The decision to quit Minoxidil.

[Hellboy]

Ok , so I have been using the 5% Minoxidil for a whole 9 months and 10 days to be exact. When I started I was around NW2 , receding hair line and temples but no loss at the back or top. To be honest , I'm now about NW3 and I've only had a minimal regrowth in the form of peach fuzz , few of which have grown terminal. Recession has never stopped and I really believe new thin spots have occured in the spots where I apply Minoxidil.
So far I'm really disappointed with Minoxidil and I'm decided to quit it in a matter of days because it's definitely not working for me. I'd like to hear some feedback from you before I attempt anything though.

 

[tchehov]

Have you tried anything to improve the absorption of Minoxidil? There are a few posts here from people using vaseline/wet scalp/retin-A etc to get an improved response.

Sometimes it just needs a kick up the arse.

 

[joseph49853]

Tchehov gives some really good advice. I have found minoxidil along with Retin-a took my hair growth to another level. Or you can try another minoxidil type drug, Aminexil. It's becoming very popular in parts of Europe. Some people feel it's even more effective than minoxidil, if not around 5-10 more expensive.

 

[aibo82]

You could try Spectral DNC that has Aminexil and minoxidil aswello as

Retinol
Vitamins and Herbal complex

Theres some info on a website with suposidly new clear formular with 2 new additives!

Carl

 

[tchehov]

I was actually thinking about dyeing the peach fuzz to my brown hair color just because there was enough of it there that it could make a difference in appearence.

Inventive. Go for it, man.

Joseph, you're the author of whatever success I might have. I added Retin-A to my regimen about three weeks ago and I already feel happier about my crown. It's almost an instinctive thing - I know it's looking better. The hair is darker to which serves to reduce the visibility of scalp. I'm not overly concerned with regaining the density I had at 19 - I'm hoping for respectable coverage only. And I think the Retin-A has given me the edge...

 

[joe32]

you have to keep going for at least two years ,, your hair grows in cycles the receeding hairline should grow back if you keep using it ...there is no gain without loss.goodluck.stick it out it cant get worse itll only get netter.

 

[biff]

I used Rogaine for over two years and my hair continued to get worse over that time. I believe I have lost less hair since stopping over a year ago. This could be down to the Propecia I started using after I stopped, but all in all I don't believe Rogaine helped me one bit. I tried it again a few months ago as apparently it works better with Propecia, but the itchy scalp I was getting annoyed me too much so I stopped a few weeks after. When you are scratching your head all the time it just makes more hairs fall out!

 

[ShadoW DanceR]

hey guys, which streghth are you using of Retin-A?

im currently using 0,05 is it too much?

 

[Strat54]

ShadoW DanceR wrote:

hey guys, which streghth are you using of Retin-A?

im currently using 0,05 is it too much?

I think that for your scalp you could use 0.025% or even 0.05% if you don’t get any irritation.

I’ve used 0.1% (the strongest %) daily on my face without any problems, but for my scalp I use the 0.025. The last thing I want in my scalp is redness or irritation, and I don’t want to experiment

In the long run, the different strengths will give you the same results, but you could get a faster result with a higher strength.

To increase absorption you could also apply Emu oil after minoxidil.

 

[Hellboy]

Have you tried anything to improve the absorption of Minoxidil? There are a few posts here from people using vaseline/wet scalp/retin-A etc to get an improved response.

Sometimes it just needs a kick up the arse.

Nope , I wash my hair every other day and apply minoxidil immediately after. I don't think I have problems with minoxidil absorption.

I'd stick with it because if you quit there's a decent chance you will lose any minoxidil hairs that you did grow, even if they aren't outside of your hairline. Chances are that you have gained some hairs but you can't really tell because you've also been losing ground on your hairline because male pattern baldness is taking its course. At least you have peach fuzz, that means it is growing hair..

As I said , the regrowth was minimal , but what pisses me off is those thin spots that developed during these 9 months exactly where I rub minoxidil.
Now don't get me wrong , I know minoxidil doesn't interfere with the fundamentals of baldness but I'm afraid it has somehow accelerated the baldness process in my case.

And oh , I believe I forgot to mention that my face has gradually gotten puffy due to water retention from the use of Minoxidil , which is one more reason to drop it

 

[Hellboy]

decided now

Alright , so after long hesitation and evaluation of the results , I've decided to drop Minoxidil as of tonight. I have a thinning spot at my front ,that kept thinning since months. It has become almost impossible to hide. I'm afraid I've come to the conclusion that either:

1- Minoxidil can't really stop hairloss but makes existing hair thicker and helps grow some peach fuzz.
Or even worse ,
2- Minoxidil does what I previously mentioned but at the same time accelerates hairloss rate.

I'm quiting minoxidil now and I'll evalute the results and post again in three months.