I Feel Stubble on My Scalp — Is Hair Possibly Regrowing?

Hi Dr,
I just posted a question to u before realizing to ask your advice on another topic. I’m 29 and have been taking propecia and minoxidil for the past year. I have noticed that some of the hair that i am losing is short but not necessarily finer than other hair. Also when i run my fingers over my scalp, i can feel a fair amount of stubble. Is this hair that is growing back or just a part of the hair loss process with hair falling out and growing back with a shorter life than before? If propecia and minoxidil is working for me then i shouldnt see the shorter hairs (about one inch long) falling out right?

Thanks for your advice on this difficult to understand topic!

Unfortunately, I can not comment on your observations just based on what you wrote — I’d need to examine your scalp. What I generally do is examine the hair with a video microscope right where it is growing and then I can tell a great deal about the hair you are talking about. I know that when I had hair transplants, I felt the new hair breaking through, so I have some personal feelings that what you are reporting may be new hair.

With regard to your questions/comments on hair cycling, we know that minoxidil does impact the hair by increasing length of the hair growth phase, but these two medications (Propecia/Minoxidil) may kick in the telogen cycle when it is first started up, making the hair cycle shorter. There are many things that occur (possibly at the same time in some people), but I don’t know if you can draw any conclusions from a year’s experience with these drugs.