As we all know, Minoxidil was first developed by Upjohn in the 1950s. They found that Minoxidil is a good vasodilator and can be used to treat high blood pressure. Minoxidil was synthesized by Upjohn Corporation in 1963, and it passed the US FDA certification in 1979. It can be used for the oral treatment of hypertension, and its trade name is Loniten. It should be said that minoxidil was a very good antihypertensive drug at that time. The antihypertensive effect began about 1 hour after oral administration, and the maximum antihypertensive effect appeared in 2 to 3 hours, and it could continue to reduce blood pressure for more than 24 hours. However, after more and more people use minoxidil, a more common side effect appears, that is, the user’s hair is a little bit increased, and there is local hirsutism.

Minoxidil has another main effect: treatment of hair loss, which was discovered at this time.

This phenomenon has attracted the attention of some doctors, one of whom is Guinter Kahn. Guinter Kahn is a more business-intuitive doctor. He immediately felt that the side effect of minoxidil might be useful in the treatment of hair loss, so he privately started clinical research.

Data record the real hair growth effect of Minoxidil.

To judge whether a drug is effective or not, how effective is it, there is a standard in medicine, the most important one is the randomized controlled tial (RCT). This article will not explain the principle of this experiment, as long as you know It is currently the most authoritative method.

Regarding the RCT of minoxidil, there are many relevant domestic documents, but most of them are small samples. The author lists some of them for readers.

1. 2% and 5% minoxidil for female hair loss (FPHL) effectiveness study

(1) Comparison of curative effect between 2% and 5% minoxidil solution for topical treatment of FPHL for 3 months and 6 months (see Table 1-1).

At 3 months of treatment, the effective rate of 2% minoxidil was 20.61%, and the effective rate of 5% minoxidil was 38.02%; when the treatment was performed 6 months, the effective rate of 2% minoxidil was 38.02 %, 5% Minoxidil is 64.46% effective.

(2) If it is more detailed, the female hair loss is divided into 2 and 3 levels to study the results (see Table 1-2).

It can be seen that if they have been treated for 6 months, the effective rate of 2% and 5% for grade 2 hair loss is not much different, but the difference between 2% and 5% for grade 3 hair loss is huge. 5% minoxidil will have a better effect.

(3) Does it mean that 5% minoxidil can eliminate 2% minoxidil?

This is not the case. Higher concentrations mean higher risks. Let’s look at the next experiment, see Table 1-3.

Although the sample is not large, the side effects of 5% are about three times higher than the side effects of 2%. And everyone is aware that 5% of minoxidil will have cases of telogen alopecia. This is what everyone often calls “absence period.” , 2% of medications have a probability of eclipse phase is less than 5% of medications.

2. Comparison of the effects of minoxidil alone and finasteride alone (male)

Many people use finasteride while using minoxidil, so the question of whether minoxidil is more effective or finasteride is more effective is also very interesting. Some research institutions also compared the two drugs: the subjects were divided into three groups

Group A: Finasteride alone;

Group B: Minoxidil alone;

Group C: Minoxidil + Finasteride.

The result is: the effective rate of finasteride alone is 75%, the effective rate is 130 days, the effective rate of minoxidil alone is 64.7%, the effective rate is 3 months, the effective rate of the combination of the two is 85.7% , Effective in 2 months.

Finasteride + Minoxidil has the strongest effect and has the fastest effect. Minoxidil alone has an effective rate of about 65%. Generally, it is effective in 3 months, which is also very obvious.

Another conclusion of this study is also worth noting. When hair loss lasts for more than 5 years, whether it is used alone with minoxidil or finasteride, or a combination of the two, the effective rate is less than 40%.

This conclusion also confirms the idea that the treatment of hair loss should be done as soon as possible. Most of the drugs have obvious effects on the initial stage of hair loss. If the hair loss takes too long, the drugs are often powerless.

3. A randomized double-blind controlled experiment of minoxidil gel for alopecia areata

Minoxidil also has a very important role in the treatment of spot show, this time the product used is minoxidil gel. After 1, 2, and 3 months of treatment, the curative effects of minoxidil gel on alopecia areata reached 31.8%, 65.6% and 87.5% (see Figure 1-4). The area of ​​alopecia areata has also decreased (see Table 2-4).

The gel group was reduced by about 395.02mm2, and the control group was reduced by 273.74mm2. On the one hand, it shows that minoxidil gel is indeed effective, and it also shows that alopecia areata can actually heal itself (the control group is a drug without any function, but Still improved alopecia areata).

4. Evaluation of Minoxidil’s Effectiveness

(1) The average effective time of minoxidil is 98 days (more than 3 months), and the effect of 6 months is much better than that of 3 months.

(2) The effective rate of minoxidil for male hair loss is 65%, the effective rate for women is 59%, and the effective rate for spot show is 87%. The combined effect should be 55%~70%.

(3) 5% of minoxidil is better than 2% on hair loss above grade 3, but the chance of side effects is also 3 times that of 2% minoxidil.

(4) The use of 5% minoxidil is more prone to ecstasy than 2%.

(5) The effect of finasteride alone is stronger than that of minoxidil alone, but the combination of the two can have a stronger effect, and the efficiency can reach more than 85%.

(6) If the hair loss lasts for more than 5 years, no matter how you use minoxidil and finasteride, the effective rate will be greatly reduced to less than 40%.

What needs to be emphasized is that there are certain standards for the effective rate in medicine. This effective rate is only statistically significant, and may not necessarily be the expectations of patients.

For example, a hair grows from 2mm to 3mm. According to statistics, it has increased by 50%, but the naked eye can hardly see the difference. This is the effective efficiency of medicine. It is scientific, but it does not necessarily meet people’s imagination.

In other words, the data that minoxidil is clinically effective 65% does not mean that 65% of people feel that hair loss has been cured after using minoxidil, but that 65% of them have observed statistically Obvious changes, this change is not necessarily visible to the naked eye. If we visit these 65% of people, they may think that the drug is not effective at all, but the statistical result is effective. In fact, if people’s feelings are used as the criterion, the effective rate of minoxidil should be only 30%-40% (obvious changes visible to the naked eye), and this part of the results has been selectively filtered by the manufacturer.

Therefore, the power of Minoxidil may not be as magical as the readers imagined, but it is already excellent enough, and on this planet, there is no second safe and effective replacement for it. When it comes to drug effects, medical data is only a reference, not everyone.

Medical research can tell the world which drugs are universally effective, but it cannot be guaranteed to be specific to each individual. The best way to know the effect is always to practice. After practice, you will know that this drug can give you What a change.

Please note that the above experimental results were observed in in vitro hair follicle culture. This experimental data tells us that even if the influence of blood circulation is excluded, minoxidil can directly promote hair follicle growth. This experiment also proves the effect of minoxidil. The principle of germination is indeed more complicated than people think.

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