Rogaine or not

[Natalie]

Hi everyone took my 15 yr old son to the derm this week and she told me exactley what I did not want to hear mpb. I really shouldnt be a surprise cause my husbands bald and his father was, well you get the picture. I'm so upset. It truly breaks my heart cause hes so young. The doctor said to start using rogaine. His thinning is mainly in the crown area. I'm not sure what to do, I've read on hear that some people shed after a few months of using it.
Please what should I do.

THANKS, Natalie

[The European]

Hi everyone took my 15 yr old son to the derm this week and she told me exactley what I did not want to hear mpb. I really shouldnt be a surprise cause my husbands bald and his father was, well you get the picture. I'm so upset. It truly breaks my heart cause hes so young. The doctor said to start using rogaine. His thinning is mainly in the crown area. I'm not sure what to do, I've read on hear that some people shed after a few months of using it.
Please what should I do.

THANKS, Natalie

Dear Natalie,

You have my deepest sympathy. My mother discovered my bald spot a couple of years ago, and I'll never forget the sad look on her face.

You should definately follow the doc's advice. Rogaine will most likely freeze the balding process in your son, and there's a fair chance that he'll experience some regrowth, though you shouldn't expect to much of the latter.

Therefore it's absolutely imperative that you start giving him Rogaine as soon as possible, and stick with it for at least a year - even if you don't see any effect right away.

You shouldn't worry about shedding, because it's actually a good sign: the shedding is only temporary and the hairs that fall off will be replaced by thicker and darker hairs.

As your son get older, he can switch to Propecia, which is even more effective than Rogaine. But Propecia can only taken by adults, so he'll have to be at least 18 before switching to it.

Like I said, Rogaine is effective in most men; 80 percent maintain what they've got and the majority have some regrowth. In some way you're lucky, because you say that your boy is thinning in the crown area, and that area usually responds well to both Rogaine and Propecia; thinning temples are worse to cure, although it is possible.

I wish you all the best, and good luck.

[aiyosh]

They say MPB mainly come from the mother's side not the father's side, is that true??

[The European]

They say MPB mainly come from the mother's side not the father's side, is that true??

According to most (serious) literature on the subject, MPB can be inherited from both sides of the family, but I don't know what's usually case.

I myself got it from my mother's side.