Recognizing Hair Regrowth

Recognizing Hair Regrowth

Every patient with hair loss has the same question after starting treatment - is my treatment working?

For some types of hair loss, it can take 9-12 months to really appreciate if there has been an increase in density and improved scalp coverage. However, even before the actual change in density occurs, it is often possible to detect regrowth by looking at the lengths of newly regrowing hairs through the so called “card test.” This female patient in her mid 20s started minoxidil 4 months ago and had added spironolactone to her birth control pill about 12 months ago. Her diagnosis was androgenetic alopecia (AGA). Because hair grows 1 cm per month, I can conclude that these layers of regrowth measuring 4 cm and 12 cm correspond to a positive treatment response.