How long on average does it take a shed to grow back?

jc_uk · Jan 1, 2008

Hi,

I started finasteride 5 months ago. I've seen hairs on the front and hairline increase slightly in pigment, and definitely in thickness, but a lot of the previous thin blonde hairs seem to have fallen out. I now have small gaps online my hairline, which I'm sure were not there 5 months ago. It's all kind of subtle, except to me, but I'm guessing/hoping this is my first big shed?

So am wondering, for people who have had a shed, on average, when does the shed hair grow back in?

symbolx · Feb 13, 2008

Yeah. I think I'm going through a shed right now too, and I would like to know this as well.

robmartin · Feb 14, 2008

Well, when your hair sheds it is being pushed out by a newer, stronger (hopefully) hair. Hair grows at about 1/2 inch per month so divide that by the length of your current hair and that's how many months it will take to grow back in. Theoretically anyway. :dunno:

dromaryn · Feb 15, 2008

I am seeking further clarification on this matter from some experienced board members.

First my story: I started using propecia when I was 21, and have been on it with no interuptions for 7.5 years. In that time I maintained most of what I had, though my hairline receeded about 1 mm along the front and 2-3 mm in the temple area.

I started using Rogaine foam last April and have been on it now for 10 months.

There was no initial shedding. However, after 4 months (end of August) I started to notice the beginning of my shed. The shed was not too bad until around the middle of November and December, when it really started coming out. This shedding slowed down in January and has probably gotten close to "normal" this month. Overall my hair has not suffered too badly but my hairline definitely looks worse, as I have developed a gap just to the right of the midline (about 20-25 hairs left in a square half inch). I've since shaved off my hair because that gap simply looks odd.

So my question is: how long after the hair is shed does it return when using Rogaine? Also I should mention that approximately 75% of the hair that fell out was NOT miniaturized, but rather was thick dark hair. Is it a bad sign that I have not seen any of that shed hair return along my hairline (ie. looking for new spouts but not finding them yet), or do I still have to wait for another month or two before that happens? Or phrased another way: how long does a follicle that has been forced into the anagen phase and has shed its hair due to Minoxidil, take to "wake up" and produce a new hair?

Thanks in advance for any assistance/advice.