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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.

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8 Comments to “Why Minoxidil is not for everyone”

• 

  Anonymoose August 3, 2011 at 10:08 am

  Does this mean that for people with very oily scalps, odds are minoxidil won’t work? If I wash my hair my scalp becomes oily by the end of the day, that’s why I ask.
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  Scoobie August 3, 2011 at 5:57 pm

  Hi Sarah, Thanks for the info on Minoxidil and I think that the article is right on target. I did have a question about wigs – if astressin works and hair loss is cured then have they done studies on the damage it would cause to the economy as to the job market. Will this have a negative effect on employment – how many people work for places like “Hair Club for Men”. I know the drug company selling the product will make Billions but they will pump that into R&D which will provide more jobs for reseach scientists. I was thinking more of the sales people and the receptionists at the Hair Club places. Any feed back would be very helpful!
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  Scoobie August 3, 2011 at 6:07 pm

  I think I should have used “affect” not effect. Sorry
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  Sarah Campeau August 3, 2011 at 6:29 pm

  Scoobie, i would love to say you are wrong, but I can’t, there are tremendous lobbies that tend to mine the commercial release of many beneficial treatments.

  There is one thing however that I can assure you, there is plenty of money to be made by treatments using the Astressin-B compound, and as Propecia and Rogaine reach the end of the product cycle, the industry will ask for a new generation of drugs that are more effective and profitable.

  Let me put it this way, imagine a treatment that can restore hair and be beneficial in other ways to your body, now imagine having to take this medication on a regular basis. This is exactly the what the Pharma companies like to hear. Actually, I am sorry, in reality what really matters to most of them is the last part….but I digress.
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  Charles August 4, 2011 at 2:34 pm

  Sarah,
  This is all quite incredible.
  Quick question, I’ve read that the Astressin-B has also affected the pigmentation of the mice’s skin. In what ways do you think this will be reflected in human use? I mean, do you think there will be positive effects for the skin to..?
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  TaK August 4, 2011 at 3:43 pm

  Have any of the mice died or had any substantial side effects that you can inform us about?
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  Kenny August 4, 2011 at 4:35 pm

  Hello Sarah,
  Have any of the mice died in any previous studies done with Astressin-b or in your teams trial? Also, have there been any noticeable side effects that you are able to share with us?

  Thank you for taking time out of your day to answer our questions!
• 

  Sarah Campeau August 7, 2011 at 1:30 am

  Charles: it’s a bit early to speculate, but I think Jason would not mind if I disclose that we have noted significant improvement in the skin of mice with uneven pigmentation.

  Tak: No mice have died during this experimentation.

  Kenny: The trials are still underway and unfortunately I cannot disclose any specific information regarding side effects, it’s too early to say.