PlanetRx - Learn More - Product Advice - Hair Loss Treatments

Hair today, hair tomorrow

Over the ages, people have tried all kinds of remedies to cure balding. Ancient Egyptians smeared their scalps with a hedgehog hair potion (only in the best salons) in an attempt to encourage growth. In the ancient Middle East, folk with thinning hairlines used serpent oils. All this effort goes to show you that losing hair has been a traumatic experience since the beginning of time. The most common form of hair loss -- alopecia -- is hereditary, affecting one in three males and one in six females. There's also nonhereditary hair loss that is often triggered by nutritional deficiencies, hormonal imbalance, crash diets, certain medications, chemotherapy, diseases that cause scarring of the scalp, and misuse of hair care and grooming products.

Some nonhereditary hair loss is permanent, but some is temporary and reversible when the condition causing it is treated. The good news for most of us is that while our genetic code can't be altered, there is an over-the-counter drug approved by the FDA to slow hereditary hair loss and even regrow hair over time for some people.

Making the Most of Minoxidil

Treatment should be started in the early stages of hair loss for best results.
Drug must be used continuously and regularly to be effective.
Be patient. It takes four months or more for the first visible evidence of hair growth to appear and about a year to determine the optimal regrowth results.
Keep your scalp dry four hours after applying the solution. If it becomes wet from rain or other reasons, dry your head and reapply.
Hair products can be safely used once the medication is dry.
Store safely out of reach of children. Minoxidil can be dangerous if ingested.
Minoxidil is more likely to be effective in men whose hair loss is less than a fourth of the scalp surface.
Minoxidil is more effective for women if less than one-third of the scalp is thinning.
The original pattern of hair loss will return once treatment is stopped.
Topical minoxidil, sold under the brand name Rogaine, is the only over-the-counter compound approved by the FDA for the regrowth of hair due to pattern baldness.

Ingredient		Description
Minoxidil
Minoxidil	?	Minoxidil is the only nonprescription product FDA-approved for the use in stimulating hair growth due to hereditary hair loss. It is thought that minoxidil works by stimulating pre-existing hair follicles to grow. Patients report the medication to be 25% effective in men and 20% effective in women in causing moderate or better hair regrowth. It should be noted that you must use this continuously for the rest of your life to sustain the effects.

Starting the Process

It can take up to a year to see the optimal result from using minoxidil.
You should rub one ml into your scalp two times a day.
To avoid burning or stinging, keep the minoxidil out of your eyes, nose, and other mucous membranes.
After applying each one ml dose, you should keep your scalp as dry as possible for four hours to allow maximum absorption of the medication.
If your scalp becomes wet before the four hours is over, dry your scalp and reapply another one ml dose.
Hair styling aids (e.g., hair sprays, mousse, etc.) can be applied after the four-hour drying time.