Can follicles recover after stopping finasteride for 3 months and a mass shed exasperated by minoxidil? Can I safely quit minox?

Question

Started minox 7 months ago (Nov) with no shed or growth in 3 months. Stopped finast (Jan) after years of use, big mistake. Began losing a lot of density (Mar) only where minox was applied (started finast again mid Mar). I think minox is shedding hair left unprotected from DHT. Some white stringy regrowth but density is way down. Are baseline finast follicles dead already or now minox dependent? Where minox is applied I regress so want to quit. Any chance it's telogen effluvium...might I recover?

Jason Emer, MD · Answer

oncee you stop your follicles will go back to what they would have been.  prp.acell, steroids, at home growth factors and oral vitamins (see link to emeragecosmetics.com for at home best practices) and then consider medications.I suggest a formal consultation as there are a combination of treatments that can be done to improve har loss.  Oral finesteride has very little to no side effects in the majority of people; PRP/platelet-rich plasma + stem cells like A Cell help regrow hair and slow down the thinning process; rogaine and restorsea spray should be used daily; oral viviscal helps keep nutrients high in the follices as well.  Transplantation is a last resort but works early in the aging process as well.  A formal consultation and combination treatment is needed.  Best, Dr. Emer.

Jeff Donovan, MD, PhD · Answer

This is a complex situation and your story needs to be reviewed completely. Please see a dermatologist. If you have another hair issue like scarring alopecia of incognito alopecia areata the discussion is going to be very different than if you have androgenetic alopecia or telogen effluvium. You probably have a mix of things going on and the chances this is just a telogen effluvium alone is very low.

William Rassman, MD (retired) · Answer

When you stop finasteride, you get 'Catch-up hair loss- which means that you lose all of the hair you would have lost had you not started the finasteride.  Best to go back on finasteride if you can because minoxidil is not a substitute.

Can follicles recover after stopping finasteride for 3 months and a mass shed exasperated by minoxidil? Can I safely quit minox?

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Can follicles recover after stopping finasteride for 3 months and a mass shed exasperated by minoxidil? Can I safely quit minox?

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