Minoxidil For Hair Growth

Minoxidil is a medication used in the treatment of hair loss in adults by promoting hair growth. Loss of hair is a common condition among people. It is also referred to as alopecia. It is common in both men and women, and it does not occur due to any disease. Hair fall is usually caused by genetics, age, certain medicines, and an alteration of testosterone levels, among others.

Your hair contains most of the weight of your appearance and confidence. Experiencing hair loss can diminish your confidence, and you may feel social awkwardness about your appearance. They tend to feel less appealing than people who have beautiful hair.

Minoxidil was initially researched for treating high blood pressure, but it turned out to be a solution for hair regrowth in balding patients. It is a hypertensive and a vasodilator. In the late 1980s, the FDA approved this medication as a potential solution for treating hair loss.

There are several routes of administration of Minoxidil, such as oral, topical liquid, or foam. Oral Minoxidil is suggested to be an effective and well-tolerated route alternative for people who are having difficulty with topical solutions.

Understanding Hair Loss

You can experience hair loss for many different reasons, and you may not be able to know it sometimes. Several possible factors causing hair fall are hereditary conditions that happen with age, hormonal changes, due to pregnancy, menopause, or thyroid issues; medications, supplements, or chemotherapy; stressful events like surgery or losing a loved one; hairstyles or hair treatments; vitamin, mineral, or other nutrient deficiency; and other causes like poor diet, STIs, skin problems, childbirth, etc. You may not find out the details that cause you to have a hair fall, which is why it should be monitored by specialists to identify the type of hair fall, its causes, and an appropriate treatment.

Plentiful sorts of hair loss consist of androgenetic alopecia, diffuse cyclical hair loss (DCHL), chemotherapy-induced alopecia, spot baldness, tinea capitis, scarring alopecia, traumatic alopecia, hair-pulling disorder or trich, and senescent or senile alopecia, among many others.

Early intervention for hair loss can assist in discontinuing or slowing the process of hair loss and may even promote regrowing hair. It is said that the earlier the treatment is begun, the better it works. At the beginning of hair loss, it is much easier and more efficient to stop the hair fall and revive the hair growth process compared to when treated years later. Early detection of the condition can enhance scalp health, rebuild confidence, and aid in diagnosing other medical conditions.

What is Minoxidil?

Minoxidil is a medication popularly recommended for treating various kinds of hair loss and pulmonary hypertension (high blood pressure). It works by rushing the blood flow to the hair follicles, encouraging hair growth. This treatment must be taken exactly as per the doctor’s instructions to make sure it is effective for your condition and does not cause any unsafe conditions for your health. It may not work for everyone, so it is important to get the condition checked by qualified experts before starting to take this medication. The results may peak their efficacy after several months before declining. It is important to know that if this drug works for you, you won’t regrow all your lost hair.

Mechanism of action

Minoxidil, being a rug used to treat hair loss, mechanizes in four different ways that can help stop the hair from falling by encouraging hair regrowth.

1. Reversing miniaturization: In this way, the drug makes the hair follicles wider and reverses the miniaturization.
2. Increasing blood flow: The drug will elevate the blood flow around the hair follicles, which provides more nutrients, oxygen, and growth factors to reach the base of the follicles.
3. Stimulating follicle movement: This drug encourages the function of follicles in the growth phase.
4. Extending growth phase: It is nothing; the drug just simply increases the time of the growth phase.

Minoxidil works by decreasing the hair in the telogen, or resting phase, resulting in it entering the anagen, or growth phase. It may also sometimes move the hair to the anagen stage prematurely, which may prolong the anagen phase.

How to Use Minoxidil

Minoxidil is a medication that comes in various forms of administration. So, Minoxidil is used in different ways, depending on the route of treatment. Open the container and pull off the cap. Part your hair in such a way that the area of hair thinning is visible. Hold the container upside down and squeeze a gentle amount of foam on your fingers. Now use those fingers to apply and spread the medicine evenly on the affected area and smoothly massage it. Wash your hands right away, and clean up any leftovers.

Efficacy of Minoxidil

In the research, it was found that Minoxidil 5% is more efficient than Minoxidil 2%. It is highly effective for men under the age of 40 who have just begun losing their hair. In a random clinical trial, 45% more hair growth was noticed with Minoxidil 5% in 48 weeks. In another study, 7.5% of men found this drug to be highly successful in promoting new hair growth; 55% reported it to be effective; 31.3% claimed it to be slightly effective; and 6.2% found it not productive at all. The study also showed that it enhanced the hair density of 74.2% of men, stayed unaffected by 24.3%, and deteriorated by 1.5%. And so the Minoxidil for hair growth reviews are mostly positive.

Factors influencing effectiveness

Several factors influence how Minoxidil for hair growth works on you. Below are a few things that affect the effectiveness of Minoxidil.

• Frequency of application
• Application to an irritated, injured, or sunburned area
• Amount of medicine used
• Being treated with the wrong type of treatment
• Other skin care products in the applied area
• Way of application

Who Can Benefit from Minoxidil?

Minoxidil is popularly beneficial for people who experience terrible hair loss due to certain factors, depending on the individual. It is used to promote hair growth and slow the balding process. The drug is considered to be greatly successful for people below the age of 40 who have lately initiated developing hair loss. It is also helpful for patients to lower pulmonary hypertension, commonly identified as high blood pressure.

You can read: Finasteride for Hair Loss: Effective or not?

Potential risks and contraindications

Minoxidil has some effects that you may not like. These side effects of the drug are temporary and generally do not require any medical help to take care of. They will disappear once your body starts adjusting to the drug. You can contact your doctor at any time to get some tips on handling these reactions if these effects get bothersome or worsen your condition.

• Unwanted body hair
• Dizziness
• Heart palpitations
• Fainting
• Chest pain
• Swelling of the hands or feet
• Unusual weight gain
• Vomiting
• Breast pain
• Nausea
• Low blood pressure
• Tiredness
• Difficulty breathing
• Rash
• Heart issues
• Acne
• Redness
• Scalp irritation
• Hair shedding
• Headaches
• Fluid retention

There are some precautions and warnings you must keep in mind before beginning the treatment of Minoxidil and while using it.

• Consuming alcohol while taking this medication is considered unsafe.
• This drug might be unsafe during pregnancy. While there are inadequate human facts, animal research submits this drug injures the emerging child. Therefore, do not use this drug unless the doctor tells you to.
• It is perhaps hazardous for lactating females, as incomplete human data tells that the drug has risky consequences for the child.
• Do not drive a vehicle or use any machinery tools if you notice any symptoms like dizziness, decreased alertness, abnormal vision, or drowsiness.
• Update the doctor about your health records and any other medical conditions you may have with their respective medications to avoid any disease and drug interactions.
• If you happen to retain a past history of sensitivity to Minoxidil, update your doctor and do not practice it. Instead, ask for another medication option.

Conclusion

Minoxidil is widely recommended for treating two very different conditions: pulmonary hypertension and hair loss. Rinse your hands before and after using the medicine. The solution must be applied straight to the affected area of the scalp. Wash the area entirely with cool water if medicine has come into contact with your eyes, nose, or mouth. Avoid shampooing your hair or using a hairdryer for 4 hours, as it can influence the effectiveness of the drug. Through the initial 14 days of the treatment, you could witness a rise in your hair fall. However, it is absolutely ordinary and an indication that Minoxidil is processing. Make sure the solution applied to the scalp does not flow down to the face, as it may cause unwanted facial hair growth.