Hair Loss Advice

"Your Hair - YOUR Choice"

Rogaine and Propecia Compared - Is one for you?

Rogaine, containing Minoxidil, and Propecia, containing Finasteride, both are effective in stopping balding and regrowing hair, but neither work on everyone. One or the other may work for you. They both are popular choices to stop hair loss and regrow lost hair.

Both Propecia and Rogaine need to be taken continually or hair loss will return and hair growth stop and possibly get worse. Rogaine is available over the counter with no prescription. Propecia requires a doctor visit, trip to the pharmacy and prescription. Both are priced about the same around $60 per month.

A popular form of Rogaine is Provillus, which also contains natural substances such as herbs. Both Provillus for Men and Provillus for Women are very popular.

Propecia is taken in simple pill form once a day, while Rogaine is a topical foam or liquid that should be left on the scalp for at least four hours and contains alcohol and glycol which can irritate the scalp. Minoxidil also has an active chemical that is Nitric Oxide. No evidence was found that taking Viagra with Minoxidil is a health risk due to drop in blood pressure, but heart disease patients taking Nitrates are advised not to take Viagra.

Each one works on a different pathway in the body to prevent hair loss and promote hair regrowth. Minoxidil is a vasodialor increasing bloodflow to the hair follicle while Finasteride is a hormone regulator reducing the amount of DHT – dyhdrotestosterone, found only in men. Only Rogaine is available and safe for women. Propecia can not be used women at all.

Bald young men have often claimed their baldness is caused by high testosterone levels. This is true for some sufferers of male pattern baldness. There is also the old wives tale that wearing a baseball cap causes male pattern baldness. This is also true for some balding men. Studies have demonstrated that when hair follicles get clogged with dirt and sweat, the hair follicle is more likely to die than a freshly cleaned daily scalp not constricted by a sweaty cap or helmet. If you did not play sports or wear a baseball cap a lot in your youth and twenties, you are more likely to have high DHT and Propecia is recommended. If you were a an athlete or wore a baseball cap as a fashion statement, then you are more likely need the vasodilator Minoxidil found in the popular Rogaine.

Both Rogaine and Propecia can cause high blood pressure which may be more of a problem for older men. Both treatments have sexual side effects of decreased sex drive and impotence, but in a statistically insignificant amount of men in clinical trials. Propecia is teratogenic, meaning causes birth defects in male babies' sex organs in the womb during pregnancy, therefore women can not use Finasteride. Minoxidil can kill a cat if it gets in contact with the skin. Rogaine has a broader spectrum of reported side effects than Propecia.

So, which one is better for you? Since each drug affects the body and works on reversing hair loss in different ways, it does not make too much sense to compare and contrast the two most popular hair loss treatments on the market. So if you are experimenting with hair loss treatments, and Rogaine or Propecia does not work, you can give the other a try, with your doctors advice of course.