When it comes to hair loss, men and women alike have been searching for an effective treatment option for years. Hair loss is not just about physical appearances but also the loss of confidence that accompanies one of the most common physical signs of aging. Minoxidil is a topical hair loss treatment that is FDA-approved and was formerly marketed under the brand name ‘Rogaine’.
How Does Minoxidil Work?
Minoxidil has shown some positive results when it comes to preventing the appearance of thinning hair and the loss of hair. Many hair-loss treatments use Minoxidil as their primary ingredient. Minoxidil works as a topical treatment that penetrates below the scalp’s surface to the follicles below that nourish the hair. Minoxidil nourishes and stimulates the hair by penetrating the hair shaft through the hair follicles at the surface.
The Stages of Hair Growth
The hair goes through four stages of growth through life: anagen, catagen, telogen, and exogen. As hair growth occurs from the root of follicle under the skin, blood vessels at the follicle’s base provides the hair shaft with the nourishment it needs to grow. As we age, the anagen (growth phase) gets shorter; this means that the hair is no longer as actively growing or thick as it once was and often gets weaker, more brittle and prone to breakage. If our hair moves from the anagen to the telogen (resting phase) too quickly, excess shedding and noticeably thinning hair is often the unfortunate result.
The Science Behind Minoxidil
Minoxidil is said to penetrate the hair follicles and awaken hair from the telogen phase and move it into the anagen phase. Science suggests that the positive results experienced by users of Minoxidil can be understood in terms of the hormone dihydrotestsoterone (DHT). As DHT binds to the hair follicles, it makes them shrink. As Minoxidil is a vasodilator, it is thought that the increase to blood flow could account for the hair-growing effects of such hair-loss treatments. The positives of using Minoxidil for hair loss is that approximately 40 percent of people who try a hair-loss treatment containing Minoxidil notice a reversal to thinning hair and loss of volume. Users have reported minimal, if any, side effects. The hair-loss treatment is easily available and affordable and produces positive results. It is also ideal to be used in conjunction with other products to produce even more efficacious results.
While aging is a natural process that comes to use all, that doesn’t mean you need to go without a fight. Men and women often find the confidence loss that accompanies the loss of hair the hardest part as they struggle with the loss healthier and fuller-looking hair from their youth. Minoxidil hair growth provides many people with an answer to the struggle of premature hair loss and thinning.