Minoxidil is a common hair loss treatment that has been around for several decades. It was one of the earlier effective options for treating male and female pattern baldness. However, it is known to have side effects such as eye bags, dark circles and a puffy face. The good news is that you don’t have to settle for these unwanted results. There are better options available.
What Is Minoxidil?
Originally invented to be an ulcer treatment, minoxidil proved to be more effective as a vasodilator, a drug that causes blood vessels to open and improve flow. It was approved for testing as a drug for hypertension (high blood pressure). During these tests, minoxidil was observed to cause unexpected hair growth.
These results ultimately led to the substance being used as a treatment for hair loss. Although its mechanisms for increasing hair growth as not fully understood, it is believed that the medication increases blood flow to hair follicles. This helps to deliver key nutrients and oxygen to the follicles so that they last longer in the anagen (hair growing) phase of their cycle.
Today, minoxidil is best known for being the active ingredient in Rogaine. However, it is also used in dozens of other hair treatment products both as a generic and as a trademarked drug.
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What Are the Side Effects of Minoxidil?
There are several side effects associated with minoxidil. These include burning, stinging and redness at the site of application. It can also cause acne, rashes, facial hair growth and other side effects.
Although not common, minoxidil can cause several side effects associated with swelling of the face. These can include the following:
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Eye Bags: Swelling or puffiness below and above the eye. Although this can happen from other causes, minoxidil causes bags that are persistent and otherwise unexplained.
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Dark Circles: These dark spots under the eyes are blood vessels dilating. Again, this can be caused by issues such as poor sleep but may be the result of minoxidil use.
- Puffy Face: The entire face gets somewhat swollen. This is typically minor but can be persistent and unpleasant.
Other side effects may be more severe. They can include dizziness, drowsiness, swelling of the hands or feet, flushing and headaches. These are mostly associated with taking too much minoxidil. However, it does not require a dose significantly over the recommended amount to cause such issues.
Why Does a Hair Treatment Cause These Issues?
It may seem strange that a hair treatment would cause such severe side effects. The explanation is simple: minoxidil wasn’t developed as a hair treatment. As described above, it was almost total luck that it was determined to help improve hair retention and growth.
The substance was first intended to combat ulcers then tested as a drug for high blood pressure. Almost all the above side effects are related to its properties as a treatment for hypertension. By dilating blood vessels throughout the body, minoxidil causes issues such as light-headedness and swelling.
The eye bags, dark circles and puffy face are the results of blood vessels in the face becoming overly dilated. Obviously, the goal for a hair-treatment product is to affect the scalp around the hair vessels, not the face. While the side effects make sense when considering minoxidil’s history, they are unnecessary. There are better options available for tackling hair loss.
Are There Other Options?
Yes, there are alternative treatments that can help you to fight hair loss without having to struggle with the unpleasant side effects of minoxidil. At DS Laboratories, our recommendation is Nanoxidil. As the similar name implies, this substance works similarly to minoxidil but avoids the unpleasant side effects.
Nanoxidil also helps bring more nutrients to hair follicles to make them healthier and extend their anagen phase. Clinical tests of Nanoxidil have shown that it increases hair strength and hair growth in the majority of users.
The key advantage of Nanoxidil over minoxidil is that it has a lower molecular weight. This helps ensure that it is better-tolerated by users while still providing highly efficacious hair growth treatment. There are no known side effects of Nanoxidil.
Our Spectral.DNC-N product uses Nanoxidil as one of its main active ingredients. However, our unique formulation also includes other key ingredients such as copper peptides, adenosine, retinol, and caffeine that are also proven to improve hair growth.
Minoxidil was a relatively early forerunner in hair growth treatments. However, it was first developed in the 1950s. Times have moved on since then and so has the science. There are better options such as Nanoxidil.
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Spectral.DNC-N Vs. Rogaine (Minoxidil)
There are many reasons to choose Spectral.DNC-N over Rogaine or other minoxidil products. If you are searching for a way to take on your male or female pattern hair loss or alopecia areata, take a good look at Spectral.DNC-N. There is a lot to love about our product. See the comparison of the two here.
Treatment Area
Rogaine is most effective on the vertex area (top center) of the scalp. It also has some reported effects on the crown area (top back). However, it is ineffective around the hairline, the area where most people lose hair first. Additionally, it is only known to be effective in treating androgenetic alopecia (male and female pattern hair loss). Other types of hair loss do not appear to be affected by Rogaine.
Conversely, Spectral.DNC-N is effective at combatting hair loss and improving hair growth on the entire scalp. This includes the hairline. If you are losing hair along your hairline or on the crown, you will likely get better results from the DS Laboratories product. Additionally, Spectral.DNC-N is effective at treated hair loss from alopecia areata as well as androgenetic alopecia.
Ingredient Combination
Rogaine has only one active ingredient: minoxidil. This substance is effective to a certain extent. However, as mentioned above, it is far from perfect. Rogaine does not provide any benefits beyond the hair growth effects of this vasodilator.
Spectral.DNC-N has many more active ingredients. This includes substances that boost hair growth and health. Additionally, there are several ingredients that block dihydrotestosterone (DHT), one of the causes of hair loss.
- Nanoxidil
- Retinol
- Myristoyl Pentapeptide-17
- Azelaic Acid
- Adenosine
- Copper Peptide-1
- Caffeine
This combination of ingredients helps Spectral.DNC-N to offer a more complete hair loss treatment. If you are dissatisfied with your hair, this may be the solution for you.
Side Effects
As described above, minoxidil and Rogaine have numerous side effects. While some of the more severe issues are relatively rare, there is no reason to risk experiencing any of them. Choose Spectral.DNC-N. Nanoxidil does not have any known side effects.
Other Benefits
Rogaine can leave a greasy residue on the hairy and scalp. While this is a relatively minor problem, it is somewhat counterproductive to the goal of improving hair appearance. Conversely, Spectral.DNC-N is water-based. That means it is not greasy and almost impossible to notice other than the new hair growth.
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At DS Laboratories, we are committed to helping people like you find better solutions for hair health. We only use scientifically-backed ingredients in our line of products for treating hair loss. Place your order for Spectral.DNC-N today and choose the superior option for taking on your hair loss problems.