How does minoxidil really work?

[Folliman]

We've all heard that minoxidil "increases blood flow in the scalp, giving it more nutrients." But, is there a more detailed explanation as to why it is good for the hair?

This is probably wrong since I'm not that informed on the subject but I've read something about Minoxidil increasing PGE2 levels...?

 

[Swoop]

Here are some possible targets of minoxidil as shown by studies;


P21

BCL-2/BAX

B-catenin (WNT pathway)

P53

ERK/AKT

Adenosine upregulation,

VEGF (among other growth factors)

PGE2

ETC.

 

[Folliman]

Thank you!

 

[gooose]

I used to respond great to minoxidil. Now i don't. When i responded my blood pressure was very low. Now that i have stopped responding my blood pressure is much higher. 95/70 compared to 135/85. Minoxidil is a vasodilator so the lower blood pressure makes sense - dilating vessels reduces pressure. Now if only i could figure out why this vasodilator effect has stopped working. The standard explanation is that my DHT levels have taken over and i need to start propecia. I'm not so sure. I didn't mean to hijack the thread but my own experience suggests the vasodilatory effect/blood pressure lowering effect of minoxidil is what makes it work.

 

[mr_robot]

The vasodilatory effect being the main driver has been discarded due to fact that very similar molecules to minoxodil with the same vasodilatory effect do not cause hair growth.

 

[gooose]

Let me rephrase. I am certain that whatever science causes one's bp to drop with topical minoxidil is also critical to regrowth. I used to measure my bp every day for months on end. That chemical reaction has been interrupted in my case i.e. resistant bp = regaine stopped working. Now if only i could understand what's changed in my body and then do something about it.

 

[mr_robot]

Or you could equally say that your body has developed a resistance to minoxidil hence bp is no longer dropping along with no hair growth.

 

[gooose]

Umm...the science that causes blood pressure to fall as a consequence of applying minoxidil i suspect arrests hair loss... NOT the arresting of hair loss causing blood pressure to fall.

 

[mr_robot]

Umm...the science that causes blood pressure to fall as a consequence of applying minoxidil i suspect arrests hair loss... NOT the arresting of hair loss causing blood pressure to fall.

That's not what I'm saying at all, I'm saying minoxidil has stopped working altogether and since lower blood pressure is a side effect of minoxidil that is why you no longer have a lower blood pressure.

 

[gooose]

ok let me put it another way. forget hair and hair loss altogether. minoxidil is an antihypertensive. why is it suddenly not acting like one in my case? you can see how any response that mentions DHT or hair is just ridiculous.

 

[mr_robot]

topical minoxidil would only affect blood pressure if it is getting systematically absorbed, regardless the amount of minoxidil absorbed by the skin is anywhere between 0.3%-4.5% even before systemic absorption. Maybe over time fibrosis or something similar gets to a point where less and less minoxidil is being absorbed hence it is less effective and no longer go systemic. If you really believe minoxidil is no longer effective try a dose of oral minoxidil, that would pretty much settle the question.

 

[gooose]

Any thoughts on how i might make it go systemic/absorb better again? I'm on the Regaine foam 5%. I think we on same page now but don't fancy taking oral minoxidil. My experience might suggest a certain amount of systemic absorption positively correlates with regrowth particularly in a user base that applies 'too much' on average.

 

[Red October]

Hair Gel Question

Hi there,

I'm new to the forum though I did lurk many years back when my hairloss first started. I can't get finasteride directly here in Ireland and back then I couldn't afford it/was a bit anxious buying it online. Time has moved on and so has a lot of hair (diffuse) so I took the plunge in the last week and got finasteride (1mg) from UK at reasonable price. I've also just bought Regaine (Minoxidil 5%) and have just started applying the regaine this week. I normally put some hair gel in in the morning (that's been my style for donkey's years) despite my diffuse thinning. So far I've been applying the regaine in the evening only because it seems a bit incompatible with my gel styling in the morning.

What I'm just thinking now is would it work to shower, put in hairgel and let it dry for a bit and then spray on the regaine before leaving for work? I'm just thinking this at least would be better than applying none at all in the mornings. What do people think? My thinning is diffuse so unfortunately there's a good bit of space for it to make contact with scalp.

Any thoughts appreciated.

Red

 

[gooose]

I was a great responder to Regaine. I found the foam to work best and it drys quite quickly. Why don't you rub that in first in the morning before you do anything else? You must apply it morning and evening. See how your hair responds in 2-3 months. If it works you can try cutting back the amount/frequency of application if you need to. With regards finasteride i'd go the other way i.e. start at 0.25mg per day and works your way up to 1mg per day over a period of a few months depending on side effects. Don't forget to add Nizoral shampoo 2-3 times per week to complete the big three weapons against hairloss.

Hi there,

I'm new to the forum though I did lurk many years back when my hairloss first started. I can't get finasteride directly here in Ireland and back then I couldn't afford it/was a bit anxious buying it online. Time has moved on and so has a lot of hair (diffuse) so I took the plunge in the last week and got finasteride (1mg) from UK at reasonable price. I've also just bought Regaine (Minoxidil 5%) and have just started applying the regaine this week. I normally put some hair gel in in the morning (that's been my style for donkey's years) despite my diffuse thinning. So far I've been applying the regaine in the evening only because it seems a bit incompatible with my gel styling in the morning.

What I'm just thinking now is would it work to shower, put in hairgel and let it dry for a bit and then spray on the regaine before leaving for work? I'm just thinking this at least would be better than applying none at all in the mornings. What do people think? My thinning is diffuse so unfortunately there's a good bit of space for it to make contact with scalp.

Any thoughts appreciated.

Red

 

[Red October]

Thanks Gooose. I normally stumble out of bed and straight to the shower. It would require a change of routine. That being said if it's got to be done it's got to be done. I'll have a think and see how I might best incorporate it in. I know you can probably use it once a day but I'd like to see the maximum results if possible. I'm already on 1mg finasteride so I guess I'll stick with that for now. Gonna try both indefinitely. Hope to see some results before the year is out. Trying not to be unrealistically optimistic but it's hard. There are a lot of good results on this site which is encouraging. I kind of wish I had got something a few years back as it's got a lot thinner in the last 2-3 years.

Also, ever since I looked this up years ago (probably this very forum actually) I started using Nizoral. Great for a clean scalp. So that's the holy trinity I suppose. If they don't do it nothing will. Here's hoping.

 

[mr_robot]

Any thoughts on how i might make it go systemic/absorb better again? I'm on the Regaine foam 5%. I think we on same page now but don't fancy taking oral minoxidil. My experience might suggest a certain amount of systemic absorption positively correlates with regrowth particularly in a user base that applies 'too much' on average.

I was not seriously suggesting you take oral minoxidil on a long term basis, my point was that if you take a dose of oral minoxidil and your BP lowers than obviously the efficacy of minoxidil has not been reduced. You could try Retin-A in combination with minoxidil although it depends on how much you can tolerate. If you don't want to try Retin-A you could try adding peppermint oil which will cause more blood circulation on your scalp for half an hour or so which may increase absorption.