Will Minoxidil Still Work if I Stopped Using it for a While?

Alex

Question: I have previously used minoxidil for nearly two years but was forced to stop using it for 2 to 3 months due to financial difficulties. I have started the treatment again and am experiencing a tremendous amount of hairloss (4-5 weeks into the treatment). Will this stabilise again the second time round, seeing as I had really good results the first time round?

Answer: Hi, Alex. Minoxidil generates hair growth on the area to which it is applied. There are theories as to how it works but the precise mechanisms behind its action are not exactly known. What studies have shown is that upon ceasing use of minoxidil, the pattern of hair loss will revert back to its pre-treatment state and continue to progress as it would have naturally.

The good news though is that if minoxidil worked the first time around, it is most likely that it will work a second. You may have noticed that when you first started using minoxidil there was some increased shedding, similar to what you’re experiencing now. This raises no cause for concern, in fact it is a good sign that the treatment is working.

The hair growth cycle consists of three stages growth, regression and rest. Hair usually grows at a rate of about 1.2cm per month but during the resting phase (which lasts three months) it doesn’t grow at all. Roughly 10% of our hair is resting at any one time and to make way for new hair growth, the old strands must shed. If they don’t fall themselves, the new hairs will push them out.

Hair shedding between 1 - 3 months of minoxidil usage is very common and we frequently have clients contacting us worried about this (especially women). But within a month of the shedding the excessive hair loss always stops and it is usually an indication of positive response to treatment. This is because the shedding is caused by new hair growing through, pushing out the old hairs that are in the resting phase. So there's absolutely no need to worry; this is a sign that you are responding well to treatment.