Something that has always bothered me about minoxidil is that fact that it can only be stored at a temperature roughly between 66 to 77 degrees. Even if I am careful storing the minoxidil that I buy how can i know that the same precautions were taking during product shipping, stocking at store, etc.? There is no way to know!

So in your expert opinion do you think minoxidil will still work if it gets too hot or too cold? I tried calling the Rogaine manufacturer but the person on the other line was not very knowledgable about the product.

While most medications should be kept at room temperature, some allow for temperature variation in short periods of time for shipping.

So while there is no way to truly know if your bottle of minoxidil was appropriately stored every step of the way, most places that sell this medication have some quality control standards during shipping and warehousing. I’m certainly not an expert on this, but you can read about this “cold chain” here.

It’s summer here in Australia and I’ve been keeping my Propecia in the refrigerator because it says store below 30 degrees celsius on the packaging. I recently read that it actually needs to be stored between 15 and 30 degrees. Does the drug become ineffective when it’s stored outside it’s recommended temperatures? I’m concerned because fridge temperature is obviously under 15 degrees (usually around 4 if I’m not mistaken).

Thanks! This site is such a great resource!

I’ve answered a similar question about the medication freezing after being left in a car overnight, and years ago I did answer a similar question about storing it in the refrigerator.

Ideally, it should be kept in a dry place at room temperature. If you are concerned that you’ve rendered your Propecia ineffective, talk to your pharmacist about replacing the pills.

Hi,
I am a 55 year old female that had hair grafts and was not informed not to use hair conditioner.

Can you tell me if I used Ovation Cell Therapy a month after my hair grafts if this would have caused any damage to my hair from prior grafts? I started losing a lot of my hair in my temple area from previous hair grafts. I have had four (4) hair restoration surgery’s over a period of 7 years and started losing hair after using Ovation Cell Therapy. I really only want to know for my own peace of mind.

Thanks in advance for you help and please advise

I am unfamiliar with the side effects of Ovation Cell Therapy. It looks like it’s a shampoo/moisturizer treatment, and I wouldn’t expect it to cause damage to transplanted hair. Have you talked to your surgeon? Do you have a possible allergy to any of the ingredients?

Greetings Doctor,

I recently had an FUE procedure that involved 2,500 grafts, about two months ago. I’m a bit concerned as I went through some personal matters that caused high levels of depression; all within the same week I had the procedure.

No grafts popped and the scalp healed well, however is it possible that due to the depression, that it could affect the outcome? Is it a possibility, that I developed Telogen effluvium and caused some of the grafts to become void?

I’m just concerned as this procedure costed a pretty penny. Thank you for your time and patience, Doctor.

Why are you not asking this question to your surgeon? Have an open line of communication with your doctor, especially in the months following your surgery.

An FUE procedure of 2500 grafts is a very high number of grafts for anyone and I am always cautious when I hear patients having those numbers. In the end, only time will tell how your outcome will be. At least take some comfort in the fact that depression and emotional stress will not impact the growth or outcome.

Have you seen this article? Just wanted to get your opinion. Thanks for the blog.

Link: Requiem for my hairline

I hadn’t seen it before, but I enjoyed it. Thanks for sending. Well written, funny, and for many men that are losing hair, it’s entirely true.

There are many great men who are balding. Some of them tell me that the hair falls out because their brains were working too hard. Considering the famous people the article mentions, there may be truth to this statement.

I am a 48 year old African American female. I am diabetic. I also relax my own hair. For a while, the hair on the sides of my head has grown considerably, but the hair on the top of my head had not. Is this indicative of any particular condition? Thank you for your help.

You may have chemical damage from relaxing your hair, or genetic hair loss…. or something else entirely going on. There are a variety of possible causes for hair loss in women (see here).

Without seeing you, I can not tell much. Make an appointment with a good doctor/dermatologist who will give you an opinion.

Hello Dr,
Is it the same Propeshia as Propecia? Here in mexico they only sale Propeshia with a “sh” instead of “c” in between. It’s supposedly run by Merck also.

Thanks!

I’ve never seen any packaging or mention of Propeshia (with that spelling), but I did find a reference to it on Drugs.com that basically just confirms that it is from Mexico.

The only other mentions of it with that spelling that I can find are from Mexican pharmacies selling it online, which isn’t exactly the most trustworthy source of information. I thought Merck was selling it in Mexico as Propecia, not Propeshia… but anyone can print a label that says otherwise. It’s possible that it is the real deal, but I’m not sure.

There are so many names that generic Propecia is sold as internationally that I can’t keep up. Some that come to mind include Finpecia, Finax, Finalo, and Gefina. Plus, I have no way to know if there’s even finasteride in the pills you found.

Dr. Rassman:
What is your opinion on Rogaine? Do you think it should be used with Propecia or is Propecia by itself sufficient?

Some people use both together, but I recommend using one at a time so you can figure out which one is providing benefits. If you see some results from Propecia, you can add Rogaine later to try for a maximum benefit. If you start with both and see results, you’re committing to a lifetime of using both medications (otherwise you won’t know which one is providing the results).

Rogaine can work, but I’ve seen better results from Propecia… particularly in men with early hair loss.

Hi, I was wondering if you can answer to my question. If i use the 660nm light on my head for more then 30 minutes and for 3 days, will it burn my skull, and i will lose more hair because of it. I bought red LED light 660nm and i am using regular light stand and i sit under it and watch TV, but i wasnt sure how long to keep it, and i was aiming about 1 hour a day, and i used for 3 days, but i think, i see more hair loss, at the place that i used for 3 days. It makes me worried, if the 660nm red led light is not safe and instead it makes my hair?

Please let me know, thank you very much

I personally do not believe in using LED lights for the treatment of hair loss, nor am I an LED expert. I’m posting this in case someone with laser or LED experience has more information to help you. I wouldn’t expect a 660nm light to do cause damage though, particularly in burning your skull.

If you are asking a question on how to use your equipment, I would read the instruction manual that came with your device.

Happy new year Doctor

I understand there are about 100.000 hairs on a NW1 dark haired caucasian.Is there an estimation (or even guesstimation ) on how many hair are lost per norwood scale ?

I would guess that a full Norwood class 7 patterned patient will lose 65-75% of his hair, an advanced class 6 patient would lose 50% of his hair (depending upon the degree of balding), and a class 3 pattern would vary all over the place, as the 3 pattern varies significantly between men.