a highly concentrated form of minoxidil? You say that you didn't have shedding prior to this, so that's certainly something that may have happened here, and Lain is right. If that's the cause it should grow back without a problem.

Another thing to consider is that you may have stress related hair loss. A good friend of mine had this for a while and I got some good photos of it. (http://baldingforum.com/showthread.php?t=738) He uses no medication for hair loss since he's got such a great head of hair, and was diagnosed as having simple stress related hair loss, and it's growing back now.

-Mark

[Ernie Primeau]

Finas has been proven to cause more hair loss in the long term. It is a dreadful mistake to use it along with minox. Minox is a blood dilator that allows more finas to reach the scalp. Ernie

[worried]

Thanks for your replies guys, I appreciate it. I´m totally off the nanominox fms now, would recommend the product to noone. I have one more question, though: how long do you think i´ll have to wait before I see some regrowth in the area that was hit by the shed? How long does the reproduction of a hair shaft take in a case like this? Just a rough approximation, a qualified guess?

[Mark]

Finas has been proven to cause more hair loss in the long term. It is a dreadful mistake to use it along with minox. Minox is a blood dilator that allows more finas to reach the scalp. Ernie

I don't think this is true. First of all, I'm not sure what Finas or Minox are. Are those just shortened versions of "Finasteride" and "Minoxidil"? If that's the case, I have not seen any evidence to show that Finasteride causes more hair loss in the long run.

Maybe I'm misunderstanding you....

[Mark]

Thanks for your replies guys, I appreciate it. I´m totally off the nanominox fms now, would recommend the product to noone. I have one more question, though: how long do you think i´ll have to wait before I see some regrowth in the area that was hit by the shed? How long does the reproduction of a hair shaft take in a case like this? Just a rough approximation, a qualified guess?

Essentially you're waiting for the hair to grow back from the follicle up. That can be quite a while. Anywhere up to around 9 months, or whatever your natural hair growth cycle is.

-Mark

[worried]

In another hairloss forum, I got this answer:

I can't believe you stopped. You were reacting because of the higher minox and excellent topicals you were using. I think people who don't shed should worry as their progress will either be an extremely slow one or no reaction to the drugs at all.

Propecia alone causes shed
Minoxidil alone causes shed
ketoconazole shampoo alone causes shed

So when you combine these how can you NOT experience high amount of shed. But your results would have been great. And THIS is exactly why it is always recomended to wait 8 months to a year before deciding if it works for you or if it doesn't. However, once you stop in the middle of the shed you wil regain your lost hairs.

Please give me your opinion upon this answer! Should I consider this piece of advice?

[Mark]

In another hairloss forum, I got this answer:

I can't believe you stopped. You were reacting because of the higher minox and excellent topicals you were using. I think people who don't shed should worry as their progress will either be an extremely slow one or no reaction to the drugs at all.

Propecia alone causes shed
Minoxidil alone causes shed
ketoconazole shampoo alone causes shed

So when you combine these how can you NOT experience high amount of shed. But your results would have been great. And THIS is exactly why it is always recomended to wait 8 months to a year before deciding if it works for you or if it doesn't. However, once you stop in the middle of the shed you wil regain your lost hairs.

Please give me your opinion upon this answer! Should I consider this piece of advice?

The advice in itself is not unreasonable by any stretch, but they're also claiming that "your results would have been great". Nobody can make that claim with any accuracy.

You're taking a lot of medications, some of which are very potent. Ideally you should be seeing a doctor while taking these medications so they can accurately diagnose the problems you're having as either a result of the drug, or something else entirely. And I realize that's sort of a cop-out considering that this forum is supposed to be a place for people to come for answers about their hair loss issues, but we're trying to be honest here and part of that is telling you that we can't give you any answers with 100% accuracy.


Ideally you'd be seeing a doctor while taking these medications, but if you're not going to, you're just going to have to roll the dice and see what happens.

-Mark

[mor]

you may also want to be less stress out about the hair growing.

[Ernie Primeau]

Mark,
I suggest that you and all concerned about shedding from Finas, Spiro and other anti-androgens google "shedding from the use of Finas" etc. Ernie

[Mark]

Mark,
I suggest that you and all concerned about shedding from Finas, Spiro and other anti-androgens google "shedding from the use of Finas" etc. Ernie

Is there anything in particular you want to show? Nothing came up under a search for "shedding from the use of Finas".