Minoxidil is a medicine used for hair loss and hair regrowth treatment. It is extensively prescribed to treat the male pattern baldness. Unlike other medicines such as finasteride that helps in blocking the dihydrotestosterone and prevents hair loss, minoxidil assists and creates an ideal hair growth environment for the existing hair follicles. This prevents hair loss and also helps in hair regrowth.
In addition, just like other hair loss treatments, minoxidil does not show instant results. It starts to work immediately but takes a few months to show noticeable and effective results.
How Minoxidil Work
It takes several phases for hair to grow healthily. The first phase is known as the anagen phase where the hair growth initially starts.
Then the next phase, catagen, and telogen, helps in making hair shrink and detach from the hair follicle. This way the old hair replaces the new one.
In the last phase, each hair is supposed to go through the exogen phase where the hair falls out to be replaced by the new hair in the scalp.
The stage where minoxidil starts working is an early anagen phase. When minoxidil is applied to the scalp, it helps with the hair growth process just like fertilizers help farmers with crop growth.
It is applied to make sure that healthy hair full of nutrients is growing again causing hair follicles to keep the premature process smooth.
Furthermore, this is an important factor why some people start to experience shedding of the hair in the first few months of using minoxidil. As the hair follicles carry out the growth process in its anagen phase with the help of minoxidil, a large number of old hair starts falling out. It seems like the person is losing more hair than normal but it is actually a growth process and gives an ideal hair growth environment.
In addition, minoxidil also prolongs the first phase of hair growth that certainly leads to increased hair length and hair diameter. If you’re looking for FDA-approved minoxidil, then shop online here.
Minoxidil and The First Stage Of Hair Growth - Anagen
Mostly, the anagen phase of the hair growth process lasts up to three to four years, During this phase, the hair will grow to its full natural form before it starts shedding and the process continues itself again.
As mentioned above, minoxidil will give hair growth a fresh and healthy start. So, typically, it will take a few months to start noticing hair growth and healthy hair on the head.
A review by the NCBI suggests that minoxidil usually starts to show effects after 6 months, with very few to no results in the first three to four months.
In one clinical study by the FDA, it says, depending on different men, minoxidil also starts to show moderate to dense hair growth in about two to three months with its topical treatment.
This shows that while some may be lucky enough to see noticeable results a little early, minoxidil still requires patience and consistency.
