Hi All,

I have been on Propecia for 6 weeks after Post op now and am seeing more hair shedding than before. Is this normal. Any response would be appreciated..Thanks

shedding at 6 weeks or so seems perfectly normal from the propecia, takes a while to kick in and do it's stuff. A year on the stuff will show if it works for you.
IH

Actually that is a good sign..

It means the hairs are going through the growth cycle and will come back thicker most likely!

Tuscansun,

This could indeed be a sign of the medication working.

It is possible that you will experience some additional hair shedding over the course of the first 3 months. What is actually happening is that the weaker, finer, miniaturized hairs are forced into catagen (the resting phase) and then telogen (the shedding phase) to make way for the new hair being produced by the follicle (the anagen stage). The new hair will grow back thicker and stronger if indeed Propecia is working for you.

I hope this helps.

Falc

thanks guys for your response will keep you updated with progress..

Forgot to add I had some side effects when i started using Propecia but now its ok back to normal. Am really glad..

what sort of side effects?

how long and how severe were they?

how bad does the hair fall out?

how do you know if the shedding is a result of the propecia? rather than just shock loss from the operation?

i heard that when you have a hair transplant the transplanted hairs start to grow, then they alll fall out ---- and then after a few months they then grow again? can anyone confirm this?



falc your saying that its normal for your hair to fall out in the initiat months, which means that the medication is maybe working? if your hair doesnt fall out more when you start taking propecia? would that be a sign the medication isnt working?
or its just a very random process based on the individual?

guyfromsydney,

From what I understand, not everyone experiences hair shedding with Propecia, even if it's working. The best indication that it is working is to give the medication at least 1 year to evaluate. Take monthly pictures in the same lighting at the same angles. Compare them to see if hair loss has stopped or some hair has regrown. If either is true, the medication is most likely working.

Transplanted hairs fall out between 2-4 weeks and start to regrow between 3-5 months.

Regarding hair shedding verses shock loss...the bad news is, there really is no way to tell if you start Propecia and have your hair transplant at the same time. Two solutions to this problem: 1) start Propecia 6 months to a year before hair transplantation surgery which is especialy advisable for those getting hair transplanted between native hairs or 2) Start both at the same time and since there really is no way to know whether it's surgical shock loss or hair shedding, don't sweat it worrying about the details until 8-12 months after surgery which will give both a chance to regrow.

Falc