Does oral minoxidil cover the entire scalp (beard? donor?)

[GHTJourneya]

It looks like oral minoxidil (2.5-5mg daily) is as efficient and effective as topical minoxidil (5-10% daily), potentially with some more side effects (low blood pressure in particular).

I used to apply minoxidil to my temples and my receding area. But I switched to oral minoxidil post-op and now I am wondering since I take a pill, is that equivalent to applying minoxidil to my entire scalp, including my donor area? If that is true, does oral minoxidil also promote beard growth?

 

[ciaus]

Yes it works wherever there are receptive hair follicles. I've noticed my beard and arm areas have gotten thicker and more dense. It doesn't happen all over though, like in my case I still don't have any back hair thankfully. And if you take the oral, or even apply the topical to your body long enough, it can convert the smaller vellus hairs into thicker terminal hairs permanently. Search for 'minoxidil beard' on youtube or google in general, guys that aren't even losing their scalp hair will take minoxidil just to thicken and fill in patchy areas on their beard.

[GHTJourneya]

I used to apply minoxidil on my beard, too. I remember having to wait for an hour after microneedling my beard so as not to make minoxidil go systemic
I am not sure if there are any concerns about oral minoxidil going systemic, for now it just looks perfect. I don't have to apply it and mess with my hair, it works on the entire scalp and beard, and taking a pill takes a couple of seconds, applying would take a good 2 minutes at the very least

[Rahal Hair Transplant]

GHT,

In theory, yes oral minoxidil will work everywhere you have hair so it’s the equivalent of applying topical minoxidil to the entire scalp (and body for that matter - more on that below).  That said, and I’ve said this before but I’m not really convinced that oral minoxidil is really all that effective.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not suggesting it’s not worth a try.  But the exact mechanism that makes minoxidil effective in regrowing hair is still unknown.  We know it’s a vasodilator and the fact that it can “stimulate hair regrowth” was accidentally discovered.

The question of how minoxidil stimulates hair growth remains.  If in fact the solution must make contact with the follicle by absorbing into the skin then I can’t imagine oral minoxidil would be overly effective.

Moreover potential side effects include unwanted hair growth in areas the solution is accidentally applied to. That’s why individuals (especially women) are encouraged to wash their hands after application and are usually careful not to get it onto their face and other areas of the body.  

Taking minoxidil orally means that there is no application control.  For us to think it only works on miniaturizing hair that’s impacted by DHT would be a bit naive.  So if it works, it may also thicken facial and body hair since no specific hair follicles are being targeted by a specific application. This may be a benefit to some and a hindrance to others  

Of course, the above are just my thoughts and something to think about. I’m not trying to persuade anyone not to take it, I just think people should be aware that there are additional things to consider if they are looking into taking minoxidil orally.

Best wishes,

Rahal Hair Transplant 

Edited May 23, 2022 by Rahal Hair Transplant