Questions – Rogaine

Are the products from the Rogaine Minoxidil series always available?
– Yes, all Rogaine Minoxidil products are available year-round without interruption (except on official holidays)

How long can I use Rogaine Minoxidil?
– Most people, about 70%, suffer from hereditary genetic hair loss that cannot be cured. These people can use Rogaine Minoxidil for many years, often for life. The remaining 30% can stop Rogaine after 6-9 months and keep the achieved growth. For them, causes of hair loss are numerous but not hereditary. If hair starts falling a few months after stopping Rogaine, this signals that your hair loss cannot be stopped except by Rogaine, and you will have to restart using it. While using it, you will always have thick, dense hair.

How does Rogaine foam differ from the dermal solution?
Foam was created because a small percentage of men have sensitive scalp skin that reacts to the liquid form with redness and itching. Foam does not cause such effects, even if your scalp is sensitive. Both forms contain 5% minoxidil.

Why does it take 2 months to see results?
Why does it take 2 months to see results after using Rogaine Minoxidil?

Hair traditionally doesn’t grow very fast. But often, results are visible within the first month.

Ingredients of Rogaine Minoxidil
Rogaine dermal solution for men:
Active ingredients: Minoxidil 5% w/v
Inactive ingredients: alcohol, propylene glycol, filtered water

Rogaine foam for men/women:
Active ingredients: Minoxidil 5% w/v (without propellant).
Inactive ingredients: butane, butylated hydroxytoluene, cetyl alcohol, limonene acid, glycerin, isobutane, lactic acid, polysorbate 60, propane, filtered water, SD alcohol 40-b, stearyl alcohol

Rogaine dermal solution for women:
Active ingredients: Minoxidil 2% w/v
Inactive ingredients: alcohol, propylene glycol, filtered water

Foam or lotion for beard thickening?

Long-term experience shows clearly that Rogaine foam is more effective for restoring and thickening beard hair.

Is Rogaine different from other similar minoxidil-containing products?

Rogaine’s successful formula is also guaranteed by auxiliary ingredients that expand the hair follicle and allow the active ingredient minoxidil to penetrate in a larger and more effective dose. This makes Rogaine a more successful product and market leader.

Does Rogaine make hair greasy like other minoxidil products?
Unlike other imitation products, Rogaine Minoxidil does not make hair greasy and it does not look unwashed.

What is the difference between Regaine and Rogaine?
Rogaine and Regaine are the same product with the same formula intended for different markets. (Regaine, known in Bulgaria as “Regain,” is the trade name in some Central and Southern European countries — in Finland, Sweden, and Norway “Regaine” is known as “Rogaine”). Buying Rogaine saves you 40-50% off the product price while getting the same high Johnson & Johnson quality.

What role does aging play in hair thinning?
Hair loss in men can start at the end of teenage years and almost half of all men experience hair loss after fifty. The percentage increases every decade with age.

In women, menopause means a decrease in estrogen production. This reduction in estrogen in turn thins the hair shaft.

Is there a way to determine if I am genetically predisposed to hereditary hair loss?
If you have a family history of hereditary hair loss, there is a test that can assess the risk of hair loss before you have lost any amount of hair. A test called HairDX is a good tool for young men and women who have a family history of hair loss and want to be proactive in addressing the problem.

If you find that you are genetically predisposed to hereditary hair loss, you have a chance to take timely measures.

Can thyroid disorders or hormonal imbalance cause hair loss?
Hypo- and hyperthyroidism can lead to thinning of the hair shaft. It is important to work with your doctor to treat these hormonal imbalances to restore thyroid hormone levels to their normal values. Once the cause is addressed, hair loss usually subsides.

Can the sun (UV) damage hair?
No, the sun will not cause additional thinning of the hair shaft, but it is a good idea to protect your scalp from the sun with a hat or sunscreen.

This is especially important for those with thinning hair. Protect your hair and scalp from the sun, as UV exposure makes hair more fragile. Look for hair care products with UV protection and wear a hat when in direct sunlight to prevent scalp burns.

Can medications cause hair loss? If so, which are associated with hair loss?
There are a number of medications that can cause hair loss. The most common include:
• Blood thinning medications
• Antidepressants (especially Prozac, Lexipro, and Zoloft)
• Medications containing chemotherapeutic agents
• Prolonged use of steroids

To determine if your hair loss is due to medications, you should consult your doctor. Your doctor may decide whether you can change your prescribed medications.

I noticed my hair thinned after pregnancy.
Similar to ‘crash’ diets, temporary hair loss (another form of Telogen Effluvium) is common after pregnancy. Usually, hair loss begins a few weeks after giving birth, and after 3-4 months, the growth cycle restarts. However, if you have postpartum hair loss combined with hereditary female hair loss, your hair may not grow back as thick as it was before the temporary loss.

Are there effective vitamins for hair?
Vitamins are important for overall health and, in a broader sense, for hair health as well. There are many hair vitamin products on the market, but taking good daily multivitamins is the most effective way to support stronger and healthier hair.

Biotin is often cited as a natural way to promote healthy hair growth. While biotin may strengthen hair fibers, it cannot slow down or stop hair loss. In fact, most benefits of biotin are related more to nails than hair.

Are there recommended foods to promote and maintain healthy hair?
It is always in your best interest to maintain a balanced diet. Hair is about 95% protein, so a high-protein diet can help promote healthy hair, especially if you have a protein deficiency. Look for foods such as fish, eggs, beans, and yogurt.

Dr. Robert Leonard
Answering your questions is Dr. Robert Leonard, founder and chief surgeon of Leonard Hair Transplant Associates, specialized in hair restoration surgery for more than 23 years.

I lose large clumps of hair every day. What can I do?
This hair loss may be due to an autoimmune condition called alopecia areata, where people lose a large portion of their hair in a short period.

Alopecia areata is different from hereditary hair loss. This type of hair loss is so severe that active intervention is recommended.

What hair loss is considered normal?
Most people lose between 50-100 hairs a day, which is considered normal hair loss. This is compensated by new hair growth through three phases: anagen (growth phase), catagen (transitional phase), and telogen (resting phase).

Daily loss of about 150 hairs is considered significant hair loss. If you start noticing more hairs than usual in the shower drain, on your pillow, or in your hairbrush, this may indicate hair loss and/or thinning.

Can poor nutrition cause hair loss?
Radical weight loss diets can indeed cause reactive hair loss.
However, reactive hair loss (Telogen Effluvium) is different from hereditary hair loss. Hereditary hair loss is the most common form of hair loss and accounts for the majority of cases in both men and women.

Telogen Effluvium is a limited and temporary hair loss that resolves on its own. Generally, hair loss lasts about 3-4 months with an additional 3-4 months for hair to return to its previous appearance.

Other conditions that can cause Telogen Effluvium include anemia, pregnancy, general anesthesia, and trauma.

If you have Telogen Effluvium but also hereditary hair loss, your hair may not regrow as fully as it was before the temporary loss.