Rogaine (Minoxidil),
the Treatment for Baldness
People adoring a medicine because of its side effect, that is the story of hair-loss prevention medicine called Rogaine. You can imagine the feelings behind the desperate attempts (mainly) by men to prevent hair loss and stop balding. For many centuries salespersons with a gift of jab used the insecurities of bald men to make a living by selling ‘magical formula’ medicines to cure baldness.
Someone noticed a peculiar side effect of a medicine called Minoxidil, administered for high blood pressure. The less dangerous side effect was hypertrichosis or hair growth on face and body parts. A new business idea for Upjohn Pharmaceutical Company and Rogaine was born as a cure to baldness. No, it is not a complete cure to baldness. When applied to scalp on a regular basis, Rogaine will help retain existing hair and facilitate hair growth, albeit in a controlled manner. The exact manner in which Minoxidil works is unknown. Both men and women benefit from the use of Rogaine.
The exact physiology behind the action of Rogaine is yet to be discovered. At the finest level, one can see thickening of hair strands. This is the beneficial factor for women suffering from hair loss. Hair loss in women is mainly due to thinning of hair follicles and subsequent hair fall. It also dilates or expands the blood vessels ending near the scalp skin. This will probably get more nutrients to hair follicles, which in turn stimulates healthy hair growth.
Rogaine is administered during hair transplant procedure too. It starts at least two to three weeks before the transplant process. The supporters of such application claim that the increased blood circulation helps the person not to shed healthy hair replanted to new location. However, it is also argued that it will cause more bleeding during hair transplant process, due to the dilated blood vessels.
Only prolonged use can give results. You need to apply the spray on your scalp two times a day. If you stop using after seeing better hair growth, the condition will go back to original baldness. It is thus a costly affair to maintain good hair growth with Rogaine.
Rogaine (named Regaine outside USA) is available in a 5 percent and a 2 percent formula. These are both available in normal drug stores in the USA (over the counter) while e.g. European countries only dispense the 5% version on prescription. There is also a rarely advised, double strength 10% formula. Men in their younger ages are more likely to benefit from the use of Rogaine. There is no point in using Rogaine after half of your head turns shiny. Women, though rarely experience hair growth in forehead. The reason is not known why this phenomenon is completely absent in men.
Some potential side effects of Rogaine include lower blood pressure, leading to dizziness. Kidney stones are also reported as a side effect of the use of Rogaine.