spot came very fast, maybe within a month? My hair is still thick and i have full hair everywhere around my hair including temples. I also added one picture without hair pulled back so you can see that its only noticeable when i pull my hair. I take daily all vitamins which are important for hair health so it cant be vitamin defiency. Also, i can see some very little regrowth (but only like small amount of what it used to be, maybe like 20 hair which are 1mm long and looks very thin) there which isnt probably visible in picture. The last picture (where i am wearing black shirt) is taken 2-3 months ago when it wasnt there. Any help is very very appreciated. I hope i wrote everything important, if not, then tell me and I will add more information.

An experienced doctor needs to look at the bald spot as it could be one of many things including early genetic balding, atypical alopecia areata, etc… See a dermatologist

Side effects include lightheadedness, headache, allergy are most common. Rare heart effects such a cardiac tamponade (life threatening) are found with doses above 2.5mgs but is rare.

Other side effects (taken from Mayo Clinic) for topical applications include:

• Acne at site of application
• burning of scalp
• facial hair growth
• increased hair loss
• inflammation or soreness at root of hair
• reddened skin
• swelling of face

Particularly with systemic absorption either orally or too high a topical dose these side effects include:

• Blurred vision or other changes in vision
• chest pain
• dizziness
• fainting
• fast or irregular heartbeat
• flushing
• headache
• lightheadedness
• numbness or tingling of hands, feet, or face
• swelling of face, hands, feet, or lower legs
• weight gain (rapid)
• Cardiac tamponade

Hi Dr. Rassman i have been using the minoxidil foam for a couple of weeks now. I have a question, whenever I apply it and massage my hair, I see like a ton of hair on my hands. Is this alright? I try to use just my tips to massage

Some people get an initial shed when they start with minoxidil.  Also, the goal is not to put it on your hair but on your scalp.  If you are roughly applying minoxidil foam to your hair, you can pull out your hair. 

 

 

You can see (arrows show it) the growth coming out.  These hairs will grow longer and longer at a rate of 1/2 inch per month.  Good job.

I have dupa I need to know if hair fibres work well for hiding side and back hair spots I have thin hair there

If you really have DUPA, then Scalp Micropigmentation (SMP) is the thing to do aside from treating the disease with finasteride.

Should i be concerned about strength training in relation to increased hair loss? My understanding is strength training increases testosterone which means more gets converted into DHT making hair loss worse. Any thoughts?

I don’t believe that exercise causes hair loss. Even heavy exercises are not a cause for hair loss. 

I came across a paper of yours with combining SMP and FUE. I think it’s a remarkable idea and it’s something I’m interested in doing. I had an FUE transplant completed with HLC last September (5 months ago). Do you know when is the earliest I could safely do SMP for both the recipient and donor areas? I would like to cover up the FUE scars and also an FUT strip from a much earlier surgery. I saw in one of your posts that you could do SMP 5-7 months following an FUE but I just wanted to confirm this with you. My clinic also told me after 5 months would be OK.

Also, I take oral finasteride, 1mg per day, and have been for a few years. It works well for me, I think, but I suspect I have some minor side effects, though it is hard to tell if it’s just a nocebo effect or from the medication. In Canada, a pharmacist developed a topical solution of 0.1% finasteride, 5% minoxidil. It’s a foam, which is appealing, as it has no PG. I went through some of the research and it seems that topical can be comparable to oral in terms of efficacy. Is the science on topical finasteride sound, in your opinion?

With regard to SMP, when the inflammation of the surgery is gone, then SMP can be done.  The surgeon will make that call but 5-7 months is reasonable.  With regard to topical finasteride, there is a big difference between the liposomal compounded version and what you are talking about.  The liposomal version keeps it in the skin while more leakage occurs with other formulations.