minoxidil questions, users please respond

[smallz]

I have been on propeica for 9 and a half months now and am dissapointed so far. I am thinking about geting on 5% minoxidil and am wondering about some people's results and experiences.

-How long does it take for you to see results?
-Was the initial shedding period that long, and discouraging, and how much hair did you lose?
-Is there a huge difference between 5% and 15%?

thanks for any help you can give me.

 

[not me!]

I think the shedding is overrated with minoxidil. But, hey, I think shedding is overrated with anything. It's too easy to get upset over it. Best to ignore it. Easier said than done, but you have to try.

I have had pretty good success with Minoxidil 5%. I use the generic wal-mart brand and use it on my hairline as well as my crown. I use 1mL on the crown and 1mL on the hairline twice a day. Yup, you heard right. I cannot say for sure that it helps the hairline, but it sure isn't hurting, thats for sure.

I have heard a lot of discussion on the 15%. In discussing the possible benefits of the 15%, a physician friend of mine pointed out that minoxidil can very well have a "bell curve" effect. What he meant was that you can see an increase in performance up to a point, but after that when you increase the doseage the performance can actually diminish. Now, keep in mind that this is not proven and I am not saying it is. Niether is he, for that matter. The fact is, noone really knows yet at which point that this can happen with Minoxidil. I think Dr. Lee makes very good products and if you use the 15% with great success, then I will be very happy for you and I will also be very eager to hear about it.

For me, the 5% works well. Keep in mind that I am a fast responder to medication and I started Finasteride at the same time that I started Minoxidil, but I saw an overall improvement to my hair at around 4 months. I try not to look in the mirror much at all, but the improvement was definitely there. Will you get the same results? I don't know. Everyone is definitely different.

Even though I don't use it, the addition of Retin-A in the minoxidil is definitely promising as it carries the active ingredient through the scalp at a higher rate of absorbtion. You may want to look at this as well, as Dr. Lee does offer that too.

Best of luck to you.

 

[too bald too furious]

minoxidil works wonderfully for 1 out of 10 cases. Then around 5 out of 10 see very mild improvements...or no changes to hair and ofcourse for the unlucky 4, minoxidil doesnt work at all. Propecia + minoxidil + nizoral/TGel is your best bet.
Try it for 1 year and if you can maintain with what you got, you should be happy.
As for me, I am holding off propecia for the time being coz I wanna give minoxidil six months on its own. I am almost approaching the end of 4 months, and my application of minoxidil has been on temples and hair line. So far, no such significant improvement in it, but i hv got a lot of very tiny vellous hairs on the once bare temples. They have been there for like 2-3 months now, but they are not standing as such...and if they are growing..the rate is pretty slow with no cosmetic effect.
Good luck..!!

 

[not me!]

minoxidil works wonderfully for 1 out of 10 cases. Then around 5 out of 10 see very mild improvements...or no changes to hair and ofcourse for the unlucky 4, minoxidil doesnt work at all.

Interesting breakdown but I highly doubt it is quite that simple. I don't thik that I can categorize my results as "wonderful", but they are certainly better than "mild." Of course, I am probably splitting hairs, but I don't like the idea of turning guys away from proven treatments. It is amazing to me that some guys participate in these forums, hear the voices of reason, and still spread junk on their heads or ingest junk in hopes of a magic cure (ARR-Kay-19, Zix, OzBrew, etc.)

 

[mvpsoft]

Even though I don't use it, the addition of Retin-A in the minoxidil is definitely promising as it carries the active ingredient through the scalp at a higher rate of absorbtion. You may want to look at this as well, as Dr. Lee does offer that too.

There is a a product called Minsaw-A that is 7% minoxidil, saw palmetto, and also includes retin-a. I use it about 3 times a week out of my 12-14 applications of minoxidil (I use Kirkland 5% the other times) and would use it more, except it irritates my scalp big time. Retin-a is a powerful skin exfoliant, and on my scalp, I get chunks of skin flaking off if I use Minsaw-A more often. Of course, Revivogen irriates my scalp too. I use Tricomin twice a day, and I still can't use the Minsaw-A and Revivogen every day.

The makers of Minsaw-A claim that it only needs to be on the scalp one hour to be absorbed. Pfizer (Rogaine and Kirkland brands) claims that their formulation needs to be on the scalp for four hours to be absorbed, so there may be something to the claim that retin-a increases the rate of absorption.