Rogaine grows hair or keeps hair?

[ILikeMyHair]

I was just wondering if rogaine can grow hair or just helps keep the existing hair that you have. Does it work by blocking dht or some other mechanism? Does it make the weak hair strands thicker?

 

I was trying to find out if I should use it. Would it work on someone with traction alopecia? I lost my hair to traction alopecia by wearing a turban, but never tried using rogaine on it before. I took off the turban 7-8 years ago and was wondering if those hair I lost can still grow back? I also have some thin hair here and there, but I can't tell if that's from MPB or if everyone has a few hair that are weak. I noticed a few thin hair fell out when I was scratching the back of my scalp that's resistant to dht so from that I assumed that the few strands of hair at the top that are also thin are just natural and not from MPB.

[TakingThePlunge]

Rogaine (minoxidil) is not a DHT blocker. Therefore, it cannot slow the progress of androgenic alopecia in the way Propecia (finasteride) does. Instead, it can reinvigorate miniaturized hairs; making them darker, longer and more robust.

 

There is still some uncertainty regarding the mechanisms by which topical minoxidil works to regrow hair. However, it is a known vasodilator which means that it opens blood vessels allowing more blood to nourish the weakened hair follicles. It may also shorten the telogen (resting) phase and increase the anagen (growth) phase of the follicles.

 

Unfortunately, Rogaine is not a an effective treatment for hair loss due to traction alopecia. Given you stopped wearing the turban up to 8 years ago with no hew hair growth, it's clear that the damage is permanent and the only solution may be hair transplant surgery.