[Caymus]

Originally Posted by MandoMan

This isn’t a problem I have, but I read an interesting article about a successful treatment last week in the NYTimes, and I link to it as a public service, as I know at affects thousands of people in The Villages. In brief: “ An Old Medicine Grows New Hair for Pennies a Day, Doctors Say. Dermatologists who specialize in hair loss say that the key ingredient in a topical treatment worked even better when taken orally at a low dose. . . . costing pennies a day, that restores hair in many patients. It is minoxidil, an old and well-known hair-loss treatment drug used in a very different way. Rather than being applied directly to the scalp, it is being prescribed in very low-dose pills.”

Minoxidil is the medical name for Rogaine. It’s not an approved use by the FDA, but dermatologists are allowed to prescribe it. The dosage is only about 1/20 of the usual minoxidil pill approved for other purposes (high blood pressure). Some dermatologists have been prescribing it for years. It works much better than topical application to your head without the messiness. It does not work for complete baldness, but it works for thinning hair for both men and women. If this interests you, print this out and take it to your dermatologist.

Int J Dermatol
. 2018 Jan;57(1):104-109. doi: 10.1111/ijd.13838. Epub 2017 Dec 12.
Female pattern hair loss: a pilot study investigating combination therapy with low-dose oral minoxidil and spironolactone

Abstract

Background: Minoxidil and spironolactone are oral antihypertensives known to stimulate hair growth.

Objective: To report on a case series of women with pattern hair loss (PHL) treated with once daily minoxidil 0.25 mg and spironolactone 25 mg.

Methods: Women newly diagnosed with a Sinclair stage 2-5 PHL were scored for hair shedding and hair density before and after 12 months of treatment with oral minoxidil 0.25 mg and spironolactone 25 mg.

Results: A total of 100 women were included in this observational pilot study. Mean age was 48.44 years (range 18-80). Mean hair loss severity at baseline was Sinclair 2.79 (range 2-5). Mean hair shedding score at baseline was 4.82. Mean duration of diagnosis was 6.5 years (range 0.5-30). Mean reduction in hair loss severity score was 0.85 at 6 months and 1.3 at 12 months. Mean reduction in hair shedding score was 2.3 at 6 months and 2.6 at 12 months. Mean change in blood pressure was -4.52 mmHg systolic and -6.48 mmHg diastolic. Side effects were seen in eight women but were generally mild. No patients developed hyperkalemia or any other blood test abnormality. Six of these women continued treatment, and two women who developed urticaria discontinued treatment.

Limitations: Prospective, uncontrolled, open-label observational study.

Discussion: Once daily capsules containing minoxidil 0.25 mg and spironolactone 25 mg appear to be safe and effective in the treatment of FPHL. Placebo-controlled studies to investigate this further are warranted.

nytimes.com

Does hair also grow in less desirable locations?