Minoxidil Receding Hairline Minoxidil, more widely referred to as Rogaine, is a popular remedy for hair loss. Millions of patients have turned to this easy-to-use care method over the years, and about half have seen success. Does this mean that minoxidil is an appropriate treatment choice for those with frontal baldness?
In this post, we will first touch on the origin of frontal baldness. Second, we will clarify how minoxidil functions and address some of the scientific trials that have been done over the last few decades on minoxidil and its effectiveness, as well as the science behind its application.
What is Minoxidil?
Minoxidil is a prescription opioid that was first formulated as an oral medication for hypertension. Physicists soon realized that applying a minoxidil solution directly to the scalp could stimulate hair growth. Minoxidil topical hair loss solution can potentially result in improved hair growth for women than for men. Minoxidil – Rogaine is the most popular type of minoxidil – recommended that women use 2 percent of minoxidil solution twice daily or 5 percent of minoxidil foam once daily. Like finasteride, minoxidil is clinically known to boost hair development and theoretically help men with male pattern baldness develop “missing” hair.
However, there is some controversy online as to whether or not minoxidil acts on the hair around the hairline. In the studies used to gain FDA clearance, minoxidil was mainly tested on the top of the scalp and crown, resulting in a widespread misconception that it only operates in these regions. Despite this, there is plenty of evidence that minoxidil is effective in stimulating hair growth across the whole scalp, including the hairline.
In this tutorial, we’re going to look at the research behind minoxidil to give you a better explanation of how it functions, why it’s successful and why it’s worth trying (along with finasteride) if you’ve found that your hairline is beginning to thin and recede.
Does Minoxidil Work For a Receding Hairline?
Lots of people around the world are experiencing some types of hair loss. So, it’s obviously no wonder that many people are looking for medication that will help them slow down or even undo the decline. Minoxidil is a popular drug used in many brand-name hair loss therapies. If you are getting a receding hairline, you might be curious if this therapy will help. Minoxidil acts by improving the supply of blood to the region in which it is used. Apply it to your scalp and it will theoretically boost your hair density and increase your growth rate. As such, there’s no justification why minoxidil isn’t meant to work on a receding hairline.
The hair follicles in your hairline are not substantially different from those in your scalp or crown, which means that you can also enjoy the effects of minoxidil by adding it to your hairline. There are also several anecdotal reports of people with receding hairlines who boost their growth and increase their thickness by using minoxidil. However, there is not any comprehensive clinical study on the impact of minoxidil on the hairline right now. As such, it’s better to treat minoxidil as something with future advantages, rather than as a sure way to rebuild your hairline.
It is also worth mentioning minoxidil in combination with a DHT blocker like finasteride. Studies suggest that minoxidil and finasteride may have a synergistic effect in reducing hair loss, making both drugs a common combo to shield the hairline and scalp from baldness.
How Does Minoxidil Work?
Minoxidil is a vasodilator. This means that it allows the blood vessels to dilate and increase the supply of blood. This, in essence, allows more oxygen and nutrients in the blood to enter the hair follicles. Stronger, thicker follicles are more likely to grow healthy hair faster. Increasing blood flow is a common technique for enhancing hair follicles and stimulating growth. A variety of other active drugs and therapies use similar techniques. Minoxidil was not initially intended as a hair loss drug. It was a hypertension drug instead. After finding any accidental hair growth, researchers began to investigate whether it could act as a hair loss cure in the late 1970s.
Minoxidil is usually applied as a serum or foam. This process is required to be done several times a day. It is also often available as oral medicine. This is, however, only approved for the generic form of the drug. Both over-the-counter models are up-to-date.
Is Minoxidil Effective?
Minoxidil can help treat hair loss in some cases. Approximately 40 percent of men who use it experience hair development within three to six months. However, its efficacy has only been confirmed for individuals under the age of 40. Like several other medications, minoxidil is more successful if you have just begun to lose your hair. Minoxidil is approved for use in the prevention of hair loss. It does not cure baldness, however, and only encourages hair health and development. Does not block the major hormonal source of androgenetic alopecia (pattern baldness), dihydrotestosterone. It is important to remember that if you avoid using minoxidil, your hair will start to fall out faster than before.
In comparison, minoxidil has dubious evidence for the treatment of a receding hairline. In the research used to show the potency of the drug, checks were done on the crown of the head. Some people report that the hairline is successful.
What are the Drawbacks of Using Minoxidil?
While minoxidil can be helpful in treating hair loss, it is not without side effects. What are some of the most important problems people have experienced:
- Redness
- Itching
- Temporary edema (swelling)
- Dizziness
- Sleepiness
- Tiredness
- Flaking
All in all, Minoxidil can irritate the scalp when it is used. This declines overtime for a lot of people. However, it may be unpleasant to use, particularly at higher concentrations such as 5%. The truth is that minoxidil has been on the market for some time now. Although the brands that use it as an active ingredient have improved somewhat, minoxidil is the same compound that people have been using to treat hair loss since the 1970s.
Since then, there have been advances that give a comparable or better performance without as many disadvantages. You don’t need to settle for minoxidil merely because you want to manage your hairline. As for our company, we use the most advanced and the newest methods to treat all types of hair loss. If you want to learn more about procedures, please feel free to contact us.