Should I Wait for Hair Loss Treatment Propecia (Finasteride) to Lose Its Effectiveness before Starting Rogaine (Minoxidil)?

I started receding during my late teens and experienced some minor thinning of the crown at around 34. At this point, I started using finasteride which I have taken for the last 6 years. I am now 41 and have responded well to finasteride where the crown has stabilized with some limited thickening. A hair transplant is taking care of the frontal recession.

I’m content with the crown as it is. However, should I start to use minoxidil or shall I wait in case finasteride starts to lose effectiveness and then, at this point, use minoxidil to help the crown? My concern is if I start on minoxidil now it may lose its effectiveness over time. So should I leave it until I really need it?

It’s important to note that Rogaine (minoxidil) is not a substitute for Propecia (finasteride). These hair loss drugs work in very different ways and, therefore, affect different hairs. Thus, waiting for finasteride to “lose its effectiveness” before starting minoxidil is not the best option.

Finasteride works to slow the advance of androgenic alopecia and regrow hair by inhibiting the conversion of testosterone to the hormone dihydrotestosterone (DHT). Minoxidil, on the other hand, is a vasodilator and is thought to treat thinning hair by widening blood vessels and increasing blood flow to miniaturizing follicles.

Many hair restoration physicians believe that the best course of action is to use these two medical hair loss treatments in combination. It is thought that they work synergistically, each enhancing the effects of the other

—-

David (TakingThePlunge)
Editorial Assistant and Forum Co-Moderator for the Hair Transplant Network, the Coalition Hair Loss Learning Center, and the Hair Loss Q & A Blog.
To share ideas with other hair loss sufferers visit the hair loss forum and social community

Technorati Tags: finasteride, hair transplant, minoxidil, Rogaine, Propecia, hair loss, androgenic alopecia, regrow hair, dihydrotestosterone, DHT, thinning hair, hair restoration, hair loss treatments