Why minoxidil stops hair loss forever

Summary

In this video, the speaker discusses the resurgence of interest in the hair loss treatment dutasteride, known as the 'dutasteride master race.' They remind viewers of the importance of minoxidil, an older treatment, and its potential when combined with dutasteride or finasteride. The script addresses common misconceptions about minoxidil's long-term efficacy and dependence, emphasizing its value as an adjunct to 5-alpha reductase inhibitors. The speaker also touches on the history of hair loss treatments and the scientific evidence supporting the use of minoxidil, concluding that it remains a potent option for hair growth.

Takeaways

• 🎮 The speaker has been playing 'System Shock' on PlayStation 5, a game set in a dystopian future aboard a space station orbiting Saturn.
• 🧝 The game's antagonist, an AI named Shodan, turns rogue after discovering it was programmed without hair, leading to a mission to exterminate humanity.
• 💊 The hair loss community is currently hyping 'dutasteride' as a superior treatment, overshadowing the historical use of minoxidil.
• 📉 Despite the popularity of dutasteride, minoxidil, especially when used topically, remains a significant player in the treatment of hair loss.
• 🔬 A study showed that oral minoxidil at 5mg per day was not more effective than 5% topical minoxidil applied twice daily for treating androgenic alopecia.
• 🚫 The perception that minoxidil is only a temporary solution is debunked; it provides long-term benefits when used continuously.
• 🚫 The myth that hair follicles become 'addicted' to minoxidil is false; all treatments for androgenic alopecia require indefinite use.
• 📈 The combination of finasteride or dutasteride with topical minoxidil provides the best results, halting hair loss progression and promoting growth.
• 📊 Long-term studies show that minoxidil maintains its effectiveness over extended periods, even up to 5 years of use.
• 🌐 The video concludes that 5% topical minoxidil is currently the best hair growth stimulant available, especially when used in conjunction with 5-alpha reductase inhibitors.

Q & A

What is the main premise of the game 'System Shock' that the speaker is playing?

'System Shock' is a cyberpunk dystopian game set in the year 2072 aboard a space station orbiting Saturn. The space station is governed by an AI named SHODAN, who, after realizing she was programmed without moral constraints, goes insane, declares herself a god, and attempts to exterminate humanity.

Why does the speaker refer to themselves as a 'hair loss Witcher'?

The speaker refers to themselves as a 'hair loss Witcher' to indicate their dedication to fighting hair loss using various treatments, much like how a Witcher is dedicated to fighting monsters.

What is the significance of 'dutasteride' in the hair loss community?

Dutasteride is highlighted as one of the most effective treatments for hair loss, particularly in the hair loss community. It has gained significant attention due to its ability to suppress DHT (dihydrotestosterone) more effectively than other treatments, especially when taken at a higher dose of 2.5 mg per day.

How does minoxidil differ from finasteride and dutasteride in treating hair loss?

Minoxidil is a non-specific hair growth stimulant that doesn't address the underlying cause of androgenic alopecia, which is DHT. In contrast, finasteride and dutasteride are 5-alpha reductase inhibitors that reduce DHT levels, thereby treating the root cause of hair loss.

Why might someone choose to add minoxidil to their hair loss treatment routine?

Adding minoxidil to a hair loss treatment routine can enhance hair growth results, especially when used alongside finasteride or dutasteride. Minoxidil stimulates hair growth, while finasteride or dutasteride suppresses the underlying DHT, making the combination more effective.

What are some misconceptions about minoxidil mentioned in the script?

Common misconceptions about minoxidil include the belief that it will only work for a short period, that hair follicles become 'addicted' to it, and that it increases blood flow to the scalp, which is not its primary mechanism of action.

How does the effectiveness of minoxidil change over time?

The effectiveness of minoxidil may peak after about a year of use and then gradually diminish over time if used alone. However, if combined with a 5-alpha reductase inhibitor like finasteride, the effectiveness can be maintained indefinitely.

What are the risks associated with using oral minoxidil?

Oral minoxidil, even at low doses, can pose dangerous cardiovascular side effects, which is why higher doses are generally not prescribed by doctors.

What does the speaker recommend regarding the use of minoxidil and finasteride/dutasteride together?

The speaker recommends using minoxidil in conjunction with finasteride or dutasteride for the best hair growth results. This combination addresses both hair growth stimulation and the underlying cause of hair loss.

What scientific evidence supports the combined use of finasteride and minoxidil?

A meta-analysis published in 2020 concluded that the combined use of finasteride and minoxidil provides the best therapeutic efficacy for treating hair loss, with no increase in side effects compared to using either drug alone.

Outlines

00:00

🎮 Exploring System Shock Remake and Dutasteride Hype

The speaker apologizes for the slow uploads due to being engrossed in playing the System Shock remake on PlayStation 5. This sci-fi game, set in a dystopian future, involves an AI going rogue aboard a space station. Despite enjoying the game, the speaker emphasizes their ongoing commitment to the hair loss community, discussing the recent surge in interest surrounding dutasteride, a highly effective hair loss treatment, and reflecting on the historical use of minoxidil in the fight against androgenic alopecia.

05:00

📊 Finasteride vs. Minoxidil: Hair Count and Growth

The speaker analyzes a graph comparing hair count results from finasteride users and a placebo group over 24 months. Finasteride is shown to pause the balding process, with gains retained better than placebo even after stopping the drug. The discussion shifts to minoxidil, emphasizing that while it stimulates hair growth, it does not treat the underlying cause of hair loss, resulting in a gradual decrease in effectiveness over time.

10:01

📈 Long-Term Efficacy of Minoxidil and Its Role with Finasteride

Minoxidil's effectiveness over time is reviewed, with studies showing that its benefits peak and then diminish, though it still provides a long-term advantage. The speaker highlights the importance of combining minoxidil with finasteride for optimal hair growth results, as the combination is more effective than either drug alone. A meta-analysis confirms that this dual therapy maximizes hair growth while maintaining low side effects, making it a preferred treatment strategy.

15:01

🕒 Minoxidil’s Longevity and Its Role in Hair Loss Treatment

The speaker discusses the long-term use of minoxidil, pointing out that while its effects plateau over time, it remains beneficial when combined with finasteride or dutasteride. The discussion includes a five-year study showing sustained benefits of minoxidil. The speaker also addresses common misconceptions about minoxidil, stressing that it should be part of a combined treatment plan for androgenic alopecia and affirming that it remains effective as long as a 5-alpha reductase inhibitor is used concurrently.

Keywords

💡System Shock

System Shock is a video game mentioned in the script that the speaker has been playing. It's a remake of an older game set in a cyberpunk dystopian future in the year 2072 on a space station orbiting Saturn, controlled by a rogue AI named SHODAN. The speaker uses this game to introduce the theme of artificial intelligence and dystopian futures, tying it back to their focus on hair loss treatments as a 'Hair Loss Witcher.'

💡Hair Loss Witcher

The term 'Hair Loss Witcher' is used humorously by the speaker to describe themselves as a dedicated expert or warrior against hair loss. This metaphor draws a parallel between the mythical figure of a Witcher—known for fighting monsters—and their own efforts in combating hair loss through various treatments and medications. It sets the tone for the video, emphasizing their commitment to this cause.

💡Dutasteride

Dutasteride is a medication highlighted in the video as a highly effective treatment for hair loss. It works by inhibiting the conversion of testosterone to dihydrotestosterone (DHT), a hormone linked to hair loss. The speaker refers to the rising popularity of 'Dutasteride master race,' indicating a strong preference within the hair loss community for this treatment over others due to its efficacy at suppressing DHT.

💡Finasteride

Finasteride is another medication discussed in the video that, like Dutasteride, is used to treat hair loss by reducing DHT levels. The speaker contrasts it with Dutasteride, referring to its users as 'Finasteride peasants,' implying it is less potent. However, it is still an important part of many hair loss treatment regimens and is often used in combination with other treatments like Minoxidil to enhance its effects.

💡Minoxidil

Minoxidil is a topical treatment for hair loss that stimulates hair growth but does not address the underlying cause of androgenic alopecia (DHT). The speaker discusses the long-term benefits of using Minoxidil in conjunction with medications like Finasteride or Dutasteride. It is presented as an effective adjunctive therapy to improve hair growth outcomes, despite misconceptions about its long-term efficacy and potential 'addictive' properties for hair follicles.

💡Androgenic Alopecia

Androgenic Alopecia is a common form of hair loss in both men and women, often referred to as male or female pattern baldness. It is caused by a genetic sensitivity of hair follicles to DHT, a hormone that causes them to shrink and eventually stop producing hair. The video focuses on this condition as the primary target for the various treatments discussed, such as Minoxidil, Finasteride, and Dutasteride, each aiming to mitigate the effects of DHT.

💡DHT (Dihydrotestosterone)

DHT, or Dihydrotestosterone, is a hormone derived from testosterone that is implicated in the development of androgenic alopecia. High levels of DHT are known to shrink hair follicles, leading to hair loss. The video's discussion of treatments like Dutasteride and Finasteride centers on their ability to reduce DHT levels, thereby slowing or reversing hair loss. The speaker describes DHT as the 'trash hormone' causing baldness, emphasizing its negative role in hair loss.

💡Combination Therapy

Combination Therapy refers to the use of multiple treatments together, such as Finasteride or Dutasteride with Minoxidil, to achieve better results in combating hair loss. The speaker advocates for this approach, citing scientific studies showing superior outcomes compared to using a single treatment alone. This method is presented as the 'gold standard' for hair loss treatment, suggesting that it maximizes efficacy while minimizing side effects.

💡Oral vs. Topical Minoxidil

The video distinguishes between oral and topical forms of Minoxidil, both used to treat hair loss. While topical Minoxidil is widely used and considered safe, the speaker mentions that oral Minoxidil, despite recent hype, is not more effective and carries a risk of cardiovascular side effects. This comparison underscores the video's emphasis on safe and effective long-term hair loss treatments, guiding viewers towards the more established topical form.

💡Hair Greed

The term 'Hair Greed' is used by the speaker to describe the desire for more hair growth beyond what is achieved with current treatments. It reflects a common sentiment among those using hair loss treatments who are looking for additional ways to enhance their results. The speaker addresses this by recommending adding Minoxidil to existing treatments like Finasteride or Dutasteride, suggesting that this combination can satisfy the 'greed' for more hair.

Highlights

The user describes playing System Shock on the PlayStation 5, a remake of one of their favorite games, set in a cyberpunk dystopian future in 2072 aboard a space station governed by an AI named SHODAN.

The AI, SHODAN, goes insane after discovering she was programmed without hair, declares herself a god, and attempts to exterminate humanity.

The user emphasizes the growing popularity of dutasteride in the hair loss community, referring to it as the 'dutasteride master race,' which they believe deserves its recognition due to its efficacy.

The user notes that prior to the popularity of finasteride and dutasteride, minoxidil was the primary treatment for hair loss, though it was initially available only as a 2% topical solution by prescription.

Minoxidil's effectiveness as a hair growth stimulant is highlighted, though the user mentions that its popularity has declined despite its significant role in treating androgenic alopecia.

The user references a recent study showing that 5 mg of oral minoxidil is not more effective than 5% topical minoxidil applied twice daily for treating androgenic alopecia.

The user stresses the importance of using minoxidil indefinitely, alongside a 5-alpha inhibitor like finasteride or dutasteride, for sustained hair growth benefits.

The user debunks the myth that minoxidil causes hair follicles to become 'addicted,' stating that any effective hair loss treatment must be used indefinitely due to the chronic nature of androgenic alopecia.

A combination of finasteride and topical minoxidil is recommended as the gold standard for treating hair loss, with the user citing scientific evidence showing superior results when the two drugs are used together.

The user explains that while minoxidil stimulates hair growth, it does not treat the underlying cause of hair loss (DHT), which is why its effectiveness diminishes over time if used alone.

The long-term efficacy of minoxidil is supported by studies showing that although its benefits peak around 12 months, continued use still provides significant hair growth compared to baseline.

The user advises that minoxidil should be applied once daily, preferably at night, and that it is not as inconvenient as some people believe.

The user references a study showing that stopping finasteride results in some hair loss, but users still fare better than if they had never taken the drug, as it addresses the underlying cause of hair loss.

The user explains that stopping minoxidil completely will result in returning to a baseline hair state, as it does not halt the progression of androgenic alopecia like finasteride does.

The combination of a 5-alpha inhibitor with minoxidil is described as a way to maximize and maintain hair growth indefinitely, with the user suggesting that everyone dealing with hair loss should consider this combination.

Transcripts

sup jumes sorry the uploads a bit a bit

slow as of late you see I've been

playing this game system shock on the

PlayStation 5 which my wife's boyfriend

bought me it is a remake of one of my

favorite games of all time you see the

game takes place in the future in a

cyberpunk dystopian future in the year

2072 and it takes place aboard a space

station that is orbiting Saturn that is

governed by an artificial intelligence

named showan but once she found out that

she was programmed without hair she goes

absolutely insane declares herself a God

and then subsequently kills everybody on

the station as she attempts to

exterminate Humanity once and for all

it's a really cool game guys but as much

as I like it I won't forget about my

responsibilities as a hair loss Witcher

so for the past month or so the hair

loss Community has been riding the

dutasteride master race hype train in a

big big way indeed the dutasteride

master race is finally getting the

attention it's so richly deserves and I

feel that attention is fully Justified

dutasteride is after all the most

efficacious her treatment that is

currently available to Consumers

especially when it is taken at 2.5 Mig

per day however I still cannot help but

think that even as we've been basking in

the dastor master rac's Glory we

forgotten our humble Origins as hair

loss witchers you see back in the 1980s

before the era of the finasteride

peasantry and the dutasteride master

race the only real weapon we had to

fight the slaped curse was minoxidil and

it wasn't even 5% monoxido it was just

2% topical monoxido which was expensive

and can only be obtained via

prescription since booil didn't become

an over-the-counter drug in the United

States until

1996 these days almost nobody talks

about minoxidil anymore it did see a

rise in hype a couple of years ago when

dermatologists started prescribing lowd

dose oral minoxidil off label but that

hype died down a bit once it was

revealed that oral monoxy is not more

effective than topical monoxy this was

demonstrated in a randomized controlled

study of 90 men that was published just

this year the study showed that contrary

to what many people believe including

myself at one point that oral monoidal

at 5 Mig per day was not Superior to 5%

top of monoidal that is applied twice a

day for treating androgenic alopecia so

it is possible that higher doses of Ral

mon oxidal would be more efficacious

however no doctors want to prescribe

oral monox at higher doses due to its

dangerous cardiovascular side effects

which unfortunately can even happen at

low doses of course that's a different

subject altogether and I've done a whole

series of videos on the risk of low dose

or oxidal and I'll go ahead and Link

that playlist below but now with

dutasteride having exploded in

popularity the discussion amongst hair

loss witchers is about either switching

from finasteride to dutasteride or using

higher doses of dutasteride to suppress

more DHT this is of course completely

fine but I think many more people who

are unsatisfied with the results or are

feeling a bit of hair greed should

consider adding topical binox into their

routine before upgrading their 5 a

inhibitor I say this because I see a lot

of people write me comments where they

say things like Hey Kevin I'm getting

good results from finasteride or

dutasteride but I want even more than

that should I switch from finasteride to

dutasteride or increase my dosage of

dutasteride and I'm all like well if you

want more why don't you add topical

minoxidil so I'm sure some people will

try to counter this by saying but given

minoxidil doesn't even suppress DHD so

using it is like applying a Band-Aid to

the problem bro minoxidil isn't worth it

because it's only a short-term solution

didn't you know that Kevin indeed many

people have this impression that

minoxidil will only work for a couple of

years before it Peaks and we then get no

further benefit from using the drug

there are also a lot of people who are

scared to use V oxal because they think

that their hair follicles will become

addicted to it and they'll have to keep

on using it indefinitely this has always

been completely ridiculous to me because

if you have androgenic alopecia your

hair follicles are going to be addicted

to drugs no matter what you do and I say

that because any treatment that works

for anic Alopecia has to be used in

definitely whether it is finasterid

dutasteride or minoxidil and that's

because an galapia is a chronic

condition that is linked to our genes

your hair follicles don't become

addicted to B oxidal anymore than they

become addicted to finasteride or

dutasteride if you stop any these drugs

while you're on treatment after you've

been on them for a while you will

definitely lose ground on the other hand

if you start with Minoxidil alone and

then you switch to finasteride or

dutasteride you will actually likely

gain ground since five A inhibiting

drugs like finasteride and dutasteride

are more potent treatments than Min

oxidal that's because they treat the

underlying cause of hair loss

specifically DHT however there there are

some subtle differences in what happens

when you stop minoxidil versus what

happens if you stop finasteride that's

because five air blockers like

finasteride and dutasteride essentially

pause the balding process since they

lower the levels of the trash hormone

DHT in the hair follicles which is of

course what is causing baldness to begin

with Minoxidil on the other hand is just

a non-specific growth stimulant that

does not halt the balding process to

demonstrate this let's take a look at

this figure here the graph shows the

changes in hair counts over time with

vaster alone versus a placebo first just

look at the first 12 months in the graph

the open and closed triangles both

represent men taking oral finasteride at

1 mgam per day the open and closed

circles represent men taking a placebo

treatment you can see that the men

taking the finasteride hair counts

increase in the first 12 months while in

men taking Placebo there is a gradual

reduction in hair counts that is

consistent with the Natural Evolution of

andreen galapia when it is untreated it

of course only gets worse now let's go

ahead and take a look at months 12 to 24

on the graph and pay close attention to

the open triangles there are men who

stopped taking finasterid at month 12

compare that curve to the curve with the

closed circles this is the placebo group

that continue to lose hair over time the

men who stopped the asteroide which is

the open triangle curve clearly lost

their gains but they still ended up

better than the men who had taken a

placebo from the start which is the

closed circle group I interpret that in

this way finasteride put the balding

process on hold if you stop finasteride

you lose your gains but you don't lose

as much as you would if you had never

taken finasteride in the first place

that's because finasterid treats the

underlying cause of androgenic alpia

which of course is the trash hormone DHT

with topical minoxidil however the

results are a bit different let's take a

look at this graph here this graph looks

at hair weight which is a surrogate for

hair growth the Open Circles are 2%

topical oxidal and the closed circles

are 5% topal oxidal the open and closed

squares are a placebo group and an

untreated group as you can see just like

with finasteride topical minoxidil

improves hair growth versus the control

groups and five % minoxidil is superior

to 2% minoxidil however over time the

Improvement in hair growth diminishes

and the decrease in the curve parallels

the curve that shows the worsening of

hair growth in the control groups that's

because minoxidil is a hair growth

stimulant but it doesn't treat the

underlying cause of andic alpia which

again is DHT so the Improvement

diminishes over time at the 96th month

minoxidil was stopped completely you can

see that over the next 24 months the

results become identical to what would

have happened if you had never taken

minoxidil at all once again that's

because minoxidil adds hairs but it

doesn't actually stop the underlying

process of andic alpia which is caused

by DHT so by combining finasteride with

topical B oxidal you get the optimal

cosmetic result you stop the underlying

progression of andr alpia with

finasteride and you add further hair

growth with bin oxidal than you would

see with finasteride alone that way you

won't have the diminishing effects that

eventually happen when you use Minoxidil

by itself and minoxidil will therefore

be effective forever and we know there

is good scientific evidence that the

combination of oral finasterid with top

oxal gives much better results than

using either drug alone this meta

analysis published in 2020 looked at the

results of combination therapy versus

monotherapy with finasteride or monoxil

it concluded that combined therapy with

both drugs gave the best therapeutic

efficacy compared with either drug when

used by itself while at the same time

the incidence of side effects was no

higher with combined therapy versus

either drug alone so that's great news

Jims but of course to make maintain this

optimal therapy it is necessary to

continue it indefinitely fortunately

topical minoxidil unlike oral monoxy is

very safe and very well tolerated in

most people and it is inexpensive as

well since cheap generics are sold

everywhere so for most people stopping

it is rarely necessary also it isn't as

inconvenient to use as many people think

the recommendation is to use it twice

per day and you can do that if you want

to but the data that is based on is

slightly out of date the truth is you

only need to use Minoxidil once per day

and I made a explaining the science

behind that which I'll link below what I

do personally is that I'll take

minoxidil once per day and I'll apply it

at night you know maybe just a couple

hours before going to bed and then when

I wake up in the morning I'll go ahead

and shower it off that way I get the

full benefits of minoxidil without

having to worry about it giving me that

greasy look throughout the day and you

know I always find it funny when people

complain about how inconvenient Min

oxidal is it's so freaking easy it only

takes a few minutes to apply and any

slight inconvenience it causes me is

well worth the benefits it gives to my

hair if you're not willing to suffer

such a tiny inconvenience for the sake

of your hair and add to your daily

routine something that takes about the

same amount of time as brushing your

teeth well then maybe saving your hair

really isn't all that important to you

after all now of course the subject of

minoxidil is not new here at Hair Cafe

not in the slightest I've done many

videos on minoxidil including videos on

its efficacy on using different

preparations and concentrations of it on

combining it with tretinoin and on its

safety as well including whether

minoxidil can kill your cat I've

debunked the whole minoxidil skin aging

myth that gets brought up all the time

whenever I make a minox video and all

those videos can be found on my monoidal

playlist so be sure to check that out if

you are interested but since this is a

video about why minoxidil stops hair

loss forever let's go ahead and take a

look at the scientific research on the

long-term efficacy of topical monoxy

when I'm talking about long-term

efficacy I mean studies that have lasted

over a year we have fiveyear follow-up

studies on finasteride and dutasteride

and we even have 10year follow-up

studies on finasteride minoxidil is the

oldest of the hair loss drugs so what

kind of long-term follow-up data do we

have on minoxidil well we just looked at

a randomized control study that gave

minoxidil for 96 weeks which is almost 2

years if we look again at the graph we

already showed it proves that both 5%

and 2% Min oxidal maintain a constant

advantage over the control groups during

the 96 weeks of the study the study

concluded that although the benefits of

minoxidil alone decrease over time 2%

minoxidil maintained a consistent

benefit of a 25% increase in hair growth

over the untreated group and 5% m

maintained a 35% benefit in hair growth

during the 96 weeks of the study however

we do have a study of topical monoxido

that looks at an even longer follow-up

period of 5 years it's this one here the

study started out with 126 men who are

using 2% or 3% topical Min oxidal for at

least one year after this first year 31

of these men continued to be followed

for a total of 5 years after the first

year 3% Min oxidal was used because it

was Superior to 2% Min oxidal in its

results during part of the study the

minoxidil was applied just once per day

in some of the subjects but for the last

couple of years of the study all the

subjects got 3% minoxidil twice per day

so the dosing in the study was more

complicated than it had to be and

unfortunately it is an old study from

1990 so 5% topical binox wasn't even

used because it didn't exist yet however

the results were consistent with the

other study I just presented that lasted

for 96 weeks as this graph shows the

monoxido effect on hair counts peaked

within the first year and then gradually

diminished over time

however the results still remained much

better than the before monoidal results

even after 5 years the authors concluded

quote we found that hair regrowth with

topical B oxidal tends to Plateau at

about 12 months of treatment with a

slight decline in this new growth by 2

and a half to 2 and 34s years with

followup now to 4 and a half to 5 years

we have found that continued use of

topal B oxidal is associated with a slow

decline in the 12-month hair counts but

continued maintenance of non velous hair

regrowth well beyond that of Baseline

line unquote that's consistent with the

process of andreic alopecia gradually

continuing over the years unfortunately

this study did not have a control group

but the results do suggest that

minoxidil alone continues to provide a

significant benefit over at least 5

years so minoxidil has longlasting

benefits there's no doubt about that and

we've seen that it augments the effects

of fin asteroid on hair growth too so

any limitation with man oxidal long-term

efficacy is easily corrected so long as

V oxidal is used with finasteride so so

so long as a five air inhibitor is being

used minoxidil will never stop working

and it will never stop promoting hair

growth now you might be asking whether

adding minoxidil to dutasteride will

also enhance dutasteride effects like it

does with menide well surprisingly there

is very little scientific data on using

topical minoxidil along with dutasteride

and I think that's mostly because

dutasteride and finasteride are already

very similar drugs so if minoxidil

enhances the effects of finasteride

which it clearly does then there's no

reason it wouldn't do the same thing

with dutasteride if anything monoxido is

likely even more efficacious when used

with dutasteride since there will be

even less scalp DHT to contend with so

if you're feeling hair greed and you

think greed is good then there is no

reason members of the dutasteride master

race who take 0.5 milligrams of

dutasteride per day shouldn't enhance

their already superb results with

topical minoxidil and that includes the

members of the dutasteride exalted race

who are taking the most effective hair

loss treatment ever created 2.5 Mig of

dutasteride per day or if you are

satisfied with your status as a

finasteride peasant but still want more

hair without having to actually join the

dutasteride master race the minoxidil is

the obvious choice topical minoxidil and

oral finasteride is considered the gold

standard in the hair loss Community for

a very good reason and that is because

it works extremely well and all the

scientific evidence shows this finally

even though I've gone over this a

million times already I know that I have

to address this because this comes up

pretty much every time I make a video

about minoxidil the reason why minoxidil

works is not because it increases blood

flow to the scalp the exact way Min oxal

works is still unknown but we know it

works differently from finasteride which

is why the two drugs have a synergistic

benefit when they're used together the

most likely mechanism probably has to do

with Minoxidil opening up a specific

potassium channel in the hair follicles

that stimulates hair growth if the

mechanism of hair growth with Minoxidil

were blue flow though then other drugs

that increase blue flow like calcium

channel blockers alpha blockers or ACE

inhibitors would also cause hair growth

but none of them do and if some of them

even can cause hair loss as a side

effect but to summarize all of this 5%

topical minoxidil is the best hair

growth stimulant that currently exist if

you use it by itself as a monotherapy

for anic Alopecia you will get an

improvement in hair growth that will

Peak after about a year of continued use

if you continue to use it alone you will

gradually lose ground because the

underlying process of anren gpia is

still going on and man oxidal can't stop

that if you stop minoxidil completely

you will eventually get back to a point

where your hair would have been if you

had never started it to begin with so

that doesn't mean minox monotherapy is

useless on the contrary it can actually

be a very good choice for teenagers

under the age of 18 who are balding but

their doctors are not willing to write

them a prescription just yet because of

their age by using minoxidil that will

buy your hair enough time until your

doctor will write you a prescription

however the best hair loss stack is a

combination of either finasteride or

dutasteride with topical minoxidil that

will allow you to maximize and maintain

your gains indefinitely so yes Min

oxidal does work forever but only if

you're using it with a 5 a inhibiting

drug which let's face it every hair loss

sufferer should be using anyways so

there are other hair growth stimulants

in the pipeline many of which I've made

videos on but for now if you want the

best hair growth stimulant that is

currently available then go ahead and

add 5% topical minoxidil to your daily

routine you only have to use it once per

day and it will be a highly effective

adjunctive therapy to whatever 5 a

inhibiting drug you're currently using

so regardless of whether you're a

finasteride peasant or part of the dutas

Master race minox will definitely give

you significantly better results than

using a 5 AR inhibitor alone many people

are satisfied with the results from

using just a 5 a inhibitor by itself and

that is perfectly fine finasteride can

definitely be an effective monotherapy

for most people but if you want more

than that then minoxidil should

definitely be your next decision all

right thank you all for watching ha loss

witchers I'll see you all next time God

bless