Minoxidil tablets against hair loss
The American newspaper The New York Times recently published an article praising a new form of the hair growth agent minoxidil; Minoxidil is said to be effective against hair loss, even in tablet form and at low doses. How does this work? Has a solution to hair loss been found?
What is minoxidil?
An existing remedy that just needs to be used differently and is also very inexpensive soon sounds too good to be true. The New York Times reported the news, and it was soon copied by other sites. The promise of a miraculous cure for baldness quickly draws attention. But about what?
People who have been struggling with hair loss for a long time know minoxidil. It is the oldest and best known remedy for hair loss. It is also known as the working substance of Rogaine and Regaine, manufactured by the big pharmaceutical company Johnson & Johnson. Minoxidil is used in a topical lotion applied to the scalp. It facilitates the growth of hair follicles by expanding blood vessels.
The important point to note is that minoxidil was originally developed as a blood pressure lowering pill called Loniten. It was later discovered that a side effect of this drug is increased hair growth. Researchers saw its potential and developed the hair growth stimulant minoxidil from it. The reason why Minoxidil was made into a topical lotion instead of a pill was the antihypertensive effect of the drug in pill form. If Minoxidil is applied only to the scalp, it has no effect on the rest of the body. And since you had to continue taking minoxidil to maintain the effect, opting for the lotion was a better option as it didn’t affect blood pressure or have other internal side effects.
Now American dermatologists state in The New York Times article that they prescribe minoxidil pills to patients suffering from hair loss. The reason why these dermatologists are so positive about minoxidil pills is that it has been discovered that it has a positive effect on hair growth at low doses. However, these dermatologists note that more research is needed. In addition, while it is accepted that they prescribe minoxidil pills to their patients in the news of The New York Times, it is already accepted that it is not approved as a remedy for hair loss in this form. This can have unwanted side effects. Like hair growing out of the head. It also has an effect on blood pressure. This can then be compensated for with other pills such as spironolactone. Low dose administration of minoxidil means that the risk of these side effects is relatively low.
In conclusion
So it’s not just good news. Minoxidil was developed as a topical lotion for good reason. It reduces unwanted side effects in the body. The side effects it has are also limited to the scalp. The discovery that minoxidil in pill form has a positive effect at low doses is the main claim of American dermatologists. So there’s potential in this, but dermatologists themselves already agree that the long-term effects of the pills need to be further studied. There are sources that contain minoxidil, such as Lonnoten. It contains minoxidil, but it was developed for conditions such as hypertension (high blood pressure) and is not approved as a hair growth stimulant. It is also sold in pharmacies by prescription.
This is what the magic word looks like; research. More research is needed to test dermatologists’ claims. Meanwhile, as a topical lotion, minoxidil is the science-based variant of the substance that stimulates hair growth.
