I am in my late 20s and have been experiencing hair loss from the temples for the past several years. I recently went through laser hair therapy for 4 months, and was extremely pleased with the results. My hair loss slowed substantially, and my hair grew back in much thicker and healthier. Once I stopped the laser treatment, I went on propecia to help maintain the results and prevent future loss. Unfortunately, I have noticed my hair has started shedding now more than ever, and all of the new growth I achieved during the laser therapy is completely gone.

I’m trying to figure out if all of this new hair loss is from stopping the laser treatment, or if it could be a result of propecia? I was led to believe the laser results would last for several years. What do you think is going on?

The hair loss timing and your stopping the laser treatment could just be coincidence. There is no satisfactory evidence that the laser treatment works to slow progressive genetic hair loss, but if you started using it again and it reversed your hair loss, then I might become a believer. I haven’t personally seen hair regrow or hair loss halt in the way you’ve described in any patient that used just low-level laser light therapy, particularly in the temple peaks. And since I haven’t seen it work, I can’t comment on how long the results should last.

Whatever you do, if you’re not experiencing any rare side effects, you should keep up with the Propecia. It is the best hair loss treatment for men, particularly those with early loss. It may not regrow your temples, but it can help protect from further progression of loss elsewhere on your scalp. I’ve heard reports that shedding after starting Propecia does happen on rare occasions, but I would stick with it for at least a year before seeing the maximum benefits. Have you talked to your prescribing doctor for his/her opinion?

Hey doctor,

I have been using propecia and minoxidil for nearly 10 months now and seen almost excellent results on the hairline but not on the crown (I know it is supposed to be vice-versa). I have two questions for you:

1. Because my hair is somewhat long, I use a dropper to apply minoxidil. Do I need to apply minoxidil on every single thinning spot (massage my scalp to distribute the medicine) or does it get absorbed on a wider area? For example, if I miss the thinning spot by half an inch, will I still benefit from the drug?

2. I have used this treatment called the Nanogen Serum VEGF. However after around 9-10 months of using it I thought it didn’t have any effect at all and quit. I have seen light shedding after quitting the medicine but so far it is acceptable. My question is, they published some sort of trial results regarding their product. I couldn’t make a lot of sense and therefore wanted to ask you before being skeptical about it. Here is the link to the study.

Thanks in advance!

1. First and foremost, you should read any instructions that came with the product. Many minoxidil packages come with some “how to” info. What you usually would do is apply topical minoxidil (Rogaine) to the areas you want to grow hair. If you put it on point A, you probably will not see growth on point B.

2. As with all products that claim to grow hair, my mantra has always been “Buyer Beware!” If you tried a product and it didn’t work, what makes you think a fancy study or a website will make a difference? It just means they used the money that they’ve made for better a marketing presentation.

As for that Nanogen study you linked to, it’s not published in a peer-reviewed medical journal and looks to be just a small test of hairs in petri dishes that sat in different solutions. There’s nothing in the study that shows the product is safe or effective.