Dr. Howard Smith Oncall

Vidcast:  https://www.instagram.com/p/C6WrKMpLziz/ A medication in a foam and liquid form that a man or woman applies to the scalp when losing hair has been around for years.  This topical medication contains the drug minoxidil, branded as Rogaine. This topical minoxidil treatment is effective but can be messy, may yield spotty results, and may stop working in time.   Minoxidil can be given by mouth, and, in fact, oral minoxidil was developed as therapy for high blood pressure.  When it was used for hypertension, clinicians began to notice that many were experiencing hair regrowth and that’s how it came to be used for balding men and women. Dermatologists who treat hair loss recently gathered to hash out how to use oral minoxidil at a safe low dose when the foam treatment fails.  Their conclusions were recently presented to the annual scientific meeting of the American Academy of Dermatology.   They suggest safe but different dosing regimens for men and for women.  They caution that oral minoxidil should