Hair loss is a serious problem that we need to handle as quickly as we can because when they are already severe, it is going to be hard to restore those lost hair back or to grow them again. In the market, we can use various products to deal with the issue such as Rogaine vs Finasteride. Both of them are very popular if not the two most well-known today but, if you wonder which can work better for you, go check our article below to see more information.
In this article, we are going to give you information about:
– Are you currently looking for a solution for hair loss
– What are Rogaine and Finasteride
– Who can use Rogaine and Finasteride
– How Rogaine and Finasteride Work
– What are the Side Effects of Rogaine and Finasteride
– How to use Rogaine and Finasteride
– Rogaine vs Finasteride
Hair Loss Solution
Human lost their hair everyday and it is actually a common thing or very normal since we have a growing and falling phase in our hair life, so when you see an amount of hair in your comb, it doesn’t mean that you need a hair loss treatment yet. So, what and how exactly to know when to start looking for a solution. In general, people lost about 50 to 100 hairs per day since we have around 100000 hairs on our scalp.
When you see an increasing amount on this fallen hair or you start seeing that your scalp is getting thinner and exposed the skin, now is probably the time to start looking for an effective solution. Many of us starting with some hair tonic or hair strengthening products ranging from shampoo and similar treatments and they do works when you just want to strengthen the root or prevent more hair from falling yet, they are not enough when you have male or female pattern baldness.
This is because there is an underlying issue happening on the inside that we need to address carefully to prevent the condition from getting worse. As you may already know, male/female pattern baldness which also called androgenetic alopecia is caused by an androgen known as DHT that is like a byproduct of testosterone. While this hormone is prominent in male, it is actually present in both sexes so not only male, female may also suffer from the same problem as well.
While many people are fine and have no similar reaction like losing hair caused by DHT, those who are genetically susceptible to this androgen are in risk of losing their hair due to how their hair follicle reacts to it. DHT itself is known to cause a miniaturizing hair follicle that made hair to fall from scalp, producing thinner and less pigmented hair then finally shrink hair follicle completely and not able to produce new hair, ending up balding the entire scalp.
For this problem, since there is still no cure to eliminate the issue completely, there are few medication we can use to prevent the condition from getting worse called Finasteride and Minoxidil. Of course both of them are the name of the medication but in the market they can go with various names depend on the manufacturer; the most popular being Propecia vs Rogaine. Propecia is a brand for Finasteride while Rogaine is brand of Minoxidil but, in this article, we are going to focus on Rogaine and Finasteride.
About Rogaine and Finasteride
Rogaine and Finasteride are the two medication we are often prescribed when going to physician to handle hair loss due to androgenetic alopecia but they are available as an over the counter medication as well, so getting them without prescription is quite easy in various countries while some may still need a professional recommendation to purchase. Rogaine is a brand of Minoxidil manufactured by Johnson & Johnson and for those living in UK, they are known as Regaine there but is still made by the same manufacturer.
At the other hand, Finasteride is an analogue of androgen steroid hormones which is used to treat people with androgenetic alopecia to reduce the amount of androgen. The name they can go in the market can vary since they are marketed by different brands; the most popular and inventor being Propecia developed by Merck with several other generic brands out there with a more affordable price point yet have similar chemical or active ingredients as the original medication.
Rogaine and Finasteride Usage
Since Rogaine is a brand, they are offered in various version for both men and women that you can check on their homepage. This brand is currently offering two types of products or Minoxidil medication for their customers in both foam and liquid version. As for the men version, they are using 5% Minoxidil on both foam and liquid but for women version, they use 2% for the liquid and 5% for the foam bottle; both measures are already approved by FDA and Health Canada.
For Finasteride, it is a little different since this medication is not approved to be used by women due to the severe side effects since they can cause damage to fetus. This is also why in many package of the medication, there is warning that they are meant to be used only by men. As opposed to Minoxidil which is applied topically, Finasteride mostly comes in tablet form and drank following the dose or how your physician recommended.
Rogaine and Finasteride Science
Rogaine is a Minoxidil medication and this is actually already present even before the other have been developed, making it the only treatment used to deal with androgenetic alopecia in the past. Originally, they are first available in a pill form with a brand name Lonited and widely used to treat high blood pressure. However, researchers also found an interesting side effects of this medication from people who consume it which is hair growth in unexpected places such as cheek and the back of their hands.
At that time, researches had the notion that applying Minoxidil topically in people’s scalp might grow hair on the balding areas and it did on various degrees depend on how severe the hair loss. While they succeed to help people gaining their hair back, this medication is not addressing any of the initial issue at all since the ingredient itself is a vasodilator and they only help hair follicle to maintain its size or increasing them to prevent the hair to fall and manage the new hair longer.
This is very different from what Finasteride is doing because this medication is addressing the DHT production in our body. As it has been mentioned above, this is an analogue of androgen and it is working as an inhibitor of 5 alpha-reductase which is the enzyme that plays a role in converting testosterone into a more potent androgen called dihydrotestosterone or DHT. With the reduced amount of DHT in our body, there will be less hair fall as well and we can even get our hair back.
This medication, like Minoxidil used in Rogaine is also originally not used to treat hair loss since in this case it is used to treat enlarged prostate with a brand name Proscar. When on trials with some men suffering from prostate problems, researchers noted an intriguing side effect which is hair growth. At that time, Finasteride is already approved by FDA to treat enlarged prostate in men and Merck decided to pursue the possibility of developing them into a medication to treat male pattern baldness.
Rogaine and Finasteride Side Effects
Before taking any medication, it is important to also consider about the side effect because we need to be prepared to experience them in case we are not suitable and see if there is any effects we can’t afford to have. For Minoxidil treatment like Rogaine, they are pretty safe to use and currently have no serious effects when applied topically. The common side effects mentioned are burning and stinging sensation or redness on place where you apply the solution.
For Finasteride, the effects is more serious because the medication comes with impotence, loss of interest in sex, trouble having an orgasm, abnormal ejaculation, swelling in hands or feet and even breast, dizziness, headache or weakness side effects. For women, while some physicians do prescribed their patient with the medication, the side effects can be severe and not safe for pregnant or those who plan to conceive in near future. This is because the medication can cause fetus malformation especially on the sex organ of male fetus.
Using Rogaine and Finasteride
To achieve your desired result, medication should be consumed routinely or applied as recommended. Rogaine is supposed to be applied twice a day for men and once a day for women, half a capful for the foam version and apply directly to scalp then massage it to promote better absorption. As for Finasteride, the dose is commonly 1 mg per day and a tablet with the same amount need to be consumed once a day or as your doctor recommended.
Comparison
Now, let’s compare Rogaine with Finasteride. As you may already know, Rogaine is a brand to sell Minoxidil hair loss treatment while Finasteride is a generic name to call a medication to help dealing with the problem from their source. Both of them are working differently and used in different way as well. Rogaine will enlarger and maintain your hair follicle size while Finasteride will reduce the amount of DHT from the inside to reduce hair loss. Additionally, Rogaine is topical medication while Finasteride is oral.
Rogaine vs Finasteride
| Rogaine | Finasteride |
|---|---|
| - Applied topically | - Taken orally |
| - Enlarged hair follicles | - Reduce DHT |
| - For men and women | - For men |
Conclusion
All in all, the decision is all yours to make since we may have different preference. In our opinion, Finasteride is better since they address the problem from the inside to reduce DHT but if you are a women, make sure to ask your physician first before using this medication since the side effect can be severe or use Rogaine which is mostly safer than Finasteride.