Men's Health > Hair Loss > Rogaine

Rogaine

Hundreds of millions of men around the world right now are joining the already numerous fraternity of those who have, or are, experiencing hair loss.

Indeed, up to 40% of men will experience some degree of hair loss during their life; some earlier than others. The solution that many of these men turn to is Rogaine.

Rogaine contains Minoxidil (in fact, the two terms are often used interchangeably by some). Minoxidil helps return hair from non-growth or “resting” state, to active or “growing state”. Generally, about ninety percent of hair is active/growing, and ten percent is dormant/resting. Thinning hair (also known as male pattern baldness) occurs when the resting state exceeds ten percent; and then keeps on exceeding it.

Rogaine is applied topically to the scalp, and works on two key levels to promote or restore hair growth. On one level, Rogaine enhances nourishing blood to the scalp. This can help rejuvenate hair and instigate it to return to the growth state. On another level, Rogaine actually aims to increase the number of cells – and thus hair follicles – that grow on the scalp. In this sense, Rogaine can potentially create new hair growth, and there are a number of men who have reported this to be their experience.

Does Rogaine Work?

Rogaine is not a miracle cure that somehow redevelops genes that lead to thinning hair and male pattern baldness. This is an important awareness, because some people mistakenly expect to sprout hair “overnight” after using Rogaine; and even the makers of Rogaine don’t want this to happen. Feedback on Rogaine is mixed; some say that up to 50% of men using it experienced some degree of improvement, either in terms of more growth or thicker hair.

One of the drawbacks of Rogaine is financial. It’s not an inexpensive product compared to what men are typically used to purchasing and putting on their heads (such as drug store shampoos!). Monthly expenses can run about $30 a month; which doesn’t seem all that much, but relatively speaking, it’s fairly expensive for some men. Even more of a challenge, perhaps, is that Rogaine will have to be purchased regularly, since normal use calls for two applications a day. Some men who aren’t in the habit of keeping an eye on dwindling supplies of things (such as toothpaste, shampoo, and so on) may have to enlist the support of a more organized friend in order to ensure that the Rogaine-application is maintained.

Rogaine and Hair Loss

Something that some Rogaine users experience – much to their total horror – is that after using Rogaine, they start to experience hair loss! Actually, this is very often not related to the Rogaine at all. Hair naturally sheds; about ten percent of the (typical) one hundred thousand hair follicles will not grow and eventually shed. So if a man uses Rogaine during this shedding period, it may seem as though the Rogaine is the culprit. Men who experience this should not panic; although a phone call to Pfizer (the makers of Rogaine), a trip to the doctor, or a visit to a hair restoration clinic could be a wise move to ensure that everything is proceeding normally.

Drew Voight