Hair Loss After Stopping minoxidil, And Then Restarting (pics)

[zzzzz]

The Green text one is now vs June. I restarted minoxidil in June. In just under 3 months, the results have been noticeable. There was definitely no noticeable results say, a month and a half ago. This all happened I would say between month 2-3 of restarting.

The other attatched set of pics compares February 2016 & November 2015 when I was on dutasteride and minoxidil. I stopped minoxidil from February-June. The "now" pics in those mean June pictures. All sets of pictures are under different lighting conditions to get an accurate/full picture

I've been on dutasteride once a day throughout, never stopped that. Only minoxidil. I have been on dutasteride for well over 2 years now, so nothing could be from that.

I think this is a very good documented case of the difference in hair quality with and without minoxidil. I will never stop minoxidil again, starting and stopping is clearly responsible for the difference.

 

[zzzzz]

thanks for sharing man, it really makes you think twice about dropping min.

as a side note, i have similar pattern to you in the first set of photos. Crown/vertex thinning is pretty brutal because hair transplants surgeons are less likely to touch it which doesn't leave us with real options....

I always planned on getting a hair transplant after I leave college and save up some money. I always just assumed if I had a track record of many years of maitenance with dutasteride they would be willing

 

[transam]

Z, you use 5% minoxidil correct?...Rogaine or Kirkland?



I've been using 15% lotion from Murray Avenue Apothecary for about 2 months now, but its too expensive ($90/per bottle)
I'm wondering if I should just switch back to my Rogaine 5% & continue taking my AA meds.

PLEASE NOTE: my balding is the same as yours, BUT i also have a receded hairline
I used Rogaine a long time ago, worked wonders. Stopped for years (p.s I was never on any kind of AA up until this point)
Tried to use Rogaine again & got NOTHING.

Doctor gave me finasteride & told me to stay on rogaine....1 year later, my growth is nothing spectacular, & i mean nothing compared to yours.
I just added dutasteride, Estradiol & 15% minoxidil to my regimen 3 months ago...
So now I'm taking
dutasteride 1mg
finasteride 5mg
Estro 2mg
15% minoxidil

Now my hairline is starting to grow back in with hairs, however my crown never really changed/improved: its still shot. Not slick bald, but sparse hairs everywhere.
Can I drop 15% minoxidil & go back to Rogaine 5%?...I hate the lotion & its too expensive.

Will my AA game compensate for Rogaine at 5%?...Maybe I should stick with Rogaine & just be patient?

 

[youngguyhairloss]

same thing happened to me ive been back on minoxidil for 3 months after stopping for 3 months and things are improving

 

[zzzzz]

Z, you use 5% minoxidil correct?...Rogaine or Kirkland?



I've been using 15% lotion from Murray Avenue Apothecary for about 2 months now, but its too expensive ($90/per bottle)
I'm wondering if I should just switch back to my Rogaine 5% & continue taking my AA meds.

PLEASE NOTE: my balding is the same as yours, BUT i also have a receded hairline
I used Rogaine a long time ago, worked wonders. Stopped for years (p.s I was never on any kind of AA up until this point)
Tried to use Rogaine again & got NOTHING.

Doctor gave me finasteride & told me to stay on rogaine....1 year later, my growth is nothing spectacular, & i mean nothing compared to yours.
I just added dutasteride, Estradiol & 15% minoxidil to my regimen 3 months ago...
So now I'm taking
dutasteride 1mg
finasteride 5mg
Estro 2mg
15% minoxidil

Now my hairline is starting to grow back in with hairs, however my crown never really changed/improved: its still shot. Not slick bald, but sparse hairs everywhere.
Can I drop 15% minoxidil & go back to Rogaine 5%?...I hate the lotion & its too expensive.

Will my AA game compensate for Rogaine at 5%?...Maybe I should stick with Rogaine & just be patient?

I use rogaine. P.S. About your rogaine "not doing anything" let me share the story about why I stopped.

I started using rogaine 6 months before I started any oral antiandrogen. This was in november 2013. My hair didn't change at all, only after dutasteride did I get regrowth so I was curious whether it did anything. So that is why I decided to stop rogaine and see what would happen this year back in february. As you can see, this is what happened, and I am clearly a responder to rogaine.

The theory is if your hair loss is progressing at the exact same rate at which minoxidil is giving you regrowth you will not see any change. Make sense?

Also, taking dutasteride and finasteride at the same time is pointless. dutasteride overpowers the finasteride, so there is no point in taking finasteride