Been on Finasteride for Months, But Lost Hair After Starting Minoxidil

Dear Doctor,

Now i’m using Finasteride for 7 months and the results are good. Hair is regrowing and i’m losing less hair then before. (average 10 hairs a day). I’m a 20 year old caucasian male.

But now I started with Minoxidil (2%). I noticed that I’m losing more hairs than before (25-30)(Only when I comb my hair!!) I’ve been using Minoxidil for 2 weeks. But I don’t know if i have to continue this procedure, because it doesn’t guarantee any regrowth and now i’m losing more hair then before… I’ve read that you can lose more hair in the beginning with minoxidil, but now i’m losing 20-30 hairs more each day(!)then normal, how will the benefits compensate that on the long term?! Continue or not continue the procedure, that’s the question!

I hope you understand my question.

I do understand your question, but you need to understand that it’s normal to lose 100+ hairs a day. 20 to 30 hairs on your comb each day shouldn’t be a cause for concern. The hair loss from minoxidil is documented for the first two months when hair cycling is accelerated. There is good science to this effect. Likely what happens is there is a “resetting” of the hair cycle as the hairs fall out to get ready for new, stronger hair to grow.

Most patients tend to stop using minoxidil because they are worried that the hair loss will continue. Some patients do continue with the minoxidil and should see the loss stop after 2-3 months as the new hair cycle takes over. It takes patience of at least 6 to 12 months of using minoxidil for benefit and at least 1 year for maximum benefit. Ultimately the decision to use it is yours.