Baldness

Minoxidil was the first ‘main stream’ medication for hair loss and has proven an enormous help for many. It was originally developed as an anti-hypertensive i.e. it lowers blood pressure. It was taken for blood pressure in tablet form known as Loniten. As a side effect however, certain patients reported increase in hair growth. The pharmaceutical company who had developed minoxidil then conducted clinical trials using a topical lotion and from those trials minoxidil 2% (known as Regaine) was produced as a treatment for hair loss. 

Minoxidil These include branded versions usually in minoxidil 2% and minoxidil 5% forms, as well as generic minoxidil (which tend to be lower in cost) and usually vary from 2% to 6%. General medical opinion is that women should not use Minoxidil stronger than 2% concentration. Some women do buy generic minoxidil in concentrations higher than 2%. The thing to remember here is that there is an increased risk of facial hair growth the higher the concentration. So, if you are considering doing this, start at a low concentration and gradually build up. Also, as always, only do this under the supervision of your medical practitioner.

Baldness