Be consistent with your application. As is the case with any type of medication, you need to be consistent and routine with your application of Minoxidil. You are required to apply 1ml of Minoxidil solution to the areas of your scalp affected by male pattern hair loss, and you need to do this twice a day.
It's recommended to massage the product into the affected area of skin — not the hair — until it's no longer visible. Minoxidil use should be avoided if you have a sunburned or irritated scalp. To get the best results from minoxidil, you should use it regularly and exactly as directed.
Minoxidil solution is even more effective when combined with the oral medication finasteride (Propecia®), and is also compatible with hair restoration surgery.
"Dermarolling/microneedling the scalp before applying minoxidil creates microtrauma that activates the body's natural healing pathways, increases blood flow, and creates microchannels in the skin that may enhance the absorption of minoxidil or other topically applied products," says Dr.
Early stages of treatment
Within 2-4 months, hair shedding starts to decrease as the medication begins working to grow new hair. Some people may also experience minor scalp irritation like flaking, redness or itching when beginning Minoxidil treatment. Using the foam version instead of the liquid solution can help.
Remember: minoxidil is a treatment for male pattern baldness (MPB). If you're losing hair for another reason (e.g. because of a hair loss condition other than MPB, chemotherapy, tight hairstyling, etc.) then minoxidil is unlikely to be effective for you.
Topical Minoxidil starts to work after one application, but it takes longer than this to see a visible impact on your hair. You won't see initial results until approximately two months after you start using it [1]. You're likely to see the best results after four to six months of treatment.
Minoxidil has other effects that could be bothersome for some patients. These include increased hair growth, weight gain, fast heartbeat, and chest pain. Before you take this medicine, be sure that you have discussed the use of it with your doctor.
The use of microneedling in combination with topical minoxidil in the treatment of AGA demonstrated superior regrowth compared to minoxidil monotherapy. In this pilot study, following 3 weekly sessions of microneedling, 66% of subjects presented an increased follicular sulfotransferase enzymatic activity.
After 16 weeks of administration, minoxidil has been found to promote hair growth in approximately 35% of individuals in clinical trials [3,4]. While 30-40% of patients in physician-guided studies reported success, this percentage is dramatically lower in subjects who self-administer minoxidil.
For best results, it's generally safe and effective to use Minoxidil and Finasteride together, so you can get the benefits of both mechanisms at the same time.
In some cases, oral minoxidil may be a better option if a patient hasn't responded to treatment with topical minoxidil or they've experienced side effects after using topical formulations. But the reverse can also be true, with some patients seeing good results with the topical form of the medication.
This increased hair loss is referred to as minoxidil shedding, and it's an infamous term among men starting minoxidil. The good news? This is expected. It's a significant indicator that you're on your way to growing new and healthier hair.
Minoxidil will only work if there are hairs roots present in your scalp. On a bald area, this medication will be of no use. If there are no roots on the scalp or there is complete baldness, then minoxidil will not be able to convert the hairs into the telogen phase.
Research shows that while 5mg of finasteride is more effective than 5mg of oral minoxidil, the latter can be more effective than an oral dose of 1mg finasteride [6]. Most finasteride patients are prescribed 1mg a day.
Research from the SKINMed Journal of Dermatology for the Clinician showed that rosemary oil was as effective as minoxidil in boosting hair growth among participants with androgenic alopecia.
As mentioned, there are many types of medical therapies, both biochemical and natural, that have been shown to have excellent results. There are only two FDA-approved medical therapies for use for AGA hair loss: oral finasteride for men and topical minoxidil for men and women.
The best way to determine the cause of your lack of results is by taking the Minoxidil Response Test. With this simple hair sample test, you can find out if you have enough SULT1A1 activity to make Minoxidil successful.