Women with female pattern baldness, also known as androgenetic alopecia, lose more than 50–100 hairs per day than women without thinning hair do. The best course of action is to start hair loss therapy as soon as possible because, regrettably, it takes a long time for those hairs to come back after they are lost. A general thinning of your hair is a telltale indicator of androgenetic alopecia. Many women experience hair loss on the top or front of their heads. So, you can use minoxidil for hair loss if you suffer from hair disorders.
Fortunately, minoxidil (Rogaine) can assist in reversing hair loss. In some circumstances, it may even promote hair growth. However, there are drawbacks to using the drug, which is available as a topical cream or foam, particularly for women.
Who might require minoxidil and how it works
According to dermatologist Clarissa Yang, MD, of Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, minoxidil given topically to the scalp only works if your hair loss is caused by female pattern baldness and not another condition.
Hair typically grows by about half an inch per month. Each hair can extend for up to six years before stopping, taking a break, and eventually falling out. This is followed by the growth of new hair, which can also last for six years. Approximately 85% of your hair is growing at any given time when it is thriving, and 15% of it is resting.
But according to Dr. Yang, if you have female pattern baldness, your hair follicles gradually get smaller. Your hair will grow faster and shorter as they get smaller. When strands of hair eventually fall out, they are eventually replaced by thinner, finer strands of hair rather than by typical, new hair.
Female pattern baldness is thought to have a number of causes, including aging, heredity, and a shift in the number of male hormones, or androgens, after menopause.
The only medication that has received FDA approval to treat female pattern baldness is minoxidil. According to Yang, it works by extending the hair follicles' development phase. Men can use the 5% recipe, but women are advised to use the 2% version.
Pros of Minoxidil
Most women's hair loss is slowed or stopped by minoxidil. And minoxidil can really promote the growth of new hair in up to 25% of women who use it. According to Yang, it is most effective when used as soon as you start seeing hair loss.
You can purchase it without a prescription because it is over-the-counter. Before starting treatment, Yang advises everyone to consult a dermatologist or their primary care physician, as there may be a medical issue, such as thyroid dysfunction or nutritional imbalances, that is to blame for the hair loss.
Cons of Minoxidil
It is pricey. A generic version of minoxidil 2% costs almost half as much as brand-name Rogaine, which can cost $30 for two ounces. According to Yang, you must use it continuously because the effects vanish if you stop taking the prescription.
It can be a hassle. It must be applied twice daily to the scalp.
Unwanted hair growth may result. Utilizing minoxidil may cause facial hair development in some women. If you apply the medication exclusively to your scalp, it may result in a side effect where the medication drips down over your face. Women who use the medicine at a 2 percent concentration run a reduced risk than those who use it at a 5 percent concentration.
Abstract
After the common side effect of hypertrichosis, which was originally identified in minoxidil as an antihypertensive drug, a topical formulation for accelerating hair growth was created. Topical minoxidil has been the standard therapy for treating androgenetic alopecia and is also used off-label to treat other hair loss problems. The precise mode of action of minoxidil is still not entirely understood, despite its widespread use. We examine and update the most recent data on the pharmacology, mechanism of action, clinical efficacy, and adverse effects of topical minoxidil in this article.
Pharmacology of topical minoxidil
The chemical structure of minoxidil, a piperidine-pyrimidine derivative, is as follows: C9H15N5O, also known as 2,6-diamino-4-piperidinopyrimidine-1-oxide (Figure 1). 2 Water, ethanol, and propylene glycol (PG), among other inert components, are found in minoxidil solution (MS), which is utilized as a vehicle to increase the solubility of minoxidil. A PG-free minoxidil foam was created despite the fact that 3 PG frequently causes local discomfort while facilitating effective medication transport into hair follicles (MF). The foam composition contains non-medical chemicals such cetyl alcohol, stearyl alcohol, and butylated hydroxytoluene.
Because MF allows for easier medication penetration with less irritation and enhanced distribution of the active ingredient to the target location when compared to MS, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved 5% MF for the treatment of AGA. Because it dries faster and spreads less to the surrounding area, MF is also more practical to use.
A powerful arteriolar vasodilator, minoxidil causes hyperpolarization of the cell membrane by opening potassium channels on the smooth muscles of the peripheral artery. 6 According to Xu et al., K+-channel activity may be crucial for early cell proliferation since it is required for advancement to the G1 stage of the cell cycle. 7 The findings of an animal investigation, which showed that minoxidil increased cellular DNA synthesis and accelerated cell proliferation, provided more support for this notion.
Biological Effects
For many years, minoxidil has been used to treat hair loss. Through promoting hair development and halting hair loss, the drug has an impact on follicular cells. Within 12 to 24 weeks after medication is stopped, hair loss progresses. 2 Mori and Uno found that MS reduced the telogen phase in treated rats from around 20 days in untreated rats to 1 to 2 days. DNA synthesis increased in anagen bulbs, indicating that minoxidil stimulated the telogen follicles' secondary hair germ cells and accelerated the transition to the anagen phase.
Clinical studies in AGA patients treated with 2% or 5% MS showed a notable increase in hair growth and a decrease in hair loss, with the 5% formulation producing superior outcomes. 14,15 Areas with untreated hypertrichosis suggested that the medication lengthened the anagen interval in people. An experimental investigation demonstrated that minoxidil increased follicular proliferation and differentiation, induced -catenin activity, and prolonged the anagen phase in the dermal papilla (DP). 16 Histologically, it was observed that the proportion of anagen follicles and follicle size had increased.
