I recently gave an interview to the NY Times about my experience with oral minoxidil and it has received a lot of media attention. This is for good reason, as oral minoxidil is one of the best kept secrets for the treatment of moderate to severe androgenetic alopecia, also known as male or female pattern thinning.
Unfortunately, many people reading this are not great candidates for oral minoxidil. That is because androgenetic alopecia is one of many types/causes of hair loss. Other very common forms of hair loss that would typically NOT respond to oral minoxidil (with some exceptions) include:
Alopecia areata
Traction alopecia (from use of extensions like braids, wigs, weaves, dreadlocks, etc)
Severe hair breakage/Acquired Trichorrhexis Nodosa. This is especially common in women with curly hair and I talk a lot about treatment and prevent in 90 Days to Beautiful Curly Hair
Hair Shedding/Telogen Effluvium
Central Centrifugal Cicatricial Alopecia (CCCA)
Lichen Planopiliaris/Frontal Fibrosing Alopecia
Additionally, severe male pattern thinning typically does not respond to oral minoxidil and requires a hair transplant for hair restoration. For women, general age related thinning over time where the scalp is not necessarily visible but maybe just your ponytail feels less full than it did when you were, say, 18, is also not the type of hair loss that would qualify or oral minoxidil. I talk more about tips for improving the appearance of fine hair in my first book, 90 Days to Beautiful Hair
The good news in, many people ARE candidates for this medication. Interested in learning more? Check out this video below: