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I Don’t Take Propecia Consistently, So What Would Happen If I Quit Taking It Completely?

Hello! I’m 27 years old. I’ve been taking Propecia on and off since I was 20 years of age. When I say on and off, I mean that it’s not always every day. I have had times where I was lazy and didn’t refill it for a week or two at a time. Sometimes I forget to take the pill every day. Sometimes I purposely take it every other day. I probably refill my 30 day pill bottle once every two months, on average. In October of 2009, I actually didn’t take it for about 4 weeks straight.

I know, I’m sure you’ll say it’s silly that I’m doing this (and I’d likely agree!). My question is this: If I were to stop taking it completely, is it likely I’d experience much loss as a direct result of stopping? I still have a good amount of hair (although a hairline that is back about 1 inch from when I was a teenager). I know that if people stop taking Propecia, they’ll lose any hair they have gained on the medicine…BUT since my usage is so spotty, and sometimes I only take it once every 2 or 3 days, is it likely that my hair loss might be minimal because my hair gain might also have been minimal thanks to my random usage of it?

If you don’t take medication (any medication) as directed, then it will not work as it is meant to work. If you are taking Propecia every 2 to 3 days a week when it is meant to be taken 7 days a week, it will not be much benefit. You might as well not take it. It probably isn’t doing much for your hair loss or hair gain. It probably is more of a psychological treatment.


2013-12-10 11:37:23I Don’t Take Propecia Consistently, So What Would Happen If I Quit Taking It Completely?

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I Don’t See Any Normal Daily Hair Loss After Taking Propecia

I know it’s normal to lose 100-150 hairs a day. I have MPB and been losing about this much maybe more but I don’t think so. I always saw those clumps in the shower and tons of hairs during styling. But in the end I think they were those 100-150 hairs. I been on Propecia for almost 5 months and for several weeks now I don’t see much hairs during styling and almost nothing at showering. So if it’s normal to lose hairs even without MPB how come I see very little shedding now?

Appreciate your circumstances. You are probably losing hair during the daytime without realizing it… perhaps when the wind blows, when you run your fingers through your hair, scratch your head, etc. It sounds like Propecia is working well to control your hair loss.


2008-12-15 09:25:44I Don’t See Any Normal Daily Hair Loss After Taking Propecia

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I don’t like my hairline. I’m 28. What can I do about it?

I have a lot of neck hair, can I use it for a hair transplant?

A hair transplant at this stage and at your age may bring you up to a full head of hair providing that you stay on the drug. Stick to the donor area if you have a hair transplant and do not use nape of the neck hair as it is a problem for two reasons: (1) taking it from there leaves scars and (2) this hair is not permanent in many men. At 28 you can have a hair transplant and reshape your hairline from the donor area alone. Results can be impressive, often in one surgery, if your hair is not fine.


2019-12-12 10:34:55I don’t like my hairline. I’m 28. What can I do about it?

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I Don’t Know If My Hair Loss is Genetics or Chemical Burn from Relaxers

Dear Dr. Rassman,
I am 28 yrs old have been suffering from hair loss since I was about 22 years of age. I am about a norwood 3 right now. I had chemically relaxed my hair once when I was 18 and a second time when I was about 21, while suffering a minor burn from my second treatment. I have taken the hair DX test and I have been told that I have a moderate predisposition to male pattern baldness. Can my hair loss be due to a combination of both factors?

If it were solely due to the chemical relaxers, would I have lost my hair when the injury occurred and wouldn’t my hair loss be more diffuse? If it is due to the insult by chemical straightening, would the hair/hair follicles show the same progression of hair loss as if it were male pattern baldness? I can’t change the past, but I would just like to know if my chemical relaxer treatments have led to this.

Thank You

You have a complex story and it would likely require a complex examination. Without seeing you and examining you, I can not tell you the cause of your hair loss or what you can do about it. The HairDX test can tell you if you’ve got the genetic markers, but it won’t tell you if or when you’ll see those genes expressed.

See a good hair transplant doctor who cares about your welfare and then you will know more than you know now.


2011-12-22 11:39:38I Don’t Know If My Hair Loss is Genetics or Chemical Burn from Relaxers

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I Don’t Have Hair Loss, But My Hair Is Thin — Should I Use Rogaine?

(female)
Hi Doctor

I am not experiencing hair loss, but my hair has always been very thin and sparse. What products could your recommend to stimulate hair growth? Is Rogaine foam a product to consider?

Thank you.

In my opinion, Rogaine does a poor job of thickening hair. Rogaine generally grows fine hairs, so using the medication would not really result in too much thickening of your existing hair. You can give it a try if you want to see for yourself.

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I Don’t Have Any Leg Hair!

I’m a 22 year old male and i have no medical problems that I know of so far, but i don’t have any hair on my legs. i am kind of ashamed to wear shorts and show my legs to others. is there anyway anyone can help me out?

It’s possible that when you get older some leg hair may appear, though if you haven’t developed it by 22 years old I would think the chances are pretty slim that it’ll start growing later. It is most likely genetics, though if you at one time had some hair on your legs it could be due to some underlying issue (diabetes or a thyroid condition) or even extremely tight fitting clothing.

If hair never grew on your legs at all, I’d look to your genes, in which case there is nothing that is 100% safe to do about this.

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I Didn’t Know Weaves and Wigs Would Make My Traction Alopecia Worse!

I’m a 38 yr old black female. My hair started thinning in the crown about 10 yrs ago. I started braiding it to keep out the chemicals. About 3 1/2 years ago I was diagnosed with traction alopecia. Had never heard of it before. I started wearing weaves and wigs to cover up the ugliness. I never realized that this would make my situation worse. Now the balding has spread to the top and front of my head. Is it too late for a hair transplant that would work. The hair on the sides and back is relatively thick, but it seems so unhealthy. At the rate I’m going I feel like I should just shave my head bald and call it a day. I feel so ugly. I did see a dermatogolist for the diagnosis, but I never got any advise on what I should do to help the situation. Can you recommend anyone to see on this side of the country??

If you are diagnosed with traction alopecia, you need to keep your hair short with no weaves and wigs. After stopping the insult, you should wait for at least six months and see if your hair regrows. In many cases, traction alopecia may cause permanent damage to the hair follicle and may not reversible. Repeating the evaluation of your hair after this period of time will show the areas of permanent hair loss. At that point, a hair transplant specialist can evaluate you for further treatment options if the hair failed to grow back. Then, if you are using a wig, be sure that it is converted to clips to prevent the transplants from developing traction alopecia.


2007-02-20 12:16:11I Didn’t Know Weaves and Wigs Would Make My Traction Alopecia Worse!

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I Developed Small Lumps at Temples After Applying Minoxidil for 2 Weeks

Dear Doctor,

I recently have been trying to apply minoxidil into my receding temples and frontal area. There has been no shedding, and some minor itch and redness. after about two weeks i have felt some small swelling in my temporal area. This swelling is similar to, 2 little goose eggs/ or small lumps. They don’t hurt, just itch slightly.and they are also not noticable unless you touch the front of my head?

whats that all about anyways? I know minoxidil is not 100% intended for the frontal/temporal areas but im just trying to stop or possibly slow the hair loss process down.

thanks

Perhaps you are sensitive to minoxidil. I really can’t say for sure in your case, but some patients cannot use minoxidil due to skin sensitivity and/or allergic issues. You may wish to speak with a doctor about that… and consider asking your doctor about finasteride, an oral hair loss medication that tends to work better than minoxidil.


2010-08-03 09:50:54I Developed Small Lumps at Temples After Applying Minoxidil for 2 Weeks

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I Developed Shock Loss and Have Questions

Hi all, I am recovering from shock loss on my frontal hairline – 7 months post hair transplant. When I stand very close to a mirror, under light, I see many fine, thin, hair sprouting from the shock loss area. When I stand farther away, the hairs cannot be seen and my shock loss area looks bald. If these fine, thin hair grew into thicker more colorful hairs, I would be cured of this shock loss episode.

My question is is there a way to differentiate which of these fine, thin, wispy hairs will sprout into terminal hair and which will remain baby hairs? Do baby hairs grow in length, or remain short? The hairs in the shock loss area appear to be growing-but even with growth they are still colorless and very then and weak.

Vellus hairs are the short hairs that are mixed in with each follicular group of normal hairs. Miniaturized hairs are hairs that have lost their thickness and are noticeably thinner than the hairs on the back of your head. Full terminal hairs are the hairs that you have in the back of your head. Shock loss rarely reverses the loss of miniaturized hairs, while terminal hairs that are lost often come back.

 


2020-05-11 09:01:39I Developed Shock Loss and Have Questions