Yes It’s Normal To Lose More Hair When You Start Minoxidil
The beginning of any hair loss treatment regimen can feel like your moment. After seeing your hair do nothing but fall out, youre finally taking matters into your hands and putting an end to it. Many guys turn to minoxidil, a topical solution thats proven to stop hair loss and even regrow hair for some men.
The problem with minoxidil? Its not an instant cure for male pattern baldness. Most men dont start seeing results for the first 4-6 months of treatment. In fact, some guys even see their hair fall out in even larger quantities in the first few months of their treatment. This increased hair loss is referred to as minoxidil shedding, and its an infamous term among men starting minoxidil.
The good news? This is expected. Its a significant indicator that youre on your way to growing new and healthier hair. At first glance, this might not make a lot of sense. So we talked to one of our Keeps advisors to understand how this all works.
Does Rogaine Work For Hair Regrowth And What Are The Side Effects
byJuly 3, 2017, 9:31 pm5k Views
There are a lot of remedies for hair loss out there, but Rogaine is by far the most famous. And theres are legit reasons for that. For one thing, out of all the hair loss treatments available over the counter in the United States, its the only one approved for both men and women. But availability isnt the only reason Rogaine has been and remains one of the most popular treatments for hair loss. Read on to learn more.
I Tried Minoxidil To Regrow My Hair And This Is What I Look Like Now
When you consider hair envy, do you think of a specific color, a style your hairdresser can’t replicate, or those curtain bangs you see on your favorite influencer? For me, hair envy is reserved for those with a thick mane that seemingly grows with ease and a hairline that doesnt waver.
Like any woman, my relationship with my hair is complicated, and it has often been a source of insecurity. What was once thin and long became thinner and more sparse as my hairline started to show gaps in my twenties. I guess there is some relief in knowing that Im not the only woman to experience this. The causes for hair loss and hair thinning vary, but approximately 40 percent of women in the United States experience some form of it. Even so, hair loss can be distressing.
I always knew that voluminous locks were not in the genetic cards for me, but what I didnt know was that, by my mid-twenties, I would notice more of my scalp peeking through than I wouldve liked. Over the years, Ive seemingly tried it all. Silk pillowcases and scalp massagers? Been there. Changing my shampoo and reducing tight hairstyles? Done that. Not coloring my hair in hopes that it would improve the health? Tried that, too. It was a years-long trial and error process that led me to consider a different approach. Ahead of my thirtieth birthday this year, I decided it was time to put aside the fill-in powder in favor of a more permanent solution.
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Serious Side Effects Of Minoxidil
Minoxidil can cause severe or long-term side effects. Its rare, but your skin can absorb minoxidil. Stop using minoxidil if you experience any of the following side effects:
- Dizziness
- Difficulty breathing when lying down
- Swelling in hands or feet
- Unusual weight gain
- Unwanted body or facial hair growth
As a vasodilator, minoxidil causes an increase in blood supply, which can also increase your heart rate. Healthcare providers may advise people with pre-existing heart conditions against using products containing minoxidil because it can increase heart rate and cause chest pains, signaling heart failure. If you have heart problems, consult your healthcare provider before using minoxidil.
What Does Women’s Rogaine Claim To Do
Hair loss starts when your hair follicles begin to shrink and die. There are many shampoos out there that claim to prevent hair follicles dying, but Women’s Rogaine claims to do that and also to grow new hair follicles.
That may sound like a bold claim but Women’s Rogaine is the only topical solution for hair loss, recommended by Dermatologists for hair regrowth treatment.
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Do We Recommend Keeps Or Rogaine
Both Keeps and Rogaine offer Minoxidil, one is branded, and the other one is generic. But which one is our preference?
Whether you choose Keeps or Rogaine, use the online option and order it from the comfort of your home rather than going to the pharmacy and staying in line to get your medicine. This saves you from an awkward conversation about your hair loss with the cashier at your local pharmacy as well.
Between Rogaine and Keeps, we recommend Keeps. There are several reasons for that.
Your condition can be evaluated with the doctor. Sometimes, you may think since Minoxidil worked on your friend or brother, it may be a good option for you. Going through the health assessment, Keeps doctors can recommend what is best for you. You get a doctors visit without even leaving your house. How cool is that?
If you need to take other medications such as Finasteride, Keeps has a competitive offer for it. Their pricing gets even better if you bundle Finasteride and Minoxidil.
Keeps also has a subscription plan, and they ship your medications every 3 months. You have the option to talk with your doctor at any time if you experience any side effects or have questions or concerns.
Speaking of subscription plans, you can read about other companies that offer subscription-based hair loss treatment such as Roman or Hims. This is also a comparison between keeps vs. Hims vs. Roman.
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Can Rogaine Make Hair Loss Worse
There are many different options out there when it comes to hair loss treatment and you dont always have to undergo surgery in order to help improve your hair loss. And while a hair transplant may seem like the only permanent solution to your hair loss, depending on your condition, medical treatments like Rogaine can have incredible results when used properly.
Minoxidil, or as its more commonly known as, Rogaine, was the very first and only FDA-approved topical medication for hair growth treatment and has been a game changer in the space ever since. Minoxidil is a topical solution applied directly to the affected area. We know that it dilates blood vessels in the scalp which improve blood flow, but the precise mechanisms on how it promotes hair growth are not completely understood.
While it is very effective in most cases at treating hair loss, many patients have discussed their concerns with us after starting treatment that they are noticing more hair falling out instead of less.
We know that hair loss can be a difficult thing to deal with, and when you start a treatment that is supposed to prevent it, and instead you notice the opposite effects happening, it can be very concerning, even alarming.
Rest assured though, there is an explanation for why it appears that you are losing more hair now that youve started Rogaine, as opposed to growing more hair.
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Does Minoxidil Work On A Receding Hairline
This is a little controversial. Minoxidil is FDA approved for use on the vertex, or the top of the scalp, only. Youll read that it hasnt been shown to be effective on a receding hairline. Thats because its truemultiple studies havent been conducted on minoxidils effect specifically on the hairline. When minoxidil was developed and released in the 1980s, the initial studies and clinical trials focused on its effect on the top of the head. But a conclusive scientific verdict isnt in yet.
What are they waiting for? Your guess is as good as ours. But for now, dont count seeing results from using minoxidil on your receding hairline.
Best Way To Buy Minoxidil
Since Minoxidil is an over the counter medicine, you can purchase it without a doctors visit. To buy Minoxidil, you can go to your local pharmacy, order it through , use subscription companies like Keeps or purchase it directly from Rogaine. Lets talk about the advantages and disadvantages of each so you can pick the one that is right for you.
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Cutting Or Shaving My Hair Will Make It Grow Back Thicker And Faster:
FALSE. Hair grows at an average rate of half an inch per month. Each hair shaft is slightly thicker at its base compared to its tip, so hair can appear thicker for about a week after its been cut. However, cutting hair has absolutely no effect on each hair’s thickness or the number of hairs that will sprout from the follicles.
Rogaine Before And After
Notice how this gent began his treatment during the early phase of male pattern baldness hair loss, while he still had hair on top, albeit thinning. The results of treating the issue early speak for themselves in the after shot.
This dudes hair was a little thinner on top than the previous guyhe just styled it differently to cover it up. But once again, he started treatment early enough in his hair loss that his follicles recovered nicely, and he saw legit regrowth.
This mans hair loss is the most advanced of the group. Notice how not only is his hair markedly thin on top, his temples are very receded. Despite this, he experienced very significant natural hair regrowthmore so than the other two fellows, which proves theres still hope even if youve been dodging the issue awhile.
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Does Minoxidil Work For A Receding Hairline
Medically reviewed by Kristin Hall, FNP
Like finasteride, minoxidil is scientifically proven to improve hair growth and potentially help men with male pattern baldness regrow lost hair.
However, theres some debate online about whether or not minoxidil works on the hairs around the hairline. In the tests used to secure FDA approval, minoxidil was primarily tested on the top of the scalp and crown, resulting in a common belief that it only works on these areas.
Despite this, theres lots of evidence that minoxidil is effective at promoting hair growth on the entire scalp, including the hairline.
In this guide, well look at the science behind minoxidil to give you a deeper understanding of how it works, why its effective and why its worth considering if youve noticed your hairline starting to thin and recede.
What Are The Four Stages Of Growing New Hair
To better understand why your hair is falling out when you start your minoxidil regimen, its important to explore the four stages of hair growth. And to unpack this, we should start from the end of the process.
Your hair falls out in the fourth stage, the exogen phase. This is the final stage of the hair growth process where new hair begins to grow and pushes dying hair follicles upward. Crazy, right?
OK, but what happens before that happens? As mentioned, there are four stages of hair growth:
- Anagen Phase: The growth phase is when your hair just constantly grows. This usually lasts anywhere from two to six years.
- Catagen Phase: This is a transitional phase when your hair receives a signal to stop growing and begins to separate itself from the blood supply. As strange as this sounds, whats even stranger is that this phase can take up to a few weeks.
- Telogen Phase: At this point, your dying hair is waiting for new hair to give it the push it needs to fall out of your head. This can take up to three months.
- Exogen Phase: The exogen stage is when your old hair falls out and new hair grows in. And unfortunately, minoxidil speeds up this phase when you begin to use it.
Read Also: How To Heal Thinning Hair
What Products Should I Use Along With Rogaine
Since hair growth shampoos tend to be a misnomer, we recommend trying shampoos that instead boost the appearance of the hair your already have. To combat thinning hair, try a hair volumizing shampoo or serum, which work by adding space between your strands so it looks like you have more hair than you actually do. “The diameter of the hair shaft diminishes as we get older,” explains Zoe Draelo, M.D., a North Carolina-based clinical and research dermatologist, and thickening serums increase the diameter of individual strands by forming a semi-permanent coating around each hair to create a plumping effect. Volumizing products also contain less of the heavy moisturizing ingredients that can weigh down your hair.
How Long Does This Minoxidil Shedding Last
Everything weve discussed so far probably has you wondering if minoxidil is worth the trouble. The good news is that minoxidil shedding does end for most men. It typically only occurs at the beginning of your treatment. To be more specific, research shows that it generally starts two to eight weeks after beginning the treatment.
After that, the shedding should subside. Continue to apply minoxidil as directed and remain patient. Most men start to see results in 4-6 months, with some men needing up to a year to see the real impact of the treatment.
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Will I Keep Using Minoxidil
Considering the visibility of the results after just two months of minoxidil use and the knowledge that my hair thinning concerns can be treated with a topical product, I am determined to continue using it to maintain my growth. I realize that it is both a time and financial commitment, but, while the product was gifted at first, I will gladly repurchase it and recommend it to others experiencing similar issues. Time will tell if my hair becomes thicker and my spots continue to fill in more. I am optimistic, and, long term, I know there are other non-surgical hair restoration treatments I can consider in my quest for my own kind of hair envy.
Are Minoxidil And Finasteride Safe To Take Together
Studies show that minoxidil and finasteride are safe to take together. In fact, many studies have looked specifically at the effects of minoxidil and finasteride as a combination treatment for hair loss in men.
Interestingly, some of these studies have found that finasteride and minoxidil are more effective when used together than they are separately.
A 2015 study published in the Indian Dermatology Online Journal found that regular use of both finasteride and minoxidil together helped to maintain a good hair density level.
Interestingly, this study used a topical version of finasteride, rather than the more common oral finasteride tablets.
A larger study published in the journal Dermatologic Therapy looked at the effects of finasteride and minoxidil used at the same time to treat male pattern baldness.
After 12 months of treatment, 94.1 percent of the men who used finasteride and minoxidil at the same time showed improvements, compared to 80.5 percent and 59 percent of the men treated with finasteride or minoxidil alone, respectively.
Finasteride and minoxidil work through different mechanisms — minoxidil as a topical vasodilator and finasteride as a 5-alpha-reductase inhibitor that targets DHT.
Since they work in different parts of the body, theres no risk in taking them together. In fact, as the studies above show, youll likely experience better results by using finasteride and minoxidil together than by only taking one medication to treat hair loss.
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