Do I Need to Apply Minoxidil to Every Single Thinning Spot?

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.