Hair loss at temples. Can I use Minoxidil along with Finasteride?

Question

Hello there I am Ajay. I am 22 years old. I lost hair at temples. I am using Finasteride 1 mg. Can I use minoxidil along with Finasteride ? Will it(Minoxidil) helps to grow back my lost hair at temples? What happens if I stop using Minoxidil after hair grows back but continues with Finasteride without stopping it? Should I experience hair loss after stopping Minoxidil but continues with Finasteride? Please suggest me regarding this.

Amiya Prasad, MD · Answer

Hi Ajay,Thank you for your question. You describe you’re 22-years-old, lost some hair in the temples, and currently on finasteride. You’re asking if you can use minoxidil with finasteride, and whether it will regrow some of the hair in the temples, and if stopping the minoxidil will result in hair loss.
I can share with you my counseling with patients like yourself in my practice. A little background: I’m a Board-certified cosmetic surgeon and Fellowship-trained oculofacial plastic and reconstructive surgeon. I have been in practice in Manhattan and Long Island for over 20 years. I am also the founder of TrichoStem™ Hair Regeneration Centers, a system we developed evolving from the work we did with hair transplant to non-surgically help men and women with androgenetic alopecia, or pattern genetic hair loss like what you’re describing. Patients come to us from around the world for this injection treatment. 
I think it’s very good you’re on a DHT blocker. You’re recognizing the value of the reality of the young age of onset, and there is potential benefit in reducing DHT levels to prolong the lifespan of the hair. As to whether or not it is safe to use minoxidil with finasteride, the answer is it is safe. It is routine for patients to come to me having been on both. The two drugs have a well established clinical benefit in treating hair loss. 
The mechanism in how minoxidil helps hair growth still remains unknown. It is a well established perception among physicians that it prolongs the growth cycle, and may stimulate some hair growth. What often is a frustration is there can be skin irritation, so a person has to stop using the drug, but if someone stops using the drug, the hair sheds. It follows the pharmaceutical model that if you use the drug, the effect of the drug is there, but when you stop using the drug, the effects goes away. 
A lot of our patients have come to us who are still on both minoxidil and finasteride. When we treated them with our treatment Hair Regeneration, we saw significant improvement. Hair Regeneration evolved from when we were doing transplants, and wanted to see the grafts and the donor area to heal better. We use a stem cell technology Acellular matrix which recruits your adult stem cells for wound healing, and found in a lot of the patients, the thinning hairs became thicker. I took it upon myself to develop a system that would predictably result in stimulating hair growth. The mechanisms still remains not fully defined, but we’ve been able to reactivate hair that wasn't actively growing, thicken thinning hair, and the hair growth cycle can become longer, which ultimately means more coverage. It’s from a different mechanism than the pharmaceuticals, so the injection can work in synergy with the DHT blocker and minoxidil. If a patient comes to me who hasn't been on minoxidil, I tell them not to bother because the Hair Regeneration treatment has been shown to be sustainable for years, depending on an individual’s hair loss profile. 
I have been treating patients from around the world since 2011 with Hair Regeneration. I ultimately developed an algorithm that optimized treatment based on categorization of the hair loss profile, and further developed an optimal treatment strategy based on hair loss profile that factors in gender, age of onset, degree of progression, rate of progression, other hormonal issues, medical issues, as well as other previous treatments. Ultimately, we’ve developed a treatment plan for our patients. Generally, the injection has sustained for years after treatment, but it is dependent on the person’s hair growth cycle, the longevity of their hair growth cycle, and the relative aggressiveness of their hair loss pattern. 
For people like you who are young, you want to use all the tools you can. If you’ve been on minoxidil or you started minoxidil, I’ll keep you on it. If you haven't started minoxidil and were only on finasteride, then I would probably just hold off on minoxidil. I don't see minoxidil adding any unique benefit to Hair Regeneration, which really works at the source and doesn't require daily application. It’s an injection we generally do at one point, and in some cases do a booster injection at 15 to 24 months, depending on the patient’s hair loss profile and my anticipation of the longevity of the hair growth cycle. 
To answer your question again, minoxidil and finasteride can be used together.Learn more about this new age of treatment which we can take a lot of credit for, in addition to other doctors who are exploring the same area of regenerative medicine to help manage hair loss. I would also remind you as I remind all my patients that hair loss treatment is management, it’s not a cure. As a physician, I am always compelled to use maximally all the tools we can to help our patients manage their hair loss, prolong the lifespan of their hair, and get the maximum coverage for as long as is genetically permissible.I hope that was helpful, I wish you the best of luck, and thank you for your question.

Jeff Donovan, MD, PhD · Answer

You might wish to discuss these issues with your physician. Both minoxidil and finasteride are lifelong for men with androgenetic alopecia so no, one should not consider stopping any of these if they are helping (provided there are no side effects or contraindications).

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Hair loss at temples. Can I use Minoxidil along with Finasteride?

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