Dear Dr.Rassman

First I want to thank you for your awesome blog, I am a regular here for almost a year and the information you have provided prevented me from taking many wrong decisions in my battle with MPB. And now for my question:

I am a nw3 and used 3% minoxidil for 6 months along with Finpecia and saw very good results on temples, it almost filled entirely although not very thick but all my temple area was filled with newly grown hairs. it made a real different visually.

Then for past 2 months or so I switched to 5% Minox to see even better results but to no avail! during this time i saw massive shed and almost lost all my previously grown hair on my temples and lost even more ground in my hairline. now my hairline is very thin in front and I am starting to freak out since its getting worse everyday. now what should I do? switch back to 3% or continue 5% Min?

Your opinion on what should I do next is highly appreciated. Thank you very much in advance. Best Regards

I do not know what to tell you. If you follow this site, I’ve said many times that there is no cure for genetic hair loss. So all I can offer are hypotheses. Maybe it is just coincidence you are losing more hair on 5% minoxidil. Maybe switching to 3% may (or may not) help. Maybe you are noticing the shedding that many people report from starting on minoxidil.

My best advise is to not freak out and make harsh decisions based on emotions. Weigh out your options and choose your course. There is no wrong answer. Have you thought about seeing a physician and finding out what a professional thinks your course should be?

Doc,

Was put on antibiotics for a persistent infection. After 3 weeks of cipro was switched to doxycycline. 2 weeks into that noticed extra hair loss. one week was looking at my hair commenting how well it was doing and a week later noticed much more thinning at the hairline and crown. Are you familiar with any connection between these drugs and hair loss in clinical practice? I suppose any drug could cause TE, huh?

Ironically on some hair loss sites I’ve seen references to monocycline to actual hair growth.

Thanks

Why are people so caught up trying to associate hair loss with a certain medication? First of all, you’re taking antibiotics to treat an infection. It is just a wild guess, but have you considered other reasons why you would be losing your hair… such as the infection that you are taking the antibiotics for, or genetic causes, or just coincidence?

While it’s not out of the realm of possibility that the medication could be the cause of your hair loss, neither doxycycline or ciprofloxacin list hair loss as a common side effect. I don’t know that either officially list “hair growth” as a side effect either, but it wouldn’t be the first time someone attributed weird side effects to various treatments.

I started propecia about 7 months ago, I stopped it one time for a span of about 2 weeks and then restarted and have been consistently using it since. Prior to starting the medication I never saw any shed but my hair was thinning a lot which started when I was in High School. My hair is thin on top and maybe a bit thinner in the back as well. I have read about telogen effluvium and is it possible that propecia has sparked the onset of this? I shed from the sides and the back as well, it’s hard to know to what extent but I feel like the shed from the front and crown would be normal but why would a person shed from the non-affected MPB areas? Is this normal and why would it occur? I will send you pictures along with the post via email.

First, thank you for allowing me to publish your photos. Click them to enlarge.

Thinning hair on the sides and back of the head is not typical from Propecia or from male pattern baldness. You have a somewhat unique problem, but without an examination I really can not draw any conclusions. I would want to perform a miniaturization study of your entire scalp, check the density in various parts, and perform a pull test for telogen effluvium, which I obviously can’t do over the internet.

Perhaps this unusual thinning is coincidental timing to the start of Propecia and there is some underlying medical condition. Diffuse unpatterned alopecia (DUPA) is something your physician may consider, as I don’t want to waste your time making guesses and ultimately problems like yours (which are a bit off our usual case) deserve the best that can be offered, which makes an examination with a good doctor critical.

Hi.. I’ve seen a lot of people talking about propecia contributing to loss of body hair, yet it’s not really listed as a side effect. I’ve been taking fin for about 5 months now, and the hair on my legs is now patchy and thin, and very short. The hair on my back also seems much thinner, and I think there is less of it in general. I don’t care about either (I guess it’s kind of nice? that may sound weird). I have noticed my hair loss stopped pretty much at the 2 month mark.

Now my question is: Do you think this could be any indication of future regrowth or thickening?

Also is hair thickening considered regrowth (I’ve always wondered this)?

I love your blog by the way!

I have heard from a small number of patients who describe what you are going though with the less body hair growth, but after a few years of Propecia use. At least your scalp hair loss has subsided… and who could be upset about less back hair, right? Regardless, it doesn’t indicate any future regrowth or thickening, but may be one of those rare side effects.

Finally, hair thickening is not considered regrowth. Hair thickening is… hair thickening.