Minoxidil is a common hair loss treatment. It is the generic name for the active ingredient in one of the most well-known hair loss products: Rogaine. There are a lot of misconceptions and misunderstandings about minoxidil and what it does. This can lead to disappointment from patients expecting different results. One of the most common questions raised about minoxidil is whether is will treat frontal baldness.
What Is Frontal Baldness?
Frontal baldness is, as the name suggests, hair loss at the front of your hair at the top and sides. A receding hairline is the first stage of frontal baldness. However, it can continue beyond a clear hairline until the point of complete baldness.
In many cases, the hair over the temples will recede most dramatically first. However, the whole hairline typically recedes simultaneously, although at different rates. Men are more likely to experience frontal baldness.
What Causes Baldness?
There are many causes of hair loss. The most common and what people typically mean by “baldness” is androgenetic alopecia. This is the scientific name for male and female pattern baldness. Frontal baldness is most often caused by androgenetic alopecia.
Everyone loses hair every day. This is usually at a rate of 50 to 100 hairs per day. However, our hair follicles also regrow new hairs at a roughly equivalent rate. Androgenetic alopecia occurs when certain hair follicles no longer produce hairs, thus slowing down the overall rate. Eventually, the hair will thin and entire areas of the scalp may become bald.
One of the major mechanisms for androgenetic alopecia is the shrinking of hair follicles caused by dihydrotestosterone. Free testosterone in the scalp is converted into DHT by an enzyme called 5-alpha reductase. As the hair follicles shrink, the supply of nutrients and oxygen to them is cut off. Ultimately, this prevents them from growing new hairs.
How Does Minoxidil Treat Hair Loss?
Minoxidil is not so much a treatment for hair loss as a hair growth product. It helps treat baldness by encouraging hair follicles to grow new hairs.
The mechanism of how minoxidil works is not fully known. Scientists believe that it works by opening up the blood vessels (it is a vasodilator) in the scalp causing new nutrients and oxygen to flow to the hair follicles. This helps to get them to grow new hair.
It isn’t truly treating the causes of baldness. However, it helps your scalp to achieve or exceed the equilibrium of hair growth to hair loss.
Can Minoxidil Work on Frontal Baldness?
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Can Minoxidil Work on Frontal Baldness?
Although minoxidil can cause hair to grow anywhere, it is least effective on frontal baldness. Many users do not experience satisfactory improvements to their frontal baldness from using minoxidil.
Minoxidil is most effective in the vertex area, the transition point between the crown and mid-scalp. It can improve hair growth in other areas. However, this is typically to a lesser degree with the frontal region being the least affected.
What Are the Drawbacks of Minoxidil?
Beyond its questionable efficacy at treating frontal baldness, minoxidil has some other drawbacks. It was not originally created as a hair loss treatment. Therefore, it has some unintended side effects.
For example, it can cause dizziness and drowsiness. It can also cause flushing, scalp irritation and temporary swelling. Some users experience excessive growth of hair on areas other than the scalp, particularly the face.
Some more serious side effects also occasionally occur. These can include chest pain and rapid weight gain. However, these are not very common.
In addition to having side effects, minoxidil is also greasy. It can leave unpleasant residue on the scalp. Some formulations are a little better than others for this. However, it is not something patients need to settle for anymore.
Are There Better Options?
Yes, there are better options. Minoxidil was first invented in the 1950s. There have been significant strides forward in treating hair loss since then.
Many men and women achieve better results with Spectral.DNC-N. The main ingredient in this is Nanoxidil, a superior vasodilator. There are also other active ingredients that provide additional benefits for hair growth. These are a few of the ways that Spectral.DNC-N treats frontal and other types of baldness:
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Boost Hair Growth: The treatment includes a 5% solution of Nanoxidil which opens ion channels in the scalp, revitalizing hair follicles and improving hair growth. It also helps prolong the anagen phase. Lysophosphatidic acid also helps improve growth by enhancing cellular regulation. Adenosine is a clinically-proven ingredient that reduces inflammation, helping hair follicles grow stronger. Copper peptides, another ingredient, repair cell damage and stimulate growth.
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Improve Hair Health: Retinol and Myristoyl Pentapeptide-17 both help your follicles grow healthier hairs. Although the main mechanism of androgenetic alopecia is hair loss from unhealthy follicles, weak and easily broken hairs are also factors. Spectral.DNC-N treats both issues.
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DHT Blocking: As mentioned above, DHT is one of the main causes of baldness. Spectral.DNC-N contains two DHT-blocking ingredients. When applied topically, caffeine is clinically shown to reverse the effects of DHT. Additionally, azelaic acid is a proven 5-alpha reductase inhibitor. It helps prevent DHT from damaging your hair follicles.
- No Side Effects: Unlike minoxidil, Nanoxidil has no known side effects. Its low molecular weight helps your scalp tolerate it more easily. This both provides a better patient experience and prevents irritation of the scalp, further improving hair growth.
Better yet, Spectral.DNC-N is delivered in a water-based formula. That means that it is non-greasy and easier to use.
Studies show that Spectral.DNC-N treats hair loss across the entire scalp including the hairline. It can also be effective for alopecia areata, another form of hair loss. Overall, it is a superior treatment option compared to minoxidil.
Order Today From DS Laboratories
Don’t settle for hair loss or outdated treatments from the 50s. Instead, choose Spectral.DNC-N from DS Laboratories. This more modern treatment option will help deliver better results, especially for treating frontal baldness. Also, take a look at the rest of our catalog of hair health products. DS Laboratories is here to help you take control of your hair loss. Place your order today.