Minoxidil and the Sun

Hello Doctor,

I am a 24 year old Caucasian male. Since my early twenties I started noticing a little hair loss. Now it has gotten to the point that I find hairs everywhere. I work on a computer all day and I constantly find new hairs with what seem to be roots attached to them on my keyboard, up to 50 a day. And that is just on my keyboard… I can’t imagine what happens when I shower or go running outside.

Also my scalp is terribly itchy all the time. I have spoken to my doctor about my premature hair loss and the itchiness and he told me the only thing that works is Minoxidil 5%. I have been using that for about 3 months now and I do not notice any improvement. Also I live in a very sunny part of the world and I read somewhere that coming in contact with sun a lot when you have Minoxidil applied isn’t very good. Is this true?

The thing that gets me most is that my father now 65 has a head full of hair, and also my mother’s father still had a head full of hair when he was 80. Only one person in the entire family has hair loss problems and that is one of my father’s brothers. And that only started when he was 45. I must say I am quite a hairy person (back, chest, legs ect) and I live a stress free life as far as I can tell.

What could be causing my hairs to fall out so early in my life? Is it all in my genes or is there something else at play? Also what would you suggest? Keep using Minoxidil or maybe start using something like Propecia?

Minoxidil can cause irritation to the scalp making it itchy, but there should be no impact of sun exposure for a person who uses minoxidil as directed. The hair loss gene (or genes) can come from either the paternal or maternal side of the family and can even skip generations, so although it might not be immediately apparent, your genetics may still be in play with regard to the hair loss you see.

I can’t suggest prescription medications like Propecia without knowing whether you have genetic hair loss. Minoxidil is an over-the-counter medication, so if you use as directed you should be fine. Many men have experienced substantial benefits from Propecia, but you should first get your hair mapped out for miniaturization to find out if you have male patterned baldness (MPB).