November 20 2007, 2:34 pm PT | Posted in: Drugs
I am experiencing hair loss at my temples and front hairline. I am 24 and it is at it’s very beginning stages. I Otherwise have a full head of hair and have not had problems in any other areas of my scalp. After looking into all the products out their and doing some research I have found that $transplants$, Propecia and Minoxidil are the only real effective options. The transplants are not monetarily possible right now, the Propecia is said to have no results when being used for temple areas and Minoxidil leaves me with unanswered questions. It would be of much help if you could answer all of the below questions for me.
- Would Propecia work in my case since I am at an early stage of loss?
- Is a 5% solution of Minoxidil better for my situation or would a 2% solution be better?
- Will the resulting hair I grow with Propecia or Minoxidil stay permanently as long as I keep using either product.
- Will I build up a tolerance to the product after a year or so eventually rendering it ineffective.
- I have read of a person who experienced increased wrinkles in his forehead as well as pronounced smile lines in his face as a result of Minoxidil, can this really happen and is it common?
If you can shed some light on these areas for me it would definitely be a huge help. This is the first serious step I am taking in dealing with this hair loss problem and I want it to be the right one instead of something I end up regretting or damaging myself over. Thanks
- You need an evaluation by a physician if Propecia is an option. You need a miniaturization study to see just what is going on and to establish a baseline for whatever treatment you elect.
- I generally recommend 5% minoxidil over the 2%.
- There is no guarantee that if you regrew hair with Propecia and/or minoxidil in the temples, that it would be permanent. However, they should slow down or prevent further loss. See Are Minoxidil and Propecia Worth Using? (with Photos).
- You will not build up tolerance, but your genetic fate will eventually catch up.
- I’ve never heard of increased wrinkles with minoxidil.
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It’s a little odd that the dr has not heard of the skin problems people are experiencing with Minoxidil. There are many reports on this website of minoxidil related skin problems!
Yes I agree, minoxidil is clinically proven to stop collogen production and can give you strange black rings around the eyes that seem to never fully go away.
I find it hard to believe Minoxidil would affect skin and cause wrinkles. I would like to see the study that links it to collagen damage? Collagen is denegrated on a daily basis from free radical damage - pollution, smoking, poor diet. Wrinkles are caused by sun light, repetitve facial movements, smoking, pollution. ALl forms of oxidation.
I want to know why Tom Roberts is so sure that Minoxidil does not cause these problems. There are documented studies showing Minoxidil suppressing collogen production. Its so effective they belive it could be used to reduce wound contraction and scaring in the healing proccess. Im not sure that applying this stuff to your scalp is such a good idea. It gave me black rings and wrinkles and most of these affects seam to be disapering but its taken over 3 years!