Propecia and the dreaded shower

[blee7370]

Hi..

I have recently began propecia. I have diffuse thinning in the frontal region of my scalp.

I have read about lots of stories where propecia has stopped hair comming out (especially in the shower where the most usually tends to fall out). How long did it take YOU for this to start happening?

By stopping hair coming out in the shower I don't mean completely as even people with full heads of hair can't manage this. But i mean to a count of about 3-5 hairs coming out?

> The first week on propecia hardly any hairs came out. Then my hair started coming out more than ever. I will assume this is a shed phase hopefully. Also, I noticed that the bald spot on my head is growing and hairs are easily dislodged in that infamous area. dammit

Cheers, Ben.

 

[ShedMaster]

the showers that you are dreading are merely delaying the inevitable. those hairs are destined to his the floor no matter. just stick consistant with your applications and understand that not showering will not have an effect on those hairs being shed.

 

[killbill123]

i just started propecia last week, as well....i dont think anything thats going on is the result of the propecia...i am just gonna stay on it like a robot until 6 months, then re-evaluate whether i want to stay on it the full year...

but for what its worth ive noticed the same thing as you...my hair seemed to stay ok initially but now 7 days in im having 50-hair sheds when i comb it after a long day...my scalp is a bit red and oily...but i cant say those are things i would NEVER see before i was on anything...

im keeping a positive outlook, come what may...if it doesnt work i gave it my best shot...but i'd love to monitor our experiences since we've gone on this thing at the same time.

 

[blee7370]

hi shedmaster..

I know that they were going to go anyway.

But i'm asking for the people who have been on propecia for a while..

When their hairloss stopped and when abouts did they notice no more hairs falling out? I'm using the shower as a reference point as it is during showers which most hairs are lost.

Cheers, Ben.

 

[UK1]

My hair stopped falling out within a few weeks of starting finasteride, it pretty much stayed that way until I started minoxidil a few months later.

 

[haunted-ballroom]

My hair stopped falling out within a few weeks of starting finasteride, it pretty much stayed that way until I started minoxidil a few months later.

Really? balls! ive been on finasteride almost 4 months and i still lose tons in the shower

 

[Def]

4 and a bit years here and I've never stopped losing them in the shower - at least 20 or so each shower.

Still - my hair is no worse than when I started.

Forget about counting hairs in the shower.

DEf

 

[blee7370]

My hair stopped falling out within a few weeks of starting finasteride, it pretty much stayed that way until I started minoxidil a few months later.

Really? cool. what type of hairloss are u experiencing though? more details please

 

[Pondle]

My hair stopped falling out within a few weeks of starting finasteride, it pretty much stayed that way until I started minoxidil a few months later.

I had exactly the same experience.

 

[blee7370]

hmm.. what type of hair loss do you guys mostly experience?

Is it the circle at the back of your head? Because i'm assuming propecia is most effective in that area. Where as I'm experiencing loss more at the front

 

[Pondle]

I had both a thinning of the crown and vertex, plus recession at the temples.

 

[NotInmywatch]

4 and a bit years here and I've never stopped losing them in the shower - at least 20 or so each shower.

Still - my hair is no worse than when I started.

Forget about counting hairs in the shower.

DEf

Hey @Def whats your current status?

 

[maxou]

My hair never really stopped falling out, still losing moderate amount of hair daily

However, I've been maintaining. So it really doesn't mean that much

Been on finasteride for 6 years and dutasteride for 5

My theory is that if you have diffuse thinning. That means much of your scalp is thinner. Shorter hair cycles means more hair falling out. But thanks to the finasteride and dutasteride the next hair cycle is not thinner than the previous. It comes back the same way and so you maintain. Don't know if this makes sense or not.

 

[NotInmywatch]

My hair never really stopped falling out, still losing moderate amount of hair daily

However, I've been maintaining. So it really doesn't mean that much

Been on finasteride for 6 years and dutasteride for 5

My theory is that if you have diffuse thinning. That means much of your scalp is thinner. Shorter hair cycles means more hair falling out. But thanks to the finasteride and dutasteride the next hair cycle is not thinner than the previous. It comes back the same way and so you maintain. Don't know if this makes sense or not.

Thanks ... What you're saying is fascinating... I dated a girl for 4 years that used to shed tons of hair in the sheets pillow floor and shower....I thought she was gonna be bald in 6 months..... 4 years later she had the SAME amount of hair in her head and the same shedding rate... I was the poor f****r who was balding instead.
Astounding but biologically plausible.

 

[maxou]

Let's say your hair weight is 50% lower than it's original weight. Does that mean the life cycle will be 50% shorter?

A normal hair cycle is 3-5 years, but within this period a thinner hair will go through multiple cycles. Just more rotations and so more daily hair falling. I hope this is true and not me being delusional.

 

[bluecyclone]

the showers that you are dreading are merely delaying the inevitable. those hairs are destined to his the floor no matter. just stick consistant with your applications and understand that not showering will not have an effect on those hairs being shed.

Can you get into more detail on this? I’ve heard the same, that hairs that come free from a shower or light brushing are already shed. But I’ve also read that any mechanical stress can force hairs to be shed sooner.

As someone shedding ungodly amounts daily I almost want to embrace this and hope for regrow this and a healthier scalp that reducing washing to twice a week.

 

[keepcoolmybabies]

Can you get into more detail on this? I’ve heard the same, that hairs that come free from a shower or light brushing are already shed. But I’ve also read that any mechanical stress can force hairs to be shed sooner.

As someone shedding ungodly amounts daily I almost want to embrace this and hope for regrow this and a healthier scalp that reducing washing to twice a week.

If the hair has gone from catagen to telogen stage then it is essentially just sitting in the follicle and will either get pushed out by the next hair entering anagen stage or from light force (i.e. showering, brushing, etc). So if you skip shampoo days then the next time you wash you are likely to loosen twice the amount of telogen hairs you otherwise would have. But unless you are experiencing atopic dermatitis from the shampoo or washing so vigorously that you are inducing a means of trichotillomania, then the act of shampooing isn't likely to be causing you to shed more hairs than you otherwise would.