Worried about hair loss? My experience with Minoxidil

Just two years ago in 2007 I noticed that I had a considerable amount of hair loss near the front of my hairline. The receding was significant half-way back from the front of my bangs, leaving a large tuft of hair in the center. Since my father is bald, and a slew of uncles as well, it was the moment of truth I was waiting for and I wasn't all too pleased. I decided to arrest the balding by using minoxidil, the drug behind Rogaine. Back in the 1990s, when Rogaine first came out, it cost around $50 a month. But today, due to the entrance of generics in the market, the brand Rogaine costs around a third of its original price and the generics much less. Now that it was affordable, I saw no reason not to give it a try.

In my case, there was a reason not to use Rogaine or one of its generics, however. The literature says that it isn't FDA-approved for use on a receding hairline in the front, only for pattern baldness at the crown. However, I tried it for my frontal receding hairline for over a year, perhaps almost two years, and thought that it had increased my hair density significantly. I was confirmed of that view when I stopped using it this year and I experienced significant hair loss again in the same frontal region. I'm convinced that the stuff works anywhere on the scalp, but if it works, why did I stop?

There was one side effect of minoxidil that I found very annoying, besides the pain of having to apply this greasy liquid to your scalp twice a day. The worst was the dandruff flaking caused by the product. I'm convinced that the flaking was caused by the scalp becoming more "fertile" and able to grow hair, but with the amount of flaking produced, I'd preferred at times to go bald! I also have a theory that people who use more medicines and chemicals in their lives, even if they are given the green light by the FDA, are increasing their risk of cancer and other diseases. The FDA isn't perfect, and some dangerous products could get approved. The more you use, the higher the risk. Minoxidil is a lifestyle drug, and it felt strange applying to you scalp this greasy chemical that causes dandruff. It just didn't seem worth taking any risks. I stopped using it, trying to come to terms with baldness by buying hats and devising a new, shorter haircut. But, now that the baldness is coming back, I'm not sure if I've come to terms. Do I really want to go back to the grease and the dandruff? No.... time to come to terms with vanity, get a new haircut and buy some more hats.