I found a few threads that mentioned Rogaine, but none that really addressed it head on, so to speak.
Do you, or have you, used Rogaine for thinning hair on top (I’m male, 27)? I’ve read about it and I’ve seen that it only works in 80% or so of men. I think it was a blood pressure drug that had hair growth as a side effect, and since I’m on blood pressure medication, I’m a little reluctant to use it.
Can it regrow hair? Is the hair regrowth significant? Is it hair that looks natural?
I’ve been thinking about using it (I’d go so far as to say “advised to”, by various folk), but I haven’t heard about it’s effect on blood pressure…what are its effects?
Well, according to Wikipedia, minoxidil was originally investigated as a treatment for high blood pressure. On a quick scan of the article, I didn’t see anything about interactions with HBP medication when using it as a hair loss prevention, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t any.
My naive assumption is that the concentration of minoxidil for hair loss is not strong enough to interact with HBP medication, but I have nothing on which to base that.
It’s FDA approved, so I have to imagine that the claims made are legitimate. They’re hedged realistically rather than it being touted out and out as a miracle cure.
I just started using minoxidil this past week, but I got Costco’s store brand generic rather than Rogaine. I’ve had good luck with generics, and it costs a quarter of what Rogaine does. Both Rogaine and the generic emphasize that it takes months for any effects to become visible, so obviously I can’t say whether or not it works yet.
Since it’s not orally ingested, but instead applied directly to the scalp, I’m pretty sure it won’t interact with your HBP meds. As the Wiki page points out, the only noted side effect is an itchy scalp (which I can attest to, but it’s a slight enough effect to be ignorable). Still, I have absolutely no medical training, so I’d suggest asking a doctor or pharmaco.
I am of the opinion, when you start going bald…just go bald. OWN IT!
There’s nothing wrong with being bald. Don’t do the combover, plugs, rogaine, or heaven forbid a rug!
Just keep it trimmed short or shave it off. Of all of my friends and co-workers that have or are going bald, the ones that look the most foolish are the ones that try and vainly hold on to their hair.
While I’m not exactly opposed to being bald, going bald before 40 isn’t a pleasant notion. I’m not even 30 yet and I’m already nearly bare on top. I’d rather not look like an old man that early.
Toupees and combovers are fake and ugly. Minoxidil, if it works as claimed, regrows natural hair. So why not give it a shot? If it doesn’t work by the end of the year, I intend to go completely shaved, but I’d really rather not do the bulldog look if I can help it.
I think a reasonable expectation is for it to stop or dramatically slow your hair loss, which might be well worth it for many men. Expecting it to grow back completely or nearly completely is very unrealistic. (not saying that’s your expectation, just that it’s not a realistic one)
Also, all the research I’ve read has suggested that propecia is more effective and that you should use them together.
Not every guy is the same. My friend is a young professional actor and his hair is thinning. He’s not going to get the parts he needs if he has a bald spot, so telling him to embrace it isn`t very good advice. Many guys could let it happen naturally without serious problems, but not my friend.
Personally I agree that comparing rogaine or propecia to a toupee or hair plugs is not an apt comparison. As long as you plan on giving up once/if they don’t work and not resorting to a toupee or hair plugs I think you’re set.
One other thing all balding men should do is go to a good barber or stylist who is good with men, particularly balding men. Your hair should be cut very short to minimize the bald spot.
Tell me about it. I’m a female whose hair started thinning when I was friggin 18, due to a lovely combination of androgenic alopecia and an autoimmune condition known as alopecia areata. I’m sure if I had alopecia totalis, which affects the entire scalp and renders one completely bald, I wouldn’t be brave enough to go out without a wig.
Anyway, I’ve tried cortisone shots to the areas affected by alopecia areata, but they didn’t help. My dermatologist said that there was pretty much nothing else I could do, except try Rogaine. Her plan was for me to try 2% minoxidil (women’s) and move on to 5% minoxidil (men’s) if the 2% didn’t work. I was told if the 5% didn’t work, then probably nothing would. Luckily, the 2% did help. It didn’t restore my hair to what it used to be, but it did bring moderate improvement, I guess. Enough so that I can be out and about without a hat and not feel self conscious about it. It’s more than what I expected, so yay from me.
The only thing I find annoying is that you have to keep on using it or else you’re back at square one. And it’s not cheap.
Yeah, it’s a definite lifestyle change. Although even Rogaine only comes out to $15/month at most, which is about what I happily pay for subscriptions to stuff like Netflix. The Costco generic is only $3/month, though (Rogaine is 4 months for $60, Costco is 6 months for $18), so if it does work it’s not at all expensive, provided you have access to the generic anyway. The main difference is that Rogaine is a foam and the generic is liquid, which doesn’t apply nearly as easily as foam.
Oh shoot, I forgot about Costco. If you get it at the local drugstore, it’s like $30 for a months supply, bleh. However, I’ve found that applying it once a day as opposed to twice a day still produces the same effect for me… so that helps too.
I’ve never tried the stuff so nothing to contribute there but as a guy who started thinning noticeably in his 20s, I agree with Wilbo523. I was certainly not about to go the wig/combover route and I didn’t want to look like Doug Henning so I just started to buzz it short. It’s a very normal look for men of all ages these days (I’m 40 now), unless you’ve got some kind of weird bump in your skull it looks good and from a practical standpoint I really dig it - no barber, easy to touch up (run a clipper through it once a week), a bottle of shampoo lasts all year and it’s clean and dry in seconds.
Another guy here that started balding in his early 20’s. Rogaine had no effect for me. I am just as glad now it didn’t. Embracing my baldness, cutting my hair short, and getting over my own feelings towards it was the best thing to ever happen to the top of my head. I have found society in general (including females) are extremely accepting of it as long as you are not trying to cover it up. I know how hard it is to get it cut the first time, but I also know no one that was an early baldy and regretted later doing it.
At first I was okay with my thinning hair, but then a professor in my department (I’m a lowly doctoral student), took me aside and expressed his concern that I was losing my hair.
“You don’t have to lose it,” he said. “I’ll give you the number of this pharmacy in India where I get Propecia for cheap.”
I don’t shrug things off as easily as a normal person, so hearing this from a mentor-like figure is not comforting.:rolleyes:
My son’s father had thinning hair when he was in his late 20s. When he was about 30something he started using Rogaine. It didn’t seem to increase his hair growth, but it did seem to prevent more hair loss. That was about 20 years ago and nowadays (we’ve been split up for around 16 years) his hair is much thinner on top. I have no clue if he uses Rogaine still, but somehow I don’t think so, he’d already given up on it way back when.
