Minoxidil and Hair Loss Treatment

For many people, losing their hair is a stressful experience and can really have a negative effect on their confidence and self-esteem. A thick, full head of hair is often associated with youth and attractiveness so it’s understandable that people who are losing their hair would like to find a way to stop hair loss and even begin to regrow hair. This article will talk about minoxidil and hair loss treatment as well as some of the pros and cons of using minoxidil.

Minoxidil is the only FDA approved topical treatment proven to stop hair loss and regrow hair. Its effectiveness can vary from one person to another. Some people can experience dense hair regrowth and others will experience just mild benefits from using it. Minoxidil seems to be more effective for younger people and for people whose hair loss is fairly recent. If you just started to notice hair loss in the last five years or less your chances of success using minoxidil are greater.

To be effective, minoxidil must be used twice a day. It is also a long-term commitment, if you were to stop using the product you would more than likely begin losing your hair again. The potential side effects of minoxidil are generally pretty minor and would include skin irritation or itching.

The way minoxidil works is not fully understood but it is known to inhibit DHT or dihydrotestosterone which is what causes hereditary hair loss. When DHT builds up hair follicles get smaller producing thinner hairs and taking longer to produce these hairs until eventually the follicle stops producing hair altogether. Minoxidil inhibits DHT allowing your hair follicles to produce hairs the way they are supposed to. Because minoxidil works better for some people than it does for others the only way to know for sure if it will work for you is to give it a try and monitor your results.