After Stopping Minoxidil, How Fast Will the Hair Fall Out?

Doctor,

When quiting minoxidil do the dependent hairs fall out all around the same time,say within the same few weeks? Or do they fall out a little at a time over months? And when would it be safe to assume all dependent hairs are out? After 3 months?

If you restart minoxidil after 3 or 4 months what are the odds of salvaging any lost hairs, going by what you’ve seen in your practice?

You say that minoxidil and propecia work differently, but if DHT eventually overtakes minoxidil as you say then why wouldn’t Propecia protect minoxidil dependent hairs if you stopped minoxidil. Since it’s really DHT that’s causing the hair to fall out?

Thanks..

BTW, I appreciate that a transplant surgeon advocate 2 drugs that could be considered your competition.

I practice good medicine and always give the best, safest, and least invasive solutions for hair loss. If medication can solve the problem, I’d rather a patient go that route. Surgery should never be the first resort.

There is no rule with regard to hair loss from withdrawal of either finasteride or minoxidil. Generally the hair is lost slowly over 3-4 months, and not all at once. Restarting the medication never gets you exactly back to where you were, but if you realize you made a mistake and want to get back on the drug, you should see benefits from that point on. The action of minoxidil (Rogaine) and finasteride (Propecia) is different so when you withdraw either, the other medication will not prevent the hair loss that can occur. Minoxidil is a drug that grows hair as a side effect, while Propecia blocks the effect of DHT. A person on minoxidil can still lose hair from DHT influences, and that is not blocked by minoxidil. Stopping minoxidil will result in the loss of those hairs grown from it — but that is due to stopping the medication, not DHT.