Do You Think the Iron Supplement or Minoxidil Contributed to My Regrowth?

I’m a 24 year old male and have microcytic anemia (most likely) due to iron deficiency. I had been able to halt my MPB hair loss by taking finasteride (1mg) since age 18, however experienced rapid shedding about nine months ago. To stop the hair loss, I added minoxidil 5% to my regimen and started taking ferrous gluconate tablets for my anemia. My hair has all grown back and I’m trying to assess if the iron supplement, the minoxidil or both likely contributed to my marked results. Given that my hair-loss was identified by a dermatologist as MPB, does that indicate that iron deficiency was not the underlying cause? Can iron deficiency exacerbate what would otherwise be purely genetic hair loss?

Please advise and thanks for running this site. I’d be bald without you!

For those that are genetically inclined to lose hair, anything could possibly trigger the genetic loss. Fixing the anemia can reverse hair loss caused by low iron, and although I don’t have the benefit of examining you or having a more thorough case history, it seems to be the likely scenario in your case. I don’t know what steps your dermatologist took to determine your hair loss was purely genetic, though.

If you stop the minoxidil, you run the risk of losing hair growth benefits it could’ve been providing.