What Is Minoxidil?

Minoxidil is a type of medication that falls under the vasodilator classification. It is primarily used in the treatment of male pattern baldness and has several different major effects on hair loss and growth. The most well-known manifestation of minoxidil is the product Rogaine, which has been on the market since the 1980s.

History

Minoxidil was originally used as an oral drug in the treatment of hypertension. After the astonishing side effects of it were noted, however, it was quickly patented as a treatment for hair loss. The patent was held by the Upjohn Corporation, which was at that time a pharmaceutical powerhouse and has since merged into the Pharmacia pharmaceuticals company. The original patent for Upjohn's minoxidil product, Rogaine, expired in 1996. Since then many different companies have come out with their own minoxidil hair loss treatments and products.

Function

Minoxidil helps those who are suffering from hair loss by way of vasodilation. Vasodilation is the relaxation of the walls of a person's blood vessels. This process leads to increased blood flow which then helps to promote new hair growth and to cease the loss of hair from progressing further. Curiously enough, however, the exact manner in which this process work is not fully understood. There are many theories to minoxidil's actual mechanism as an impetus for hair growth, but no consensus has ever been achieved within the scientific community.

Types

There are myriad different types of monoxidil products in the marketplace today. This is due to the fact that the patent on Rogaine has expired, allowing many different companies to design their own minoxidil products. The products themselves are relatively similar to one another, though. The one major distinction found is the difference between liquid minoxidil treatments and foam ones. Both types have similar functionality characteristics in the prevention of hair loss and the regrowth of hair.

Benefits

The main benefit of minoxidil use is, of course, its ability to reverse hair loss in its users. While this may seem like an exceedingly simple thing, for many of the men and women who suffer from hair loss it can seem to be a miracle product. The psychological effects of hair loss can be devastating to men, and even worse for women who suffer from extensive hair loss. Reversing the process and growing new hair can be a major upside for those who are extremely self-conscious about their hair loss.

Considerations

One of the major downsides of minoxidil usage is the fact that it doesn't work for everyone. The majority of people will see at least nominal improvement, but that isn't always the case. Minoxidil products work best on younger individuals and are much better at stopping the progression of hair loss than actually regrowing hair. Also, despite the fact that minoxidil treatments have become much more affordable since the Upjohn patent on Rogaine expired, they still remain costly enough to be prohibitive in many cases. One last concern is the fact that minoxidil preparations can make hair styling problematic and for best effect must be left in for around four hours. For those people who style their hair in a fashion that hides their hair loss such products may actually exacerbate the appearance of hair loss, not mitigate it.