Hi, I am interested in reversing some hair loss that I've been seeing in the front of my scalp and near the top corners of my temples.
Minoxidil has been around, but I don't see everyone using it. I have seen examples of people showing impovements wih minoxidil but I am a little concerned about the side effects.
Some sources I have found list the side effects as bellow:
Abstract:
"Minoxidil, a vasodilator medication known for its ability to slow or stop hair loss and promote hair regrowth, was first introduced, exclusively as an oral drug, to treat high blood pressure. It was however discovered to have the important side-effect of increasing growth or darkening of fine body hairs; this led to the development of a topical formulation as a 2% concentration solution for the treatment of female androgenic alopecia or 5% for treating male androgenic alopecia. Measurable changes disappear within months after discontinuation of treatment. The mechanism by which it promotes hair growth is not fully understood. Minoxidil is a potassium channel opener, causing hyperpolarization of cell membranes and it is also a vasodilator, it is speculated that, by widening blood vessels and opening potassium channels, it allows more oxygen, blood and nutrients to the follicle. This can also cause follicles in the telogen phase to shed, usually soon to be replaced by new, thicker hairs in a new anagen phase. It needs to be applied regularly, once or twice daily, for hair gained to be maintained, and side effects are common. The most common adverse reactions of the topical formulation are limited to irritant and allergic contact dermatitis on the scalp. There have been cases of allergic reactions to the nonactive ingredient propylene glycol, which is found in some topical solution especially if they are galenic. Increased hair loss which can occur during Minoxidil use, is due to the synchronization of the hair cycle that the treatment induces. In this review, we described its mechanism of action, use in dermatology and some patents related to alternative treatment of allergic reactions due to its use."
→ source (external link)"Minoxidil, a vasodilator medication known for its ability to slow or stop hair loss and promote hair regrowth, was first introduced, exclusively as an oral drug, to treat high blood pressure. It was however discovered to have the important side-effect of increasing growth or darkening of fine body hairs; this led to the development of a topical formulation as a 2% concentration solution for the treatment of female androgenic alopecia or 5% for treating male androgenic alopecia. Measurable changes disappear within months after discontinuation of treatment. The mechanism by which it promotes hair growth is not fully understood. Minoxidil is a potassium channel opener, causing hyperpolarization of cell membranes and it is also a vasodilator, it is speculated that, by widening blood vessels and opening potassium channels, it allows more oxygen, blood and nutrients to the follicle. This can also cause follicles in the telogen phase to shed, usually soon to be replaced by new, thicker hairs in a new anagen phase. It needs to be applied regularly, once or twice daily, for hair gained to be maintained, and side effects are common. The most common adverse reactions of the topical formulation are limited to irritant and allergic contact dermatitis on the scalp. There have been cases of allergic reactions to the nonactive ingredient propylene glycol, which is found in some topical solution especially if they are galenic. Increased hair loss which can occur during Minoxidil use, is due to the synchronization of the hair cycle that the treatment induces. In this review, we described its mechanism of action, use in dermatology and some patents related to alternative treatment of allergic reactions due to its use."
Those are not the side effects that I am concerned about. I have found countless reports on hair loss forums of people complaining aboout their facial skin aging about 10-20 years after using this product for about 12 months. I want to work out how plausible these account are based on scientific evidence. That is not to say that user accounts of adverse reactions are not wanted, but the primary goal is to come up with a scientific explanation.
Here is what a google scholar search revealed in relation to minoxidil and supression of collagen synthesis:
In this study minoxidil was studied in cell cultures, it was noted that "some or all of these effects may be relevant to hair growth, but the application of results obtained in cell culture studies to the complex biology of the hair follicle is uncertain."
it goes on to say:
- "There is some evidence that the stimulatory effect of minoxidil on hair growth is also due to the opening of potassium channels by minoxidil sulphate, but this idea has been difficult to prove and to date there has been no clear demonstration that KATP channels are expressed in the hair follicle. A number of in vitro effects of minoxidil have been described in monocultures of various skin and hair follicle cell types including stimulation of cell proliferation, inhibition of collagen synthesis, and stimulation of vascular endothelial growth factor and prostaglandin synthesis.[...]Two groups have studied the effect of minoxidil on collagen synthesis. Murad and Pinnell48 showed that minoxidil suppressed activity of the enzyme lysyl hydroxylase in human skin fibroblast cultures at concentrations down to 25 μmol L−1, leading to production of a collagen deficient in hydroxylysine.49 This appeared to be specific for lysyl hydroxylase as the activity of prolyl hydroxylase, which shares the same substrates and cofactors as lysyl hydroxylase, was unaffected. Minoxidil (0·5 mmol L−1) also suppressed collagen synthesis by rat vibrissae dermal papilla cells, both in monolayer cultures and in cells grown in collagen gels.50 The concentrations of minoxidil used in these studies were quite high and the relevance of the results to hair growth is unknown
- "The mechanism of minoxidil is not fully understood.[13] Proposed mechanisms are vasodilatory properties, angiogenic properties, enhanced cell proliferation and DNA synthesis, potassium channel opener, anti-androgenetic effects, suppression of collagen synthesis and immunosuppressive effects.[15] Further researches are needed to determine the precise mechanism of minoxidil, although biopsy study of eyebrows may be difficult due to cosmetic concerns. In conclusion, minoxidil 2% lotion was clearly superior to placebo in eyebrow enhancement. It was a well-tolerated and effective treatment for eyebrow hypotrichosis."
I think there is also the issue of whether the minoxidil is absorbed systematically or not. The effects that people are describing include wrinkles, eye rings, and weight loss. Some people have also hypothesized that the foam is more easily systematically absorbed than the liquid. Enhanced absobtion has been studied alot over the past years, could it be that the foam may penetrate more?
I am wondering if tretinoin could possibily counter these effects. I am not talking about using it to increase absorbtion throught the scalp, but rather to reduce any wrinkles on the face due to collagen loss. I am however worried because there is always a risk that the minoxidil can spread to the face via the pillow in bed. The tretinoin would then increase it's absorbtion into the facial area, which would be a big no no.
Overall, I'm just not sure whether the benefits would outweigh the risks. I miss my hair so much but unfortunately this seems to be the only option I know of right now and it looks unacceptable.
Edited by Phoenicis, 13 March 2014 - 07:35 PM.
