The only oral medication that has been proven to promote hair growth

The basis of treatment for AGA is oral medication.
Minoxidil is the only drug that has been proven to promote hair growth.
In this article, we will thoroughly explain the advantages and disadvantages of minoxidil.

・Minoxidil is an unapproved drug in Japan
As minoxidil is an oral medication that has not been approved in Japan, when you search for it online you find many negative reviews, which may give some people a negative impression of the drug.

Minoxidil dosage options
I think that there are actually quite a few people who are hesitant to take minoxidil when treating AGA because of the negative impression it has.
Without the correct knowledge, you may miss out on the opportunity to take a highly effective hair growth drug.Not taking the medicine based solely on negative images limits your treatment options, which I feel is a shame.

AGA Treatment Guidelines Rank A (topical medication)

・About topical minoxidil
There is evidence and the hair growth effect has been confirmed,The AGA Treatment Guidelines (2017) give it the highest recommendation rank of A.

・Differences between pharmacy and clinic prescriptions
Some drugs are classified as OTC drugs (over-the-counter drugs), which can be purchased at pharmacies without a prescription.The ones you can buy at pharmacies have low concentrations of 2% to 5%.Since the treatment is limited to certain conditions, if it does not suit your symptoms or progression, you may not feel any effect.
That point,The topical medications prescribed at the clinic are prescribed at the doctor's discretion depending on the progression of the symptoms, so we also handle high-concentration medications, allowing patients to take the medication at the optimal concentration for their symptoms.Therefore, it is likely that the treatment will be effective.

Oral medications are recommended at rank D. What are their effectiveness and safety?

Regarding oral medication, the AGA treatment guidelines recommend the leastIt is rated "Recommended Rank D," meaning it should not be done.

・Reason for recommendation rank D
It's not that oral minoxidil is "dangerous" or "ineffective," but rather that no clinical studies have been conducted on hundreds or thousands of people.Efficacy and safety yet to be determinedInsufficient evidenceThis has a strong implication that the company has decided to do so.
For these reasons, it is not yet recognized as a national procedure and is not considered something that should be done according to Japanese guidelines.

・Safety of oral minoxidil
However, when you look into the actual research papers, you can see that its effectiveness has been firmly proven, and from my own experience of looking at the many cases treated at our clinic, there has been virtually no one who has experienced serious side effects from using oral minoxidil, so I think it can be used with confidence.

You can find more information about oral minoxidil here.
 
Is it okay to use unapproved oral minoxidil?

Be careful when importing minoxidil for personal use

No matter how effective minoxidil is, there are some things you should be aware of.
That is, We do not recommend purchasing and using this product through personal import just because it is cheap.

It may not contain any active ingredients
This is because there is no way to be sure that medicines purchased through personal import contain only safe and effective ingredients.
It is common to hear actual stories of people who think that the medicine is not working as expected, but then find that it contains no active ingredients and never works, or that as soon as they switch from personally imported medicine to prescription medicine from a clinic, the medicine immediately works.

・May contain harmful substances
There is no guarantee that there will not be inferior products that contain harmful substances, which can be very dangerous.
Even if side effects do occur, there is a possibility that treatment will not be possible because it will not be known which ingredient caused the side effects, so caution is required for those who are considering treatment as well as those who are already taking personally imported medications of their own volition.

・Prescriptions at the clinic are safe
Get a prescription from the clinic for medicine with guaranteed ingredients,I think it is reassuring and safe to be in an environment where you can immediately consult about side effects.

Minoxidil Dosage

Many people who buy and take the medicine through personal imports, as well as patients who come to our clinic for consultation, are unaware that there are different dosages of oral minoxidil.Many people do not know the dosage of the oral medications they are taking.

- Prescribe different doses according to symptoms
The medications prescribed at clinics come in various dosage levels of 1mg, 2.5mg, 5mg, 10mg, etc., and can be prescribed according to the symptoms.
Generally, the higher the dosage of a medication, the more effective it is, but the risk of side effects also increases accordingly. Therefore, it is important to use the medication prescribed by your doctor in a way that balances side effects and effectiveness.

Along with the concentration you should take, the timing of taking it is also important, and we explain that here!
 
[Case Study of Thinning Hair Treatment] The Importance of Continuing to Take Oral Medication

What happens if you take more than the recommended dose?

What happens if you continue to take more minoxidil than the recommended dose?
If you take twice the amount at a time, will it be twice as effective? Not necessarily.
In any case, it is best to use a lower concentration for better effect, so we recommend that you consult your doctor first.

We have an article that goes into detail about the effectiveness and safety of different doses of minoxidil, so please take a look at that as well.
 
[AGA] Which one grows? Thorough comparison of 5mg vs 10mg minoxidil! [Thinning hair]

Is it okay to take minoxidil after hair removal?

・About taking minoxidil after hair removal is complete
We often receive questions such as, "I am removing hair from my beard and other areas. Can I use minoxidil?"
There's a contradiction in wanting to grow more hair, but also wanting to remove hair in certain areas.
From the conclusion,In areas where hair loss is complete and the hair follicles are already dead, new hair will not grow even if you take AGA medication.

-Taking minoxidil during hair loss
Even if it appears that hair removal is complete, if there are any vellus hairs remaining that are light in pigment and did not react to the hair removal machine, these will become darker and more pigmented due to the effects of the medication.
This may sound like a drug that cannot be used by people who have already had hair removal, but on the other hand, it can also be seen as an opportunity to get rid of any vellus hair that has not been completely removed and achieve complete hair removal, so some clinics recommend the use of minoxidil when hair removal is performed.
However, opinions on this matter vary among doctors, and you may be advised to stop taking the medication because it may reduce the effectiveness of hair removal.

This article explains minoxidil and hair loss.
 
Will minoxidil hirsutism return to normal?

Is your hair loss caused by AGA?

・What causes hair loss?
As mentioned above, minoxidil is an effective drug for AGA.
You're thinking about taking minoxidil because you're experiencing hair loss, but is AGA really the cause of your hair loss?
It is true that the majority of cases of hair loss are caused by AGA, but there are also cases where people believe they have AGA, but upon examination find that their hair loss is not actually caused by AGA.
Rather than assuming that thinning hair is simply AGA, it is necessary to check the cause.

・Causes of hair loss other than AGA
If the cause of hair loss is not AGA, then what is causing it?
There are many possible causes for thinning hair.

[Some examples of causes of thinning hair]
・Deterioration of the scalp environment
·Lifestyle habit 
- Caused by a major illness you have had in the past

The optimal treatment varies depending on the cause of hair loss, so please consult a specialist doctor for advice.
It is important to have your scalp checked and examined by a doctor as soon as you notice hair loss.

Summary

▼Benefits of Minoxidil
・The only AGA treatment drug proven to promote hair growth.
・Topical medications are recommended at level "A".
・Recommendation level for oral medication is "D"
The reason for the D rating is simply that there is insufficient evidence, but it is actually a safe drug that has hair growth effects.
-It can be used even if you have had hair removal, and some clinics recommend using it to get rid of any fine hairs that have not been completely removed.

Disadvantages of minoxidil
- Even if the effectiveness of a drug is recognized, if it is imported by an unknown person, not only will you not feel any effect, but there is also the risk of side effects occurring due to unknown ingredients.

To determine whether the cause of your hair loss is AGA, we recommend that you have a scalp diagnosis or be examined at a clinic and use the product in the dosage and schedule that best suits your symptoms.