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I can’t afford Propecia, will minoxidil work as well. I am 28 years old.

Minoxidil may work for you, but if you are a male under the age of 35 and you have hair loss from genetic causes, Propecia (finasteride 1mg) is absolutely the best medication to treat your loss.

To save money, you could try Proscar and cut the pills into quarters and reduce your cost almost to the level of minoxidil. Proscar is 5mg finasteride (for treating the prostate), Propecia is 1mg finasteride. Your doctor will need to be willing to prescribe Proscar to you, though. You just need to cut the 5mg pill into 4 pieces (it’s easier than cutting into 5 equal parts), and enjoy the cost savings. The Propecia pill has a protective coating on it and the exact 1mg dosage without dealing with pill cutters or storing cut pills, so there are advantages to having the genuine Propecia. On the flip side, there is a generic Proscar available (see image for one brand), which drops the costs even further. There is no generic Propecia at this time.

I am a 25 year old male due to have a hair transplant in a months time mainly to restructure my hairline, but also to thicken my hair on top.

I am worried about shock loss to my thinning hair on top. I am aware you recommend propecia to prevent this, however I do not wish to take any hairloss drugs due to the associated side effects. After telling this to my surgeon he suggested that I treat my recipient areas with minoxidil every day during the week before my transplant, and then to continue it 3 days after my op.

In your opinion does this sound like a good idea? I have not taken minoxidil before. I have read that minoxidil should be avoided for 1-2 weeks after a transplant? Also how long do you think I should continue taking this after my procedure to minimise the chances of shock loss?

Many thanks

I don’t think minoxidil will prevent shock loss to the same degree as Propecia (if at all), which a 25 year old is prone to following transplantation. Just thinking about side effects and experiencing them are different. Most men (98 out of a 100) will not have negative sexual side effects. You can try minoxidil since you are not willing to take Propecia. You clearly have a big decision, considering the investment you are about to make.

I’d suggest that you didn’t use minoxidil directly on the recipient area for 5-7 days following the transplant, but I don’t really have a recommendation of how long to take minoxidil to prevent shock hair loss (as I stated, I’m not sure it’ll do much for preventing shock loss anyway). You may want to discuss this with your surgeon and come up with a good plan tailored for your particular needs.

I started losing circle patchs of hair on my beard about 5 months ago the hair is growing back now but it is bright white. I also seem to have other hair coming in white on my beard now I am only 32 and my family has the balding gene but everybody in my family seems to maintain there hair color. Will my hair go back to its natural color, or am I doomed to get more white hair?

The exact cause of why you lost your beard hair in patches may be central to your problem. It almost sounds like alopecia areata and this disease can reverse on its own. The disease may have killed off the melanocytes (pigment producing part of the hair). I would look at other parts of your body to see if you are losing hair in patches there as well.

With respect to white hair, it could reflect whatever killed off the hair that caused patches and it may be genetic. Unfortunately, you will continue to have white hair growth throughout the beard and if this occurs, you will know it is genetic. It is really not about the age, but more about your genetic predisposition. I really couldn’t make a diagnosis on your information alone. You should see a dermatologist for an in-person examination.

Snippet from the article:

More than 80 percent of a sample of Air Force women deployed in Iraq and other areas around the world report suffering from persistent fatigue, fever, hair loss and difficulty concentrating, according to a University of Michigan study.

The pattern of health problems reported by 1,114 women surveyed in 2006 and 2007 is similar to many symptoms of Gulf War Syndrome, the controversial condition reported by veterans of the 1991 Persian Gulf War.

Full article at University of Michigan — Women and war: The toll of deployment on physical health

Being in a new environment a long way from home, missing loved ones, and certainly war itself can all be extremely stressful, so I can’t say I’m entirely shocked by the high percentages of women that have health issues (and specifically, hair loss).

Minoxidil leaves hair wet and it takes some time for it to dry sufficiently to be able to apply hair styling product properly. Would it be ok to use a blow dryer soon after applying minoxidil to dry the hair quicker? My concern is a dryer would make the minoxidil ‘evaporate’ before it has had time to be absorbed by the skin. What do you think? Many thanks.

I do not believe using a blow dryer will negatively affect the application of minoxidil on your scalp, but first just give the minoxidil a chance to dry on its own (10-15 minutes). You can try using the blow dryer on the low setting, but the evaporation will be mostly from the non-active alcohol in the solution and not the active minoxidil compound.

Hello again Doctor,

About 3 months ago, I switched from taking Propecia to Proscar. I found the pills to be difficult to slice into 4 pieces, so I just took 1/2 of one instead (the pharmacist only charges me a $10 co-pay, so I can live with spending an extra $5 a month). I asked Dr. Bernstein if this was OK, and he said yes. The problem is my hair has been falling out more rapidly and I’ve become extremely frustrated. My question is this - is this coincidental or should I go back to taking Propecia? or is it possible that I am taking too much?. Thank you for this website and for your time.

I doubt that the higher dose (2.5mg finasteride) that you’re taking will work less effectively than the lower dose of Propecia (1mg finasteride) and cause you to rapidly lose hair. It might just be a coincidence, but you should discuss this with your prescribing doctor.

(female)
I have noticed that my hair is breaking off. There are several pieces of hair that are only two inches long on the top of my head. I color my hair to cover the gray, but I am also on several medications. I was diagnosed with MS in 2003. Do you have any thoughts on what could be causing this?
Thank you.

Look at the medications that you are using for the cause of your hair loss. Some medications used in treatment of multiple sclerosis (like mitoxantrone) can cause mild hair loss. Speak with your doctor about them.

I read about this hair regrowth technique on the internet about massaging the scalp, and pulling on the hair and at night rubbing garlic into the hair and sleeping with it (it suggested other things like nail scratching and brush scratching the scalp, ect. I tried it for about two weeks (the first week putting olive oil on every night before bed).

Now my hair, which was a bit receded on the sides has significantly receded on the sides and into the top. In only two weeks (and it was pretty stable before). I am wondering if any of these techniques (like the scalp massages, or pulling, or even the garlic) could have caused the losses.

I just feel so lost and a bit depressed as to why it changed so drastically and what to do about it, if I can just even get it back to the way it was two weeks ago.

Thanks so much for your help.

Rubbing on the hair and scalp can force out weak hairs, and that is why we suggest no rough scalp massage. Pulling on your hair absolutely will not help either. I have heard of such remedies over the years. Some of them are pretty funny, like keeping various animal droppings on your head while you sleep, pouring animal urine on the scalp, standing on your head for hours (just being upside down is thought to bring more blood supply to the head), and on and on.

What is wrong with going to a doctor who knows things that you do not, can diagnose what you can not, and can treat you with appropriate effective treatment modalities? The real cost to you is the time delays you are putting into getting to the root of the problem. To answer your question though, garlic won’t regrow your hair… but added to butter, it makes for a tasty sauce on bread.

Dear Doctor,

I know you have had many questions on hair multiplication over the years (but here is another one).

When/if hair cloning becomes commercially viable will it regenerate old, dead hair follices and make them DHT resistant so they continuously grow or will it create new follicles? I imagine it would be better to regenerate old follicles so that the hair grows in the same direction. I know that intercytex have managed to grow hair on a high proportion of their volunteers in phase 2 of their product, but was wondering whether you have any inside knowledge of whether they are creating new follicles or creating new ones. Also, what do you think of their progress? Many thanks

Some people think that there is a missing protein, and that when present, it will kick in hair growth from some residual hair elements that are in the scalp. If a missing protein is the answer, then the growth cycle may be dependent upon that molecule (see Scientists Find Hair Growth Molecule in Mice). There are many approaches to creating hair — some with existing hair follicles that are weak, from dead hair follicles that may not really be dead, or from stem cells which may actually turn into a hair organ/follicle.

I do not really keep up with Intercytex, but you can go to their site and get an update from their various news releases. Just as most press releases, they are written by a public relations person to hype the product or company, so take what you read with a grain of salt.

What about Regaine Minoxidil 2% thats sprays the hair. Is it effective? This way I avoid having the side effects of the propecia.

Minoxidil is effective on its own, but for men, I’ve seen a greater response to Propecia and it is what I recommend for my patients. Minoxidil (available over the counter without prescription) is not a substitute for Propecia (by doctor’s prescription only).

If you’re considering switching from Propecia to minoxidil and have been on Propecia for a while and saw benefits from it, I have no doubt that you will lose lots of hair if you swap one for the other. It should be noted that both medications have their risks of side effects, although quite small.