Does Minoxidil 5% really work on hair loss?

Dear window20luis,Thank you for writing in with your question. 5% minoxidil does work for men to help curtail the progression of hair loss. However, it tends to lose its hair-saving effects after about 2 years as the body gets used to it being around and down-regulates the receptors to the medication, making the medication less effective over time. However, hair loss is a condition for which there is no cure, so every little bit can help. While minoxidil can help, it’s not as effective as finasteride, also known as Propecia. Also, low level laser therapy (LLLT) is also quite effective in slowing the progression of typical male pattern baldness, and in some cases, can appear to regrow hair and reverse the process of hair loss. I hope this information is helpful to you.

Minoxidil 5% can grow hair and has been shown to grow hair. However, to be a smart consumer, you need to understand there is no "cure" for genetic balding.

Thinning Hair -- Rogaine, Propecia, Viviscal, Progesterone, PRPIf you have thinning hair you really need an evaluation to see if it is genetic or from another cause like stress or autoimmune. If it is determined to be genetic there are many options and traditional treatments like rogaine foam and propecia pills can be used. I have great success in my practice using injectable progesterone and prp to the scalp. Postmenopausal women also benefit from spironolactone. I suggest seeing a dermatologist with expertise in hair loss. Best, Dr. Emer.

Yes it does,Minoxidil or Rogaine is one of FDA approved medications for hair loss.  Although it is available over the counter, I always recommend the patients to use it after seeing a hair loss doctors and preferably after mapping their scalp hair miniaturization. This microscopic evaluation determines the level of your active hair loss that shows whether or not minoxidil can help your condition.

Minoxidil helps about 30 % of men. It is not nearly as effective as finasteride.Overall, studies show minoxidil increases hair counts on average by 11 hairs per sq cm after 48 weeks compared to 22 hairs per sq cm for finasteride.But yes, minoxidil does help some men. No doubt about it.  It does not help everyone and in many ways does a better job at stopping hair loss than growing more hair. But both are possible!

I is not a good drug for genetic thinning as this is a progressive process. The correct drug is finasteride for male genetic balding, not minoxidil.