Where Should I Keep My Medicine
Keep out of the reach of children.
Store at room temperature between 20 and 25 degrees C . Some products may be flammable. Keep away from heat, fire or flame. Throw away any unused medicine after the expiration date.
NOTE: This sheet is a summary. It may not cover all possible information. If you have questions about this medicine, talk to your doctor, pharmacist, or health care provider.
What Is A Receding Hairline
A receding hairline is when your hair starts to thin and when you lose hair along your hairline think baldness at the front of your hair. Its called a receding hairline as it looks like your hair is moving backwards from your forehead. Sometimes youll also see a receding hairline called frontal baldness.
How Does Minoxidil Work For Male Pattern Baldness
Minoxidil is one of the few genuine treatments for MPB. It can stop hair loss and even helps many men to regrow lost hair.
Its thought that minoxidil works by expanding the blood vessels in your scalp, increasing the flow of blood, oxygen, and nutrients to your hair follicles. This appears to stop your follicles shrinking and makes them produce thicker and longer hairs again.
You apply minoxidil directly to your scalp as a liquid solution or a foam.
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How To Use Minoxidil For Hair
Unless you are pregnant or trying to become pregnant, minoxidil should be safe for you to use. Of course, the OG minoxidil product is Rogaine, and there are versions oriented toward women formulated with 2 percent and 5 percent of the ingredient. Recently, a chicer, more millennial version hit the market called Hers, which offers hair regrowth drops with 2 percent minoxidil. While the products are very similar, Hers is a tiny bit cheaper and has an overall more pleasant look. Rogaine is more widely available at pharmacies and on Amazon, while Hers must be ordered directly from the brand online.
Directions will vary depending on the product most serums are topically applied. For a product like Hers, follow these steps:
- Apply about 1 ml of product to the scalp on damp or dry hair
- Do not wash out for at least four hours
- Repeat twice a day
What Causes Frontal Hair Loss In Women
There are many reasons why you may be losing the hair in the front of your head. As mentioned above, one factor could be frontal fibrosing alopecia. While the causes of FFA remain unknown, there are some theories.
Since cases have risen exponentially in the past few decades especially in western countries some researchers believe there may be an environmental trigger.
Its also possible that some types of sunscreen and makeup may cause FFA, but more research is needed to support this theory.
Whats more likely considering FFA is predominantly seen in peri-menopausal and post-menopausal women is that a hormonal shift like a lack of estrogen may trigger the condition.
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Are There Side Effects
As with any treatment, there is always a risk of adverse effects.
Minoxidils most common side effects are dermatological . They include itching, flaking, and redness .
These reactions are usually caused by an ingredient called propylene glycol. Manufacturers use propylene glycol for liquid versions of minoxidil. The foam versions do not contain propylene glycol. Users whose skin is sensitive to liquid minoxidil can try switching to a foam version.
Other side effects are due directly to the minoxidil itself. Minoxidil can still reach the bloodstream sometimes, even though it is a topical. This can then cause symptoms in various parts of the body. They include flushing of the face and neck, headaches, light-headedness, dizziness, palpitations, and chest pain .
Even though minoxidil is over the counter, you should speak to your doctor if you have heart issues or any other medical condition. Similarly if you are on other medications that might interact with minoxidil.
An Easy Way To Boost Minoxidils Effectiveness
A derma roller is a microneedling tool that stimulates blood flow to the scalp . It is the easiest way to increase minoxidils effectiveness by 3 or 4 times, including for frontal hair loss.
The dermaroller consists of a handle attached to a rotating barrel. On the surface of the barrel are a few dozens or hundreds of small needles. Rolling the dermaroller over the blading scalp creates thousands of tiny holes. These are not large enough to cause permanent damage. They are, however, large enough to stimulate the scalp to release collagen and growth factors. The tiny holes also increase the absorption of minoxidil.
Once weekly sessions are sufficient to see results. Not only will you increase your chances of responding to minoxidil, but you are also likely to get far better regrowth .
To use the derma roller is simple. Using a 0.5 mm to 1 mm derma roller, apply enough pressure to the scalp that the needles penetrate but do not cause pain. Roll in multiple directions over the area of hair loss. First do side to side, then back and forth. Finally, diagonally in both directions.
You can see a detailed how-to guide here. Also claim your own free dermaroller here.
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What Causes A Receding Hairline
You can lose your hair for a range of reasons. Things like stress, illness, medication and sometimes just a bad diet can all be hair loss factors. But when you lose your hair from one of these things, often it will fall out in clumps or evenly over your head. A receding hairline is most often caused by MPB thats when you lose your hair in a specific pattern. Its also the most common cause of hair loss in men.
A mix of genetics, ageing, and hormones, cause MPB. A hormone called dihydrotestosterone plays a starring role. DHT causes hair loss by shrinking the hair follicles in your scalp. As they shrink, they gradually produce shorter and thinner hairs, until the follicle eventually closes and produces no hair at all. This is why your hair thins before you get bald patches with MPB. DHT usually has a greater effect on the follicles on your crown and hairline, which is why you often lose hair there first.
Does Rogaine Work For Frontal And Temple Hair Loss
Question:
I have been experiencing thinning hair in the frontal area and the temples for the past few years. I have been on Propecia for over a year now to help prevent any hair loss at the crown and with the hopes of keeping what I can in the front. Does anyone have experience applying Rogaine to the frontal/temple regions to improve the thickness in those areas?
Answer:
Though Rogaine and Propecia have only been clinically tested and FDA approved as a hair loss treatment for the balding crown, many men and women have used Rogaine in areas of thinning hair in the frontal core with some success. Non-surgical alopecia remedies typically work better for those with minimal hair loss and rarely cause hair regrowth in completely bald areas.
Be aware that both Propecia and Rogaine may induce additional hair shedding over the first couple of months of use but lost miniaturized hairs as a result of the medication should regrow thicker and stronger. Hair loss medication is only effective as long as you continue to use it, so be sure you consider this commitment before starting.
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Does Minoxidil Work For A Receding Hairline
Medically reviewed by Kristin Hall, FNP
Like finasteride, minoxidil is scientifically proven to improve hair growth and potentially help men with male pattern baldness regrow lost hair.
However, theres some debate online about whether or not minoxidil works on the hairs around the hairline. In the tests used to secure FDA approval, minoxidil was primarily tested on the top of the scalp and crown, resulting in a common belief that it only works on these areas.
Despite this, theres lots of evidence that minoxidil is effective at promoting hair growth on the entire scalp, including the hairline.
In this guide, well look at the science behind minoxidil to give you a deeper understanding of how it works, why its effective and why its worth considering if youve noticed your hairline starting to thin and recede.
Will Minoxidil Work If Im Totally Bald
Minoxidil is also unlikely to regrow hair on a completely bald scalp. Thats because male pattern baldness is unlike other conditions that lead to hair loss once male pattern baldness has progressed to the point where the scalp is bare for several years, regrowth is virtually impossible. Thats because hair follicles have undergone more permanent changes that generally cant be reversed.
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Does Minoxidil Have Side Effects
Less than 2% of minoxidil is absorbed by the body when applied topically, so serious side effects are rare. Some men might develop an irritated or itchy scalp or hair growth in unexpected places. To avoid those side effects, dont use minoxidil more than directed, and wash your hands after using the product, so you dont transfer it to other areas of your body. If you do develop scalp irritation or unwanted facial hair growth, give your doctor a call.
If you have issues with your heart or high blood pressure, talk with your doctor before using minoxidil to ensure its safe for you. If you experience chest pain, rapid heartbeat, faintness, dizziness, sudden unexplained weight gain, or hand or feet swelling while using minoxidil, seek emergency medical attention.
Women shouldnt use 5% minoxidil, or any form of the medication while theyre pregnant or breastfeeding. No one younger than 18 should use minoxidil.
About Male Pattern Baldness
It is a hereditary condition in which hair follicles is likely to become over sensitive to the activity of an androgen called DHT or dihydrotestosterone. In men with pattern baldness, DHT can affect the growing phase of their hair follicles.
Male pattern baldness usually begins with front hairline or hair on the temple of both sides that recedes. However this varies, too. Some men may first experience thinning of hair on the crown.
As the name suggests, pattern hair loss means that there is usually unique pattern of how it progresses. Hairline that recedes may cause M shape. And if there is also thinning hair on the crown, these thinning spots eventually may form horseshoe shape or U shape .
How long does it take to lead to baldness can vary. If the baldness does occur, it could be partial or complete baldness.
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How Minoxidil Works For Women
What is minoxidil?
Minoxidil is a synthetic drug originally developed as an oral medicine for hypertension. Physicians soon discovered that applying a minoxidil solution directly to the scalp could stimulate hair growth. Minoxidil topical hair loss solution may actually produce better hair growth results in women than in men. Minoxidil the most common minoxidil brand in the U.S. is Rogaine recommend women use 2% concentration of minoxidil solution twice daily or 5% minoxidil foam for women once daily.
Is minoxidil not an effective treatment for receding hairlines?
Minoxidil for women is most effective in users with diffuse androgenetic alopecia. It is not recommended for women whose hair loss occurs suddenly or who experience patchy or uneven hair loss. There is a belief that minoxidil will not work on the front of the scalp on receding hairlines. What is true is that Rogaine minoxidil has primarily been tested only on the crown of the head in men, and so Rogaine does not recommend it for use on the front of the scalp. However, note that minoxidil cannot reverse or move a receding hairline, nor can it regrow hair on a completely bald scalp.
Does minoxidil work?
Minoxidil results women
Minoxidil side effects
Viviscal hair growth program vs. minoxidil topical solutions
Genetics Underlying Male Pattern Baldness
A study led by the University Edinburgh in the United Kingdom discovered 287 genetic regions involved in male pattern baldness. Many of the genes that the researchers identified were linked with hair structure and development.
We identified hundreds of new genetic signals, said Saskia Hagenaars, a Ph.D. student from the University of Edinburghs Centre for Cognitive Ageing and Cognitive Epidemiology. It was interesting to find that many of the genetics signals for male pattern baldness came from the X chromosome, which men inherit from their mothers.
Not only could the teams findings help to predict a mans likelihood of experiencing severe hair loss, but they could also provide new targets for drug developments to treat baldness.
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Benefits Of Minoxidil For Hair
Scientists cant quite agree on how minoxidil works to promote hair growth. Possibly, this hair growth occurs because minoxidil causes increased blood flow to the hair by dilating the blood vessels in the scalp, explains board-certified dermatologist Divya Shokeen. Another hypothesis, supported by recent data suggests that minoxidil increases a specific enzyme in the hair follicle, extending its growth phase . It is also thought to enlarge hair follicles that have shrunken due to hormonal changes.
Prescription Medication That Can Regrow Hair
Another treatment option is to take prescription medication. The type of medication prescribed will depend on your:
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Hair loss cause
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Expected results
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Plans for getting pregnant
With any medication, side effects are possible. Ask your dermatologist about possible side effects that you might experience while taking one of these medications to treat hair loss. The medications include:
Finasteride : The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved this medication to treat male pattern hair loss. When taken as directed, finasteride can:
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Slow down hair loss
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Stimulate new hair growth
Finasteride is a pill that you take once a day. Taking it at the same time each day seems to produce the best results.
Finasteride: Before and after
This man took finasteride to treat his male pattern hair loss, and within 1 year , he had noticeable improvement. After 2 years , he had regrown most of his hair.
Like other treatments for hair loss, this, too, takes time to work. It usually takes about 4 months to notice any improvement.
Finasteride tends to be more effective if you begin taking it when you first notice hair loss.A dermatologist may also prescribe this medication to treat a woman who has hereditary hair loss and cannot get pregnant.
If finasteride works for you, you will need to keep taking it to continue getting results. Once you stop, youll start losing hair again.Before taking this medication, be sure to discuss possible side effects with your dermatologist.
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