Hello Dr.
I started losing hair at about 22yrs of age. I am now 39. My son is 15 and is showing signs of significant thinning around his hairline and I was wondering if it is considered abnormal for someone his age to lose hair this early in life, ultimately robbing him of his youth. I have visited the family doctor who could offer no cause or solution for this problem. He suggested rogaine but I noticed on the package that it doesn’t help with frontal hair loss and you should be at least 18yrs of age to use the product. Any suggestions or solutions would be of help.
Thank you for your time
Rogaine likely won’t help him if he’s losing hair in the hairline, regardless of age. It’s not abnormal, but it’s not extremely common to lose the hairline at 15 years old. Perhaps he’s got a mature hairline process starting?
As for the other hair loss medication, Propecia — there are many things to consider before putting him on it. It’s the only medication that might slow down the balding process (assuming that is what is going on), but you need to have a great doctor who will analyze your son and work through the diagnosis as well as his growth phases in his bones and elsewhere. His age is a potential red flag, as Propecia was tested for men over the age of 18. I’ll let his doctor make the determination about prescribing, though. There is help, but you need to address this with his pediatrician.
I don’t believe that DermMatch will cause hair loss with the applicator provided that you wet it when using it. Scalp pores aren’t the cause of your hair loss.
Can propecia can liver damage for one who is taking it for a long time. We all know, propecia is heavily metabolized in the liver, so if taking it for years and years can it cause some damage to the liver?
Just to make sure all readers are on the same page, Proscar (5mg finasteride) is available in generic, but Propecia (1mg finasteride) is not at this point. Actually, many Indian drug manufacturers do have a generic 1mg finasteride, but it is not legally sold in the United States due to patent laws. The cost savings are quite significant, particularly in these harsh economic times.
I do not know the threshold of minoxidil frequency where benefits are lost. The recommended dosage is two times each day, but if you need to skip a day or two, that’s up to you. I’m not going to tell you that it won’t make a difference if you just skip a couple days a week, although that may be the case. I wouldn’t recommend doing it that way, though. We’re not talking life or death, afterall. It’s an over the counter treatment.