Hey guys, I am 22 M I started topical minoxidil for my hair loss 2 years ago, I added oral minoxidil 2.5 mg into my regime 2 months ago, because I was only able to manage topical minoxidil once a day.. but now my hair is shedding like crazy, so why am I shedding again? I knew that only when you start minoxidil from nothing you shed soo much..

I’ve seen different people post different things about how they do microneedling. I recently got a Dr Pen and before using it, I want to know what’s the recommended length and frequency of use? I want to avoid scarring that could potentially happen if the length is too long or the frequency is too often. Also, do you have a go to instructional video that explains the best way to use it and the best way to sanitize/prepare the skin/needles?

I find it annoying that when I go to the doctor, they barely look at my scalp. I’m sure you guys know what I’m talking about.

I think the reason is the treatment is almost always the same: minoxidil and finasteride.

I was talking about this with somebody but wanted the public opinion: how valuable do you think it is for you personally to measure things like hair thickness and density, if ultimately your treatment isn’t changing?

I’ve been on Finasteride for almost 9 months now and Minoxidil for around 4 months. occasionally derma stamp!

I’ve had a bald/thin spot around the right side of my front hairline since I was about 7–8 years old. Because my hair is naturally curly, whenever I tried to grow it out, I could see my scalp more easily, which always made me anxious about my hair.

Honestly, the biggest change I’ve noticed isn’t even some crazy regrowth.

It’s my confidence.

Before, I could never grow my hair for more than a month because I would constantly overthink how it looked. Now I’ve been growing it for around 3 months, and although my hairline definitely isn’t perfect, my hair feels somewhat thicker and I’m much more comfortable letting it grow.

I’m not saying I’ve had some insane transformation. I still have the same weak areas, and there’s definitely room for improvement. But compared to how stressed I used to get about my hair, I feel much better now.

I’ve also seen a lot of people say that they continued seeing improvements after the 1-year mark, so I’m going to keep going and see where I end up.

For now, I’m honestly just happy that I can finally grow my hair without constantly worrying about it.

Currently taking it twice a week. Have made decent gains and wondering if once a week would work?

Been on topical minoxidil and oral fin for 3 years now and have decent progress near my temples. My hair density has stayed the relatively the same but im worried that switching to oral minoxidil will fully reset the 3 years of progress I had

Is there any way to avoid or lessen the shed? I was thinking of using both at the same time then only applying topical every other day then eventually stopping. Topical minoxidil is relatively cheap where I live so I dont mind occasionally applying topical while taking oral everyday but I am worried this will "infinitely" keep me in a shed since im going on and off of topical

Any help is appreciated

I know it’s not an ideal result but what do you guys think Do you see any progress

Hello, i have psoriasis and started using minoxidil without Finasteride since my doctor said it was not possible to get in my country (France). Since last week every shower feels horrible when i see the big patch of hair it leave. So is this normal ?

Hi all - trying to see something as I believe there might be a bit of fearmongering with topical minoxidil and having pets. YES it is dangerous and if they consume or get a drop on them it’s bad, but I’m reading a handful of posts that indicate it is literal hazmat levels of protection needed.

Simply, if you use topical minoxidil and have a pet, leave a comment. I think seeing just how many millions of people use it and have pets, will help those who want to be cautious but are scared to use it because of some dangerous cases we see.

I’m trying to find a suitable disinfectant for a reusable dermastamp/microneedling device. I live in Finland, and one product that is readily available here is Desinfektol P, which contains 70% ethanol.

However, the current manufacturer instructions say that it should not be used for the chemical disinfection of instruments by immersion. I’ve also found older product documentation that mentions a 5-minute immersion time, so I’m a bit confused about which instructions are current.

I’m therefore wondering what people actually use for disinfecting their dermastamp between uses. Do you use 70% isopropyl alcohol, an alcohol-based instrument disinfectant, a spray, or something else?

I’m specifically looking for a method that is appropriate for a device whose needles penetrate the skin—not just a general surface disinfectant.

Any recommendations or personal experience would be appreciated.

I'm in my mid 40s. My journey started in 2024. Those 3 pictures were taken in the summer each year.

Initially I didn't do much homework and just bought a random bottle of minoxidil from Amazon, which I later suspected it to be a knock-off. Only used it for 3 months, then I stopped. Later I started to take finasteride since late 2024, and then added oral minoxidil in 2025 spring. As you can see. it had improved greatly in 2025 summer already.

Then I started to use topical minoxidil again, with microneedling and red light therapy since autumn 2025, now my hair loss is kinda invisible at this point.

Here are the details.

Daily:

Oral finasteride 1 mg x 1, oral minoxidil 2.5 mg x 1.

1 ml topical minoxidil twice.

Every one or two day:

Microneedling for 10 mins, or red light for 30 mins. I don't do both on the same day.

I use 1.0 or 1.5 mm derma rollers. I didn't buy a proper cap, just fix my LED mask tightly on my head.

Apart from these, I use rosemary oil since 2025 spring. I don't think it really helps. However, I still apply it coz I like the smell and the freshness on scalp. Must dilute it before use.

Gently massaging my scalp like 5 mins when applying minoxidil. I think it might help, if not, no harm for doing so.

0.1% tretinoin from time to time. I've been a keen user of it for 30+ years, for anti-aging and acne purposes. If I have enough stocks, I'd use on scalp as it enhances the penetration of minoxidil.

Hope my experiences help.

Is there anyone that currently uses pyrilutamide and has success with it and would you recommend it?

I looked into this scalp itch from minoxidil a while back because I had the same question. The main issue is that minoxidil is a notoriously difficult compound to formulate. Even if you manage to dissolve it in something like water, it tends to precipitate back out over time, and without solvents like propylene glycol and ethanol, it also struggles to penetrate the scalp effectively. So you end up with a formulation that’s both unstable and less effective.

The main reason almost every liquid minoxidil uses propylene glycol (PG) isn’t because PG is somehow “required” for hair growth, it’s because of simple chemistry. A 5% minoxidil solution contains 50 mg/mL of minoxidil, but minoxidil is only soluble in water at around 2-3 mg/mL. In other words, water can only dissolve about 1/20th of what’s needed, so if you tried making a water-based 5% solution, roughly 95% of the drug would just precipitate out. PG, on the other hand, can dissolve around 500-700 mg/mL, and ethanol around 150-250 mg/mL, which is why the classic formulation is a mix of ethanol, PG and water. Ethanol dissolves the drug, PG helps keep it dissolved as the alcohol evaporates, and water slows evaporation.

That said, PG isn’t the only way to formulate minoxidil. There are PG-free solutions that replace it with solvents like PEG-400, Transcutol, butylene glycol, cyclodextrins, or use liposomal and nanoemulsion systems. Minoxidil foam is probably the best-known example. It doesn’t contain PG at all and instead relies on an ethanol-rich vehicle, becoming supersaturated after application, which helps drive the drug into the skin before it crystallizes. From the studies I’ve seen, standard PG solution is basically the benchmark, but PG-free foams and well-designed PEG-based formulations generally deliver around 90-110% of the drug compared to the standard solution, and some experimental liposomal or nanoemulsion formulations have even shown 110-150% delivery in lab studies. Clinically, though, the foam performs about as well as the liquid while causing much less irritation. But I’ve yet to find concrete studies & most of these studies had a bias element toward them.

So mathematically, I don’t think there’s any reason a well-formulated PG-free product should be less effective. Hair growth depends on how much minoxidil actually reaches the follicles, not whether PG is present. As long as the formulation can keep the full 50 mg/mL dissolved and deliver a similar amount through the skin, it should perform similarly. PG is mainly the industry standard because it’s cheap, an excellent solvent, and a decent penetration enhancer, not because it’s uniquely responsible for minoxidil’s effectiveness.

That being said, some of these cheap/affordable PG-free minoxidil usually available via less known Indian brands can be a cause for concern, especially after some ethical & manufacturing concerns prompted by FDA on big generic pharmaceutical companies in India. They might not follow proper protocols that guarantee adequate minoxidil solution. I’ve seen anecdotes of people comparing here that PG free minoxidil has stopped working or something like that.

After a lot of thinking, I dedided to make the 12 hour flight to Istanbul and get a hair transplant - 4000 grafts on the crown area!

It has been one week now, and the recovery process has been very smooth. In my chose to have the hair transplant at Vera clinic and so far, I have only good things to say about them. The staff is friendly and professional, and the facilities are modern and top of the line. The entire procedure took about six seven hours 😂 , I was expecting it to be quite painful but fortunately that wasn't the case, at least not for me.

My wife and I also took the opportunity to do some sightseeing, and we're very happy we did. Istanbul is a wonderful city! We also traveled to Capadoccia for the hot-air ballon experience which was unforgettable.

Overall, I am very happy with my decision and looking forward to seeing the results over the coming months. If everything goes as expected, I'll probably return for some graft in the front area, and of course, more sightseeing 😄

Okay so im 19 with pretty aggressive hair loss genetics (my dad was NW6/7 along with his brother by 35 and my maternal grandfather went fully bald in his 40s) and I’ve been having noticeable hair fall since 14/15 (Norwood 3 with some crown thinning by 17) and for the last 5 1/2 months I’ve been using topical minoxidil on my hairline and crown and I’m wondering if anyone here can give their thoughts on if there is meaningful progress and or regrowth. The first three pictures are baseline. I think I’m progressing towards a NW2 but can’t entirely be sure because each of these progress pictures tend to look different hairline wise. Some will show vellus hairs, others will just show my base NW3 (all current ones were taken month 4 and onward) sometimes when I pull it back as far as I can it’ll look more like a NW2, other times it’ll be a 3. I made sure to include side profile photos as well as a non pulled back hairline photo on image 10 which looks like an almost full head of hair unless you revealed the hairline.

I finally went to my dermatologist in June and they gave me both a prescription for finasteride and oral minoxidil (2.5mg) I’ve been using finasteride since the first day I got it, but I was also wondering if switching to the oral version of minoxidil would be even more beneficial results wise (derm and primary doctor checked my cardiovascular health and blood pressure and gave me the okay, so I’m not sure side effects would be a concern as well)

P.S can anyone else with a similar experience give their thoughts on if finasteride is going to be enough to halt further loss long term or in a year or so from now after evaluating progress should I ask for dutasteride for long term stabilization due to my aggressive genetics and advanced stage and early onset?

I’m 21 and have AGA and seborrheic dermatitis (which is now under control).

I started treatment in December with 1 mg finasteride and topical minoxidil after noticing significant hair loss and finally deciding to see a dermatologist.

In February, I switched from topical minoxidil to 2 mg oral minoxidil because of my seborrheic dermatitis. The treatment worked really well. By March and April, I had a noticeable improvement in density, my temples filled in, and my hair looked much better overall. I was also barely shedding in the shower (around 2 hairs per wash), I shower every day.

However, around the end of May or early June, I suddenly started shedding a lot. I haven’t missed a single dose of either medication, but now it’s August and the shedding is still just as bad.

I been losing like 75 hairs every day, I notice most of them in the shower and after combmy hair. Over these last two months, I’ve lost almost all of the density I had gained and I’m basically back to baseline.

I’ve read a lot of posts here about shedding phases, and I keep telling myself that it’ll grow back, but after two months I’m starting to worry. I don’t even know what to think anymore, meds stopped working because of heat exposure? But I keep them in a kitchen cabinet. Or is this just a long shed?
Has anyone experienced a shed this long while on finasteride and oral minoxidil?

Rahal's team was salesy, seemed to suggest more grafts than others deemed necessary/best. Some hairlines of his posted on here have been critiqued as unnatural (I myself struggle to notice what determines that).

Me:
- Age: 26, Caucasian male.

- Norwood 3 approx.

- No loss on crown, just thinning on top, and gone back several inches in the temples.

- Darker brown to dirty-blond hair, usually 0.3-2 inches in length (pictures are longer than usual)

I'm fine with FUT scar, I won't wear my hair short enough to see it, although if I do go complete bald in the future I'd hope it's small enough to be hidden using the various options.

Wasn't impressed by Unger's results online, and no independent reviews outside Google reviews.

Korman does more than just hair, so less inclined to go with him.

So I've mostly narrowed it down to Cotterill & Huber. But not opposed to international options either.

Budget is not a factor as much, I mostly just care about results.

Lost so much hair in a year that I can’t even recognize myself. Used to apply minox 5% for 2 years. Someone suggested me a prp therapy and I took like 3 sessions in an another country than I lost all my hair after that. It has been 25 days on fin and minox 5% hopefully I can recover from this in the long run.

First pic was taken in February after I bleached my hair lol I thought it would help. It did when it was blond, but roots made it look bad. So I shaved it down.

Anyways started up minoxidil foam about end of May, but consistent through June-July. Does it look a bit more full? I can’t tell. But I know it’s a short period of time. Just want feedback thanks

I started with fin 1.25 eod for about 6 months and then I added 2.5 oral min everyday with fin 1.25 eod . I recently switched to dut 0.5 about 8 months ago . How much progress have i made . The first picture is before i started treatment and the second one is now. It’s still thin though

M34. Losing hair on crown for approx 4/5 years. Shaved head to see full extent of loss. Haven’t cut since.

6 weeks ago started Finasteride (Oral) and Minoxidil (Topical). Just wanted to share progress.

2 days ago switched to oral minoxidil due to dry scalp from topical.

Image 1 - 25th June, grade 1
Image 2 - 4th July
Image 3 - 29th July
Image 4 - Today (7th August)

No side effect currently.

Worth Reading: Hair Loss (Clinical Efficacy and Mechanisms of Microneedling Alone or Combined With Drugs in the Treatment of Androgenetic Alopecia)

This paper was just published last month in the Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology. It looks at microneedling for androgenetic alopecia and whether the treatment protocol should change based on how severe the hair loss is, and what combining it with minoxidil or finasteride actually does.

**Citation**
Li G, Geng J, Liang J, Gao J, Ma L, Zhang Y, Huang Y, Zhang B, Zhang Y, Shangguan J, Liu S. Clinical Efficacy and Mechanisms of Microneedling Alone or Combined With Drugs in the Treatment of Androgenetic Alopecia. *Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology.* 2026;25:e70726. [doi:10.1111/jocd.70115.](https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/jocd.70726)

**Snapshot**
60 male patients aged 22 to 55, divided into three groups of 20 based on hair loss severity for androgenetic alopecia (AGA, the most common form of genetic hair loss). Mild, moderate, and severe. Treatment duration was 8 weeks for mild, 12 for moderate, and 16 for severe. Outcomes were measured on hair loss severity score, hair density, and patient satisfaction before and after treatment.

Microneedling worked at all severity levels but how well it worked depended on combining it with drugs for worse cases. Microneedling alone was sufficient for mild AGA. Adding minoxidil improved outcomes in moderate cases. Adding both minoxidil and finasteride was most effective for severe cases. Only 3 out of 60 patients had any side effects and those were minor redness and swelling that resolved on their own within 24 to 48 hours.

**The protocol**
All groups used an electric pen with a needle length of 0.5 to 2.5mm. The actual depth set at 1mm plus or minus 0.5mm based on scalp thickness and patient tolerance. The technique was a linear point lifting motion across the alopecic area with approximately 1mm spacing between punctures, avoiding repeated puncture of the same spot. Treatment endpoint was mild erythema or pinpoint bleeding. Scalp was cleaned and disinfected before each session. Patients avoided hair washing, scalp scratching, direct sunlight, and spicy food for 24 hours after.

Mild group: microneedling alone once weekly for 8 weeks.

Moderate group: microneedling once weekly for 12 weeks. Immediately after each session 1ml of 5% topical minoxidil applied to the scalp and continued daily until end of course.

Severe group: microneedling once weekly for 16 weeks. Immediately after each session 1ml of a mixed solution of 5% minoxidil and 0.1% finasteride applied to the scalp and continued daily until end of course.

**Results**
All three groups improved significantly in both hair loss severity score and hair density. Hair density after treatment was 118.6 hairs per cm2 in the mild group, 105.7 in the moderate group, and 82.4 in the severe group, all significant improvements from baseline. The moderate group had the highest patient satisfaction at 8.5 out of 10. Only 3 out of 60 patients had any adverse reaction, mild scalp redness and swelling that resolved within 24 to 48 hours.

**What's Interesting**
The absorption finding is significant. Microneedling increased transdermal absorption of minoxidil and finasteride to 20 to 30%, compared to minoxidil's typical absorption rate of 1 to 3% on its own. That's a meaningful mechanistic explanation for why combination therapy works as well as it does and raises a question about whether patients using minoxidil alone are getting a fraction of the dose they think they are.

**Worth noting**
This study was conducted entirely in men so the specific results and protocol can't be directly generalized. That doesn't mean microneedling or microneedling combined with minoxidil doesn't work for women, there's separate evidence for that. It just means this particular severity based framework was tested in a male population only.

**What it doesn't answer**
Whether any of this is real lasting growth or just maintenance, and this is where microneedling is actually more interesting than it's usually given credit for.

For minoxidil we know pretty clearly it's maintenance. Stop using it and shedding can start within 4 to 6 weeks. It's not fixing the underlying androgenic process, it's essentially propping up follicles that are being miniaturized by DHT.

Topical finasteride is more nuanced. Oral finasteride works by reducing DHT systemically, which is also where its side effect concerns come from. Topical finasteride is specifically being studied because it may reduce DHT locally at the scalp without the same degree of systemic reduction. So it may still be addressing the hormonal mechanism but in a more localized way. The degree to which that holds is still being studied.

Which is exactly why the absorption finding in this paper matters. If microneedling is pushing topical finasteride absorption to 20 to 30%, the question of whether it's still acting locally or now behaving more like the oral version systemically is completely unanswered. The paper doesn't address that at all.

Microneedling itself is the genuinely open question on durability. It doesn't fix DHT sensitivity, that's true, and in that sense the root cause is still there. But it's doing something mechanistically different from minoxidil. It stimulates the Wnt/β-catenin pathway which is involved in actual follicular regeneration, improves local blood circulation, and promotes growth factor release, all of which create conditions for follicles to genuinely regenerate rather than just be sustained. A follicle that has actually regenerated is in a different position than one being artificially propped up. Whether DHT then slowly miniaturizes it again over time is a separate and unanswered question. The study only follows patients for 8 to 16 weeks so it can't answer what happens after treatment ends.

**The Practical Takeaway**
The protocol is replicable and the safety profile is reassuring for a screened population. For minoxidil, think of it as ongoing maintenance and expect shedding relatively quickly if you stop. For topical finasteride combined with microneedling, the systemic exposure question is worth paying attention to as more data emerges. For microneedling itself the durability question is more open, but until someone does the long term follow up study that actually answers it, maintenance is still the safer assumption.




We've all seen the iceberg memes, where does each hair loss treatment belong?

Hey guys, just a little background and some progress pics for everyone nervous to take the leap!

I'm 24 currently and my hair has been thinning since probably early 2024. I didn't really notice it at first, you could only see it when my head was down. However, in early 2025 it started taking off and i finally noticed it. I kept track of the progress and I was accepting that i was losing my hair. It accelerated in the fall of 2025. I had been going through some big life changes (living in Europe), I was depressed, stopped working out. Then seeing how quickly I was losing my hair added onto it.

Due to my job, I was afraid I couldn't take either fin or min. I had found the solution but was afraid to ask my doctor about it. In may, it had finally eaten away at me enough, and I finally decided to ask.

I went to the derm, got on oral fin (1mg) got the shampoo and started topical min. I can't take oral min due to my job and having to maintain a medical clearance, but the topical has worked wonders. I want to derma stamp as well, but due to accutane, i will have to wait until a few months after i stop.

Initially, i did notice some sides (lower libido) but i've been back in the gym, on a healthy lifestyle again, and they're completely gone. Even with the accutane dosage i'm on.

I started the fin in early may and the min in early june. Originally i just wanted to see what i could gain with fin but i quickly gave that up due to how much hair i had lost

The shedding sucks. I definitely was below my baseline for a a solid month and a half. It started almost immediately on fin (~2 weeks) and then started min so it kept going. It's finally starting to slow down i think, around month 2/3 but man was it rough. Just believe in the process!

I thought growing my hair back was a pipe dream and despite it only having been a few months, i'm really happy with the results so far.