The Rogaine Experiment (ap)
by rtrose
This is a story about a boy who used Rogaine to help develop his beard. He posted his progress back in 2003 under the screen name, CuriousGeorge... Enjoy...
Well, this is my first post here. After a bit of research (here and elsewhere), I've decided to give Rogaine a try for beard growth. My beard is extremely thin. I had an
"almost" goatee growing until today, but I didn't care for the way it was coming in. I let it grow for over two weeks, and it was remaining thin. Almost none of the hair was
actually course. It was all fairly soft.
So what I'm going to do is start applying Rogaine extra strength (or one of the generic equivalents) to my beard area twice daily, every day, and see what happens. I plan
to give it two to four months. I'm going to take pictures every week (on Monday), and then shave. This way, I can compare weekly growth. I probably should wait a week
before starting, so I can have a control, but I seriously doubt that I'll see any change in the first week, so for all intensive purposes, it can be the control.
I'm going to try to actually keep it up. However, if I see any unexpected side effects, I'll discontinue use. We'll see what happens. I'll post the results here.
Currently, my facial hair is thin everywhere. My cheeks are effectively bare, as is the area under my chin. I can't grow sideburns, either. My moustache and chin grow
hair, but it's soft and thin. The goatee area is more course than the moustache, but the hairs are sparser. My "soul patch" is similar to my chin, though the hairs don't grow
as long (rather, they don't grow as fast).
Edit: P.S. I'm 20 right now. I've always developed late. I was under 5' when I started high school. I'm currently ~5'7". Given time, I'm fairly certain that my beard would
thicken naturally, but I'm going to try to give it a bit of a push.
Re: Rogaine Experiment
I've been watching for side effects. I'm not interested in dying for facial hair.
I don't really want body hair. Right now my upper body is pretty smooth (except for underarms and a small "trail" on my stomach). I'd accept a small amount of body hair
in exchange for some facial hair, though.
edit: Just noticed that I've got a smiley face after every block. Oh, well
Update time: 1 week #15 [-]
Posts: 48
(01/27/03 15:14:40)
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It's been one week today since I started treatment. Unfortunately, because my stubble is so light (most of it is blond and thin, and it all grows slowly), I can't get it
captured on the digital camera I was planinng to use. So I'll just give descriptions.
Sideburns pretty much the same, that it to say, nonexistent. The area at the bottom of the sideburns (earlobe level) might actually have a few more "real" hairs, but that's
probably just wishful thinking. I've had a tiny, thin patch on each side for some time. Those patches are about at earlobe level, but they don't reach all the way to the edge
of the jaw. In fact, they are probably at least a half inch away at the closest point. The rest of the sideburns still have virtually no growth, same as before. Maybe a little
white fuzz if I let them grow long enough, but not enough to notice without looking really closely.
I believe that there is more vellus hair on my cheeks. I could be wrong, but it appears so.
I know for certain that I have more vellus hair on the underside of my jaw. I couldn't see it in the mirror very well, since the light source is above me, but I could feel it
with my hand. Most of it wasn't there a week ago. There are also now 3 dark, stiff hairs on the underside of my jaw. They are in the chin area, but farther back, halfway
between the chin and neck. There was only one there before. I know, three isn't really any better than just one, but hey, it's evidence that the Minoxidil is working
nonetheless.
Chin and moustache seem to be the same. Perhaps a little thicker, but not enough to matter. It does seem as if I have a few new vellus hairs on the chin, but I'm not
certain about that. I may just be looking for them more now.
Soul patch is still pretty much the same, too.
The way I see it, there are four main factors in my new facial hair growth: Minoxidil, Natural Change, Closer Observation, and Wishful Thinking. I don't know which of those
is most responsible for my "new growth, but I'm going to be optimistic and assume that the Minoxidil is working.
Update: 2 Weeks #20 [-]
Posts: 48
(02/03/03 11:38:22)
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Well, I've broken my "no shaving except on Mondays" rule already. Looking really scraggly bothers me, so I'll probably continue shaving, and update based on how the
stubble grows in after 2-3 days, rather than 7.
Overall, the growth is about the same, though there are more vellus hairs, now.
The little patch of hair around my earlobes is slowly growing. I'm hoping that in a week or two it will grow high enough that it connects with my sideburns. (i.e. I hope it
grows to fill in where my sideburns should be.)
Chin has a few more "real" hairs now, but not many more. More vellus hair, though, I believe.
Soul patch - some of the older vellus hairs are slightly thicker. Newer vellus hairs have also appeared.
Cheeks - still devoid of real hair (except for the aforementioned patch on each side). Maybe more vellus hair than last weeks, but not enough to really matter.
Underside of law/upper neck - more vellus hair. No new "real" hairs have appeared.
Mustache is the same, as far as I can tell.
As a side note, I believe that my chest hair might be thickening up as well. I'm not certain, though. I'll be keeping an eye on it. As I said earlier, I can tolerate a bit of
chest hair, but if I start to see hair on my back, the Rogaine experiment will be over.
I plan to wait two weeks before my next update, as week-by-week shows little change
Update: 4 weeks #25 [-]
Posts: 48
(02/17/03 02:23:57)
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Well, it's technically Monday here, so I'm going to go ahead and do my update.
in a nutshell: Lots of new growth
I didn't shave from Wednesday until Sunday. I learned that I've gained a lot of growth on my cheeks.
My moustache is thicker, chinhair is thicker.
Those little patches that were at about earlobe level are still growing. I expect that they'll connect to my sideburns soon. They technically connect now, but some of the
hair is too thin to be very noticable.
Soul patch is slowly getting thicker.
New hair underneath jaw and on upper neck.
Basically, I've got new hair everywhere. Most (but no all) of the new hair growth I've got could probably be classified as vellus hair, but it is definitely thicker than it was.
Last time I tried to let my beard grow, nothing was noticable on my cheeks.
Overall, it's working well, and rapidly.
-----
Now, for side effects.
I'm definitely growing more body hair. I doubt that anyone would notice it but me, and even I can't tell from more than a foot or two away.
My chest/stomach hair is increasing. I don't like that, but as long as it stays to a minimum, I'll continue.
The hair on my legs is getting a litle thicker. I dont really care about that, so long as it doesn't become abnormally thick.
No noticable hair on my back. (thank goodness)
Eyebrows are getting thicker. I don't like this, because I've always had very good eyebrows. I suppose I'm just going to have to pluck the stray hairs, though.
A couple of hairs way up my cheek, right beneath my eyes. Nothing major, but sort of anoying. They'll also be getting plucked.
Hairline is getting a bit of new growth. It had slightly receded (less than half an inch, for sure) since I was about 16, but it's actually growing forward a bit (at least in the
corners). Sort of a nice side effect. I've just now (as of Friday) started applying minoxidil to my hairline, too, because why not?
None of the side effects are bad enough that I'm going to quit using the minoxidil. I'll continue to monitor them, though.
-----
If I get this much new growth consistently for the next few months, I'm going to have a full beard long before I expected.
Minoxidil #34 [-]
Posts: 48
(02/24/03 07:38:34)
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I'm considering ending my experiment. The body hair is increasing, and while it's not too bad at this point, I'm afraid it might really bother me before I ever see the results
that I want for my beard.
I'm growing hair up the backs of my biceps now, and on the inside of my forearms. Plucking my eyebrows has become a fairly frequent occurence. I'm also growing hairs
on the area between the sides of my eyebrows and my hairline.
I'm going to watch closely. I want to have a beard, but I'd rather have no beard and very little (upper) body hair than a full beard and a body covered in fur.
I'm not going to call it off yet. I'll give it another week, probably, while I think about it. I'll definitely post here if I decide to quit.
A break #39 [-]
Posts: 48
(02/25/03 02:30:55)
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I've decided that I'm just going to put the experiment on hold. I'm going to try to give it some time to see what will grow in now. In the meantime, I'm going to discontinue
use of the Minoxidil. I can always start again later.
I was also surprised at how quickly the hair reacted, but then I got results quickly on my face, too. My cheeks were pretty much bare, and now I've got some thin (non-
vellus, perhaps) hair that grows on my cheeks.
I just don't really want to see more body hair growth. If nothing else, I believe that I'll naturally develop more facial hair, given enough time. I'm 20, and lots of guys don't
develop thick facial hair until later.
I think that taking a break from the experiment is a better idea than continuing right now, and risking more body hair growth. Honestly, the new body hair I'm growing isn't
(for the most part) visible from more than a couple of feet away. But I can see it, and it would bother me quite a bit if it got much thicker. My self-esteem is based, in large
part, on how I view my body. I see no reason to jeopardize my self-image.
Re: Rogaine Experiment #40 [-]
Posts: 48
(03/01/03 15:57:22)
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Weel, the Rogaine experiment was definitely a mixed bag. I'm glad I stopped. I'm still finding new body hair.
I've got vellus hair on my sides now, and it's still creeping around to my back. I don't really mind vellus hair, but I'm afraid that some of it might turn into noticable hair as
time goes on. Entire chest/stomach is covered in vellus hair. Some non-velus hair, too. Hair on arms still increasing. Facial hair still slightly increasing. (I've still got a patch
on my sideburns that hasn't quite filled in. I'm not sure if it eve will.)
I've got some hairs way too high on my cheeks. I'm probably going to wax those or something. I think I'm starting to get hair on my posterior, too. (I can't really think of
a better word for that part of the body.)
On the bright side, I've definitely got more facial hair. I'm not sure if it's going to end up worth it, though, once the side effects are all calculated into the equation.
I wouldn't mind the body hair nearly so much if I thought that it might stop growing later, but I'm pretty sure that I'm going to be permanently stuck with whatever grows.
I just hope that the hair growth levels off soon. Like I said, it seems to still be increasing.
edit: According to a pamphlet published by pharmacia, unwanted hairgrowth (along with the wanted hair growth) stimulated by Rogaine will discontinue over time once use
of Rogaine is discontinued. I hope they are right.
Re: Rogaine Experiment #41 [-]
Posts: 48
(03/02/03 06:39:39)
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I think I should post some general thoughts about the Rogaine experiment.
It was not worth it for me. The unwanted hair bothers me to no end, and will as long as it exists (I really hope that all the dermatologists are right, and it will slowly go
away). I've got visible vellus hair on my back (I got a couple of mirrors and checked). I've got shoulder hair. I've got bizarre hair high up on my cheeks. I've got some
chest hair. I've got increased @#%$ hair (growing farther upward than it used to). I've got increased eyebrow growth. On top of that, my facial hair hasn't responded well
enough that I like my beard growth. I actually just shaved off a little over a week's worth of growth. The hairs were still too fine to be noticable from a distance, excepting
for a few patches. The growth rate is in the right range, I believe, but I've never wanted faster growing hair. I wanted thicker hair. So even the new facial hair growth is
going to be more of a nuisance than a blessing. I'm going to have to shave more often, and more carefully (to catch all the new hairs), but I'm apparently never going to
have a full beard.
I can say with all certainty that I now wish I hadn't started the experiment. I would not really recommend Rogaine use, but I wouldn't really recommend against it, either. I
do recommend carefully watching for side effects, though. If you start to see unwanted hair early, then it is probably a good idea to stop treatment immediately. I wish I'd
quit as soon as I'd noticed new body hair growth.
I was happier with my overall hair growth before the experiment than I am now. I have body hair that I dislike a lot, and a beard that, while thicker, is nothing like I would
need to really look nice. I've no doubt that I could get thicker facial hair if I continued use, but it's just not worth the body hair growth.
Anyone who wants to try for themselves, just watch for side effects. If body hair is going to bother you, then quit as soon as you see it. Most of the new hair growth
actually appeared right before I stopped (and some after I stopped). You may never see body hair, but if you do, you can rest assured that it will get worse (possibly
suddenly) if you continue treatment.
Another brief update:
No noticable new hair growth on the face. I'm pretty sure that the body hair is still increasing, though. It seems a little thicker and more visible from a distance every day.
Some new thin hairs seem to be appearing on my hairline, too. As for my eyebrows, I can't really tell if they are still "expanding" or not, because I try to keep the stray
hairs plucked. They certainly haven't started diminishing, though.
I imagine that the continued increase in growth can be attributed to the fact that the hairs were stimulated while I was using the minoxidil, but took time to push past the
surface. And since they are still growing, they are becoming more and more visible. I wouldn't imagine that the hairs are really getting any thicker (though I can't really
say), but that they just haven't reached their growth limits. I'm hoping that without the minoxidil, they soon reach their "growth threshholds" and then begin to grow back
thinner each time they reach the end of their growth cycle.
I've seen a lot of sources that say the unwanted hairs will return to normal over time, but I haven't seen any source that really named what kind of timeframe I'm looking
at. Weeks? (unlikely) Months? (maybe) Years? (I hope not) Never? (oh, God)
Also, my sideburns are still too thin to really matter. They are basically just vellus hair (except from about the earlobe down, where they suddenly thicken). I haven't
shaved my sideburns for about two weeks now, and they are still effectively invisible.
I'm becoming less and less pleased with the Rogaine experiment as it becomes more and more apparent that I didn't get the facial hair I wanted (I wanted sideburns more
than the rest, and that's what I definitely didn't get) and that I did get body hair that I didn't want (and that it's freakily still growing).
The only things I seemed to have gained are body hair and a lot more trouble getting a close shave (except on my upper sideburns). Hmf.
edit: I did some more research, and I'm getting conflicting reports about how much time to expect before the unwanted hair goes away (mostly, I just want it to stop
increasing). One site said two years for full return to normal (but with a noticable improvement after around 6 months), but several others said a few months is all it takes.
I'm hoping for only a couple of months, but I guess I'll have to wait to see. It has to do with the growth cycle time, but I'm not sure what the growth cycle is for most body
hair (I know eyebrow are 3-4 months).
Update #48 [-]
Posts: 48
(03/09/03 04:18:25)
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Still seeing more hair. I'm sort of fuzzy all over now. I don't like the way it feels at all. It feels like there's something on me all the time. It's not quite itchy, but something
like that.
I really hope it stops growing soon. It can't start to go away if it never stops increasing.
Update: #51 [-]
Posts: 48
(03/11/03 10:16:55)
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More hair still.
Two weeks since I completely stopped, and I'm still getting new hair growth. Starting to freak me out. Hair on my arms and shoulders is getting more and more visible.
And more hair still popping up on my arms and shoulders. I've got some hair spreading from my shoulders to my upper back. Still no new facial hair. (Though I think the
fact that my facial hair is now thicker is causing some ingrown hairs when I shave.) More hair on my chest/stomache. More hair on my legs. Eyebrows still spreading, too.
This is really starting to freak me out. I thought that new growth would have stopped by now.
And both sides of my family are fairly hairless, so this isn't genetics suddenly popping up unexpectedly. This is definitely the Minoxidil.
For everyone else using or considering using Rogaine, this is one of the most important thing to know. If you apply Rogaine to a skin patch, you will cause the follicles
there to grow. The other thing you all really need to know is that Rogaine can have systemic effects. You can grow hair in places that you didn't apply Rogaine, and if you
go really overboard with the applications, or if you're just really sensitive to the drug, you could have some heart-related side effects. So be careful, and watch for all side
effects.
Now for my update (it's been a while):
No more new hair.
Some hair has diminished in growth.
- My scalp hairline has returned to normal.
- My eyebrows are no longer growing wild. (though they are not quite back to normal)
- Beard has definitely diminished. Also not back to normal, but I've definitely lost a great deal of the new growth.
- I'm no longer so "fuzzy". I had developed vellus hair all over my body. Most of that has reduced in quantity and length.
Some hair has not diminished.
- Stomach hair has not diminished at all sense ceasing the dose.
- Chest hair has not diminished significantly (perhaps not at all. Hard to be certain)
(I should mention that the chest/stomach hair doesn't bother me much, though the extra few pounds I put on last semester do. )
- Leg/Arm (and shoulder) hair shows no sign of diminishing in quantity. I don't care about the leg hair, but I don't like the new arm hair I grew.
Overall, I'm still quite disappointed with my experiment. The body hair vs facial hair ration was unexpectedly high, and I don't know if my hair growth will ever return
completely to normal.
It's worth repeating that most of the new hair I've grown is still not very visible from a distance. But then, I'm not worried about what other people think. I dislike it
because I can see it. (And feel it)
P.S. #86 [-]
Posts: 48
(05/18/03 05:37:15)
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I think the hair on my lower back actually did increase since my last update, but I'm pretty sure it's no longer increasing (though it's not diminishing, either).
This was his last post, and to my knowledge no one ever heard from him. Poor "CuriousGeorge" I guess he shouldn't have been so curious, because he now has to deal with the decisions he made!
END