Hello, to give some background, I started using topical minoxidil around my corners twice a day (now down to once a day) for about two years, or close to it. Gave me false confidence and later got worse than my baseline, so I started taking finasteride about 8,9 months ago (0.5 mg, either daily or every other day). I’m using it for my corners.
I use the liquid minoxidil, which leaves flakes and dries out my skin. Even after washing twice, it doesn’t completely come off, so to avoid having white corners, I have to use some hair oil or sth. Also trying to remove it, whether combing it or using my hands, seems to worsen the fallout of the hair; hair follicles would be everywhere. That makes using it pretty inconvenient. For the foam option, it’s expensive, and to be honest, I don’t want to continue using topicals for the rest of my life; I want to stop it at some point. Regarding the pill option, the potential side effects seem a bit serious and likely. It might not totally avoid the shedding, but I was thinking of stopping it slowly. Minoxidil seems to be just a patch, where I’d still lose hair while on it( I think this also happens with any hair loss treatment, but still )
My questions are:
For those of you who stopped minoxidil while still on finasteride or another DHT blocker, what was your experience? Did you shed a lot after stopping? Do you regret it, or would you recommend continuing and just accepting it for what it is? Also, are there any other options I might not know about that you’d suggest?