Should I use Rogaine on my front hairline?

November 11, 2009 9:05 PM

Should I use Rogaine on my front hairline?

Right, so I understand the whole part about it not being officially approved from the hairline -- vertex only, etc. But my hair is thinning pretty rapidly up front and I would like to do something about it. I do not want to take any pills, so Rogaine seems like the best bet, even if it is an iffy bet. Has anyone here tried it on the front hairline? Success? Failure?

To the extent it matters, I have a lot of thick hair (Jew-fro) and it's only the front hairline that is starting to go. I'd like to stop it or slow it if nothing else.

posted by anonymous to health & fitness (7 comments total)

Give it a try. The generic isn't very expensive, and it's pretty safe.
posted by Joe in Australia at 2:16 AM on November 12, 2009

I've heard that you only keep your regrowth for as long as you're using it, so be sure to ask a doc or pharmacist to confirm or deny this if that's a concern.

But yeah, another vote for you to consider going full-on Jean Luc Picard if you don't think you can handle the early-intermediate stages of balding gracefully.
posted by availablelight at 4:22 AM on November 12, 2009

You don't have to go full bald. Just pick up a hair clippers and run one of the blades over. I'm in my early 30's and I see a lot of guys going that way, and it doesn't look weird at all.
posted by sanka at 4:49 AM on November 12, 2009

No.
In the long-run, you are going to be better served by letting your hairline go as nature intends. Just find a haircut that works with the changing coastline.
posted by Thorzdad at 5:01 AM on November 12, 2009

No. Finasteride(proscar) is much more effective.
posted by malp at 6:43 AM on November 12, 2009

Don't let people railroad you into shaving your head if you don't want to. It's an option, but not the only option. I am in my twenties and have started taking propecia (finasteride / proscar). It's cheap (30 bucks for 4 months), and should prevent any further hair loss (crosses fingers).

Hair is easier to keep than to regrow, so if you're worried about it at all, get on one of the drugs that keeps what you still have. It lets you make a better decision, since once those follicles are dead, there's not much you can do about it.
posted by cschneid at 7:05 AM on November 12, 2009

My understanding is that all hair restoration formulas work only for male pattern baldness (the balding at the crown) and not receding hairlines. As such, it wouldn't make much difference for you to take it. Those people I know who have taken that stuff haven't seen an exceptional amount of hair recouperation anyhow.

I would recommend going bald as gracefully as possible, as I am attempting to do. I know it sucks, but people generally don't care nearly as much as you think.
posted by orville sash at 7:54 AM on November 12, 2009