Why Minoxidil is not for everyone

Sarah Campeau    Hair Loss Treatments, Minoxidil    

Topic treatments containing Minoxidil have been extensively used by hair loss patients with relatively good perceived results.

Over the years we have received numerous complaints stating Minoxidil increased the Hair Loss rather than reduce it.  It’s well documented that during the early stages of a Minoxidil based treatment there is a noticeable increase in hair loss that is usually resolved as the treatment progresses; unfortunately it’s not always the case.

We have helped treat numerous cases where patients reported a significant increase in hair loss when the treatment initiated and were unable to stop it even after ceasing the treatment.

To understand why this happens we need to study the mechanism of Minoxidil and its various interactions.  Minoxidil is a vasodilator that presumably improves the amount of nutrients received by the hair follicles to the opening of the Potassium Channels.

While the efficiency of Minoxidil based treatments has been proven scientifically, it’s interaction mechanism is still not very clear, which explains why there are so many reported cases of unresolved complaints regarding the efficiency of the treatment, but even worse, for many people it seems to make their condition worse.

There is one thing that most physicians fail to fully understand about Hair Loss; Hair Growth is a natural cycle that depends on the balance between numerous factors, from nutrition, circulation, general oxygen levels, systemic stress, among many others. Any external factor that gets in the equation has the potential to create a prejudicial imbalance.

Minoxidil treatments contain alcohol, that has numerous negative consequences when applied to the scalp. Besides the fact that it can be extremely toxic, more often than not it originates severe rashes and it dries the scalp to the point that it eventually “fights back” by producing even more oil, creating a persistent inflammation that has the exact has the antagonist desired effect by cluttering the potassium channels impeding the proper absorption of the nutrients.

Everyone is different, Minoxidil can do wonders for patients who do not have an overly sensitive scalp. Unfortunately most people that are losing hair will also have scalp symptoms, from itching to sensitivity, and in some cases even pain.

Our advice is never to start a treatment before doing an evaluation of your condition.

Minoxidil for Hair Loss

admin    Hair Loss Treatments, Minoxidil    

Minoxidil is the key active ingredient in Rogaine and Regaine which are OTC treatments for hair loss and is the only topical treatment approved by the FDA for use in treating hair loss in both men and women.  It is the scientific hypothesis that Minoxidil acts directly on hair follicles to promote the development of fiber.  It was originally developed as a prescription pharmaceutical drug for the treatment of hypertension.  Although it is still unclear what the exact mechanism is for treatment of hair loss, the effectiveness is not in question.  Topical treatments formulated with Minoxidil have proven to be successful in a significant percentage of individuals using the product.

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