A bald spot. A glaring, receding bald spot starting me dead on. The nerve. I gave birth, I gave up my body, had intense nausea for weeks, leg cramps, insomnia... and now, the kicker -- a bald spot.
I could handle the things that weren't outwardly noticeable- but noooo not a bald spot.
I ordered the best hair vitamins ; and was waiting for them to deliver- but should I do more? Should I just go hard core and get Rogaine ?
Rogaine for Postpartum Hair Loss?
Minoxidil the active ingredient in Rogaine is a medication that is used to treat hair loss.
The men in my life have used Rogaine so I'm familiar with the application.
The active ingredient in Rogaine is Minoxidil and it should be applied daily to promote hair growth in an area- typically used for male or female pattern baldness when used long-term (aka once you use it - you don't stop).
So what about for postpartum hair loss- would it work?
We know postpartum hair loss is shedding that occurs because estrogen levels drop after-childbirth.
The way Minoxidil works is it widens blood vessels in the scalp and increases blood circulation - delivering more blood, oxygen, and nutrients to hair follicles- in essence strengthening hair and stimulating growth.
When responded to correctly it should shorten the resting hair phase and prolong the growth stage leading to longer hair growth.
Sounds pretty good right?
Well there's a few things you should be cautious about..
Rogaine Red Flags:
1. You shouldn't use Minoxidil while breastfeeding:
Admittedly there isn't too much evidence to suggest its extremely dangerous for a baby (we don't test on infants) but studies have shown that Minoxidil is excreted into breast milk- so the potential for side effects are there. Better safe than sorry in this case.
2. The Dread Shed
The Rogaine 'Dread Shed' is an increased amount of shedding that comes with starting use of minoxidil- this occurs for most people.
What happens when minoxidil is applied to the scalp is basically a signal is sent to all the hairs that were going to shed- to just go ahead and shed.
It communicates to them - "you know what, no need to wait the 2-3 months until you shed - just go for it now- so any hair that was in line to fall out- will fall out sooner.
If you aren't planning to use minoxidil for the long-long-term this can be awfully frightening- especially if you are going through pretty significant postpartum shedding!
3. If you stop:
Keep in mind Rogaine/Minoxidil is meant to be used long-term. Its intention was never for short term growth usage.
In fact discontinuing use of Rogaine can lead to adverse side effects. Severe hair loss and reduced hair-growth are often seen in individuals who stop treatment.
Knowing that postpartum hair loss is a temporary side effect of child-birth made me ultimately non-commital to a lifelong relationship with Minoxidil. The side-effects of stopping and even starting were just too glaring for me.
The Baby Blues hair vitamins came, I ate lots of iron & protein, and I was gentle on my existing hair.
I'm happy to say I said bye bye to my bald spot a few months later.
Let me know in the comments if you took the leap and tried Rogaine for postpartum hair loss and if you had any side-effects!
