Minoxidil is a preventive, less effective over-the-counter medication. You will indeed experience beard loss when you first start applying minoxidil . Don’t panic, because new hair is growing quickly and old hair is falling out quickly , so you will lose more hair.
Based on the different causes of hair loss, the efficacy of minoxidil is also different, and your method and time of use will also affect the efficacy.
1. Effectiveness of Minoxidil
Is minoxidil effective for preventing hair loss and promoting hair growth? It depends on the situation. If you fall into the following two situations, minoxidil is basically ineffective:
① Severe hair loss and necrosis of hair follicles (the hair follicles are severely atrophied and completely closed);
②Insufficient sulfotransferase activity on the scalp . Why?
Because minoxidil does not make hair grow directly, but after entering the hair follicles, it combines with some sulfate ions to form minoxidil sulfate . This minoxidil sulfate is the main force for hair growth.
Therefore, if the hair follicles are already necrotic, or if the level of sulfotransferase in the scalp is low and cannot synthesize minoxidil sulfate, the effect of the medication will not be very significant [1].
But the good news is that most people do not have these two problems, and timely treatment with minoxidil can still have a good therapeutic effect.
2. The role of minoxidil
So, how does minoxidil prevent hair loss and promote hair growth? Xiaoman reveals the answer for you.
Minoxidil was first used as an oral antihypertensive drug. It can dilate blood vessels, which means it widens blood vessels and speeds up blood flow. When applied topically to the scalp, it dilates blood vessel walls, stimulating nutrients and oxygen to flow to the scalp and hair follicles through the blood, thereby promoting scalp health and hair growth.
Because hair has a specific growth cycle, a small number of people will experience “rapid hair loss” after using minoxidil.
Many people are concerned about the “crazy shedding period”, which is also called “hair loss in the early stages of use”. In fact, it does not happen to every hair loss patient, only in very rare cases.
Even the hair that falls out is “vellus hair,” which is unhealthy, soft hair in the hair follicles. These hairs usually have shallow roots and fall out when you scratch them hard or take a shower.
In addition, it is worth emphasizing that the “crazy shedding period” has nothing to do with the concentration of minoxidil. Even users who use a low concentration (2%) may experience “crazy shedding” because the “crazy shedding period” is related to personal hair quality and hair follicles, and has nothing to do with the concentration (pay attention!!).
As for the claim that high concentrations are more likely to cause hair loss, allergies and acne, it is an unfounded statement.
3. Correct use of minoxidil
So how can we use minoxidil to maximize its effectiveness?
①Choose minoxidil tincture
First of all, recommends that you choose tincture . The popular minoxidil on the market now mainly has two forms: ointment and tincture. Ointment is the second generation of minoxidil, and tincture is the third generation of minoxidil. Mandi’s third generation minoxidil tincture uses PBS special technology to form a minoxidil stable protection cabin (technology up!!)
One drawback of ointments is that they can only be stored below 20 degrees Celsius and have high requirements for the environment.
Tinctures only need to be stored in a sealed container, and they are not likely to evaporate or denature even in the hot summer weather.
If you want a product with stable performance that can be used for a long time, it is recommended that you choose minoxidil tincture.
Mandy has developed the third generation of minoxidil, namely minoxidil tincture , which adopts a rotatable nozzle design to facilitate the control of the dosage sprayed each time. It can rotate 360 degrees and fit the scalp better.
②How to use
The method of using Mandiminoxidil tincture is very simple. For specific methods, you can refer to the drug instructions or the pharmacist’s instructions after purchase.
Notice:
1. This product is an over-the-counter drug (OTC);
2. Approval number: National Medicine Standard H20010714;
3. Please purchase and use the medicine according to the instructions or under the guidance of a pharmacist;
4. Contraindications: Those who are allergic to minoxidil or any other ingredient are prohibited from using this product
5. Adverse reactions: The most common adverse reaction of this product in clinical practice is mild dermatitis of the scalp . Occasionally, the following adverse reactions have been reported after using this product, but the causal relationship between the use and the product is not clear. These adverse reactions include irritant dermatitis (redness, dandruff and burning pain), nonspecific allergic reactions, wheals , allergic rhinitis, facial swelling, allergies, shortness of breath, headache, neuritis , dizziness, syncope, vertigo, edema, chest pain, changes in blood pressure, palpitations and changes in pulse rate.
PS: Be sure to wash your hands after use to prevent the drug from remaining on your hands.
Hair loss is a chronic disease. After using Mandiminoxidil for a period of time, you can see a significant improvement in hair loss.
In a controlled trial of 5% and 2% concentrations , the 5% high concentration group showed better results. Hair regeneration reached its peak one year after treatment, after which hair growth slowed down. The amount of vellus hair remaining after 4.5-5 years was still more than that at the beginning of treatment.
In terms of foreign research, an experiment at the University of Toronto in Canada also showed that a 5% concentration is better than a 2% concentration.
Even when the 5% concentration was use once and the 2% concentration was use twice, the 5% concentration was still more obvious than the 2% concentration. In addition, as the course of treatment was prolonged, the therapeutic effect of minoxidil also gradually increased[5].
So, what were the specific improvements? Mainly the hair follicle structure, hair growth cycle, growth rate, and pathological changes in hair follicles . In these aspects, the 5% high concentration group had more obvious effects
1 Comment
Pingback: How much does hair transplant usually cost?