Straight hairline to jagged

[Chris C]

I'm 23 and have been using rogaine 5% foam on the crown of my head for three months (no results). Not that I'll be ditching it after the work I've put in on it though. I guess anything worth doing is worth doing right (I said to myself) so I started applying it to all of my scalp, as all of it seems to be thinning all of the sudden. I had slight balding at the temples and a straight hairline in front. After two weeks I have more noticeable bald spots at the temples, and a nasty itchy jagged hairline in front. Can my hair line normalize again?

 

[astral week]

I doubt the minoxidil caused that to happen, but you can always cut back a little to see what effect that might have. It's also a good idea to use nizoral every 3rd day to keep your scalp healthy and get the most out of every treatment.
However, the hairline is usually the most difficult area to maintain/regrow. minoxidil actually is the best thing for temple regrowth, though it would be even better if you doubled it up with finasteride (propecia, proscar, finpecia, etc.). It's hard to say if your hairline will go back to normal, but honestly I doubt it will ever get back to where it was. 2 weeks is pretty fast deterioration, so if I were you I'd go to my doctor, and tweak my minoxidil regimen. and if you're not on finasteride, get on it.

 

[The Gardener]

The minoxidil might have caused that to happen, but its not a bad thing.

I'm not sure how much you know about the hair growth cycle, but to put it in a nutshell each of your hairs grows (anagen), stops growing but remains in the follicle (telogen), gets shed, and regrows on a certain cycle that lasts a few years.

It is well known that minoxidil tends to accelerate the shedding of hairs that are in telogen stage. In other words, hairs that were close to or in the process of imminently shedding, tend to shed immediately after beginning minoxidil, and the three month time frame you mention fits perfectly with this condition. This is common, happens to a lot of people, happened to me, its mentioned on the Rogaine product literature, and in general most minoxidil veterans will tell you that it is a substance from which things generally get slightly worse before they get better.

The GOOD news is that these minoxidil sheds are caused by the chemical's effect on the follicle, and the follicle's response to minoxidil which is, in effect, clearing the follicle to make way for a new, minoxidil enhanced, hair shaft.

Anyone you talk to here on HairLossTalk.com who knows anything about minoxidil will tell you that its one of those things that you CANNOT judge until you have at least six months of usage under your belt (and at this stage you should start noticing some signs of "changes" in your hair quality), and a full year before trying to observe signs of regrowth.

You really have to be patient with ALL of these hairloss treatments. Due to the length of time it takes for hair to grow, cycle out, and cycle back in, they all take a long time before the beneficial effects start pumping out from the follicles in your scalp.

So.. hang tight!.. bite a bullet!.. and just try to relax and KNOW that you are using the strongest weapon that modern science has to offer to promote regrowth and thickening of hair. Hang in there!

 

[lain]

I agree with The Gardener's logic. My hairline too has gotten jaggy since I started applying minoxidil to the hairline/temples 8 weeks ago. But as per what The Gardener said I'm giving it some time for the new hairs to regrow... lol well nothing else to do!

 

[The Gardener]

One word of advice for both of you... minoxidil works best if it is used religiously twice a day, especially when you are starting it. The twice a day application frequency, from my personal experience, is paramount. To put it bluntly, your hair needs minoxidil twice a day or you will only maintain baseline and not notice any positive changes. So, hang tight (I was in your exact same position when I started minoxidil... shedding, scared, etc... but you have to bite the bullet, strictly adhere to the twice a day application, and give it time to do its thing.

It gets better, guys. Just hang in there... you are in "minoxidil shed" stage and we have all been there.

Keep in mind that minoxidil has been solidly proven to make positive cosmetically-acceptible changes in mens hairlines. For a minority of users, it has no effect. But one thing I can remind you of is the fact that minoxidil has absolutely NO clinical evidence of having unfavorable, hairloss-exacerbating effects on any users. So, at worst after a year, you regrow the shed and are right back at baseline. At best, most return to baseline with cosmeticaly significant benefits. Give it a year, and see what it can do for you.