How is Minoxidil and Finasteride Different?

Treating Mechanism

Minoxidil is external — scalp based treatment, used for all types of hair loss including androgenic alopecia. Finasteride is both Pill and topical application, and works only on androgenic alopecia (male pattern baldness.) ​



Minoxidil is a vasodilator. It works by enriching the hair follicles with improved blood flow and reducing the rest phase of hair growth. Finasteride is an enzyme blocker which reduces a potent form of testosterone — DHT which causes MPB, the most common cause of hair loss in men and women. ​

Minoxidil thickens the hair shaft, and can increase density, whereas finasteride stops miniaturization of the hair shaft due to DHT and stabilizes hair loss. ​

Minoxidil elongates growth phase, finasteride stops hair going into rest phase due to miniaturization or shrinking of hair shaft. ​

Minoxidil least effective to treat frontal baldness. Finasteride can effectively treat receding front line.​

Minoxidil will result in increased hair everywhere. In fact, that is how the benefits for hair loss was discovered while Minoxidil was used in a blood pressure study. The pill form is used to treat hypertension. Hence topical treatment only to the scalp to remedy hair loss to contain the hair growth.​

Finasteride reduces the DHT everywhere, so applying the same topically on the scalp helps stabilize hair loss. ​

Side Effects:

Minoxidil has hardly any side effects. Itching, swelling, and burning of the scalp are some extremely rare side effects. Finasteride might cause sexual side effects, again, extremely rare.

Minoxidil is not harmful if pregnant women come in contact, whereas pregnant women are cautioned against touching finasteride powder or chunks since it can be absorbed by the skin and may cause a male baby’s genitals to malform due to DHT suppression.

But in studies, such a side effect has been seen only in rats that were given massive doses which would translate to a 200X of regular dose prescribed to humans. So the chances of a malformed male feltus due to touching finasteride is pretty slim.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

How Does Finasteride Restore Hair Loss From Male Pattern Baldness (MPB)?

Image
Finasteride restores Male Pattern Baldness hair loss by boosting the growth phase of the hair cycle called the anagen phase. Many studies demonstrate the efficacy of finasteride to regrow hair lost from Male Pattern Baldness (MPB). In one such study: Treatment with finasteride 1 mg day−1 for 48 weeks increased both total and anagen hair counts, and improved the anagen to telogen ratio. “Conclusions These data provide direc t  evidence that finasteride 1 mg daily promotes the conversion of hairs into the anagen phase. These data support that finasteride treatment results in favorable effects on hair quality that contribute to the visible improvements in hair growth observed in treated patients.” ​ So What are the Anagen & Telogen Phases? The growth of scalp hair is a cyclical process of successive phases of growth (anagen) and rest (telogen). The growth rate varies individually and other factors — genetics, age, environmental, level of abuse using chemicals etc play a part. Hair can
Read more

How Does TRT Therapy Impact Low Libido?

Image
Libido refers to sexual desire and overall sexual drive. Testosterone plays a center stage role in maintaining man’s libido. Variation in libido or sex drive is normal with sexual drive easing with age. That said, one man’s low libido is another’s height of sexual contentment. Onmen Canada TRT & Libido What causes Low Libido? Ageing brings down testosterone levels gradually. About 1% from thirty onwards and testosterone is the male hormone that defines male characteristics, builds muscle, impart a sense of well being, stay motivated & lean. Injury, illness, hormonal abnormalities, medications taken for chronic conditions, depression, alcohol, drugs like opioid & marijuana abuse might play a part in decreased T-levels in the body. Sudden fall in testosterone, or prolonged lows should be looked at, as this might be an indication of underlying health issues. Psychological & Environmental Factors Sexual drive in a person itself varies with a lot of other factors like stress
Read more