Does the hair loss treatment Rogaine (Minoxidil is the active ingredient and generic name) cause wrinkles and accelerated aging? Can you imagine anything worse than trying to prevent hair loss, only to find out you’re permanently causing the formation of new wrinkles and dark circles under your eyes? I can’t! What a nightmare!!! I’ve been dealing with hair loss for about 8 years now, and while my hair loss was pretty stable, lately it’s getting worse and I’m back to freaking out about it constantly.
My hair loss issues and use of Rogaine
Here is my hair loss story, which I wrote a few years ago. I had tried 2% Women’s Rogaine a few years back, and used it twice a day for 8 months, but I didn’t see any improvement in my hair, so I gave up. I didn’t have any side effects from it, except for a flaky scalp. At the time I thought I was just experiencing chronic non-permanent hair loss (Telogen Effluvium) due to either a low thyroid, low iron, poor absorption of nutrients, or some other mystery reason. It’s crazy that I’ve been researching hair loss for so long and have seen countless doctors but none of them know anything.
Most recently, I’ve experienced thinning temples and I think my hairline is receding, so I’m starting to realize the fact that both of my parents have thin hair probably means I also have genetic hair loss (Androgenetic Alopecia). So last week I started on 5% Men’s Minoxidil (it should be safe for women if you are not pregnant, trying to get pregnant, or are nursing, but you should talk to your doctor first). Actually what I bought was Spectral DNC, which is like Men’s Rogaine, but it also contains Aminexil, Retinol, Copper Peptides, and some other ingredients that supposedly promote hair loss, and unlike Rogaine, it doesn’t contain alcohol. The alcohol in Rogaine caused my scalp to get dry and flaky. Ugh.
Since the day I started on the Spectral DNC, I’ve had a low-grade headache. Headaches are a possible side effect of Minoxidil, probably due to the fact that it lowers blood pressure. Even though you just spray Minoxidil on your head, the ingredients can be absorbed systemically to some degree. The fact that a topical solution is giving me headaches is a pretty good indicator of that. There are some other possible rare but severe systemic side effects from Spectral DNC, as well as from Rogaine. I was looking up when/if the headache would go away on Google, and I discovered all of these people talking about Rogaine causing accelerated aging, wrinkles, enlarged pores, dark circles, and bags under the eyes. OMG! The horror! Do I want to be bald or do I want a face full of wrinkles? I know thinning hair and massive wrinkles run in my family, so I definitely can’t rely on good genes to help me out.
Does science show Rogaine causes wrinkles?
I spent hours trying to track down scientific studies that show the link between Minoxidil and aging. Apparently Minoxidil can cause a degradation of skin’s collagen, which is what would probably cause the accelerated aging. From what I’ve read, the studies used a much higher concentration of Minoxidil than you would apply daily, and I haven’t found any studies that actually test applying topical Rogaine and studying the results on people’s skin. Skin problems are not listed as any of the side effects on the packaging of Rogaine or Spectral DNC. All I know is that a bunch of random people on the internet are reporting problems. Maybe these people are obsessed with their hair, like I am, and they now also spend more time looking at their faces in the mirror, and they just didn’t notice the wrinkles that have always been there, but I doubt that’s the case most of the time.
Now what?
Now normally I wouldn’t completely trust some random people on the internet, but what if it’s true??? The problem with wrinkles is that they’re really hard to get rid of. That’s why I spend so much time talking about prevention. Maybe your skin would improve a little bit if you stopped the Rogaine, but wrinkles are usually pretty permanent. I don’t know if I’m willing to take that chance?? But I don’t want to be bald either. When I was using the 2% Rogaine, I didn’t notice that I had an increase in wrinkles, but some days I’ll look in the mirror and think I look 50, while other days I think I look 25. But overall, I don’t recall a dramatic change. A lot of people don’t report the increase in skin problems for at least a year of use, though. With Rogaine, if it works, you need to use it forever or you will lose the new hair/thicker hair that you gained, so that’s a lot of potential wrinkles, if it really does cause them.
Conclusion
At this point I’m still freaking out and don’t know what to do. A rational person would quit the Minoxidil because of the headaches. But I’m not rational - I’m desperate for hair and nice skin. Maybe I will cut back to just once a day, even though the directions say you must use it twice a day. Maybe I will just test one very small patch of my hair for the next few months – just to see if it even works on my hair. If I don’t see any results, I will quit using it again. If I see results, then I’ll be at a crossroads – risk wrinkles for thicker hair? If the headaches never go away, I will probably have to stop using it anyway, or I may quit the Spectral DNC and pick up some 5% Rogaine to see if that reduces the headaches. Finally, when applying Rogaine, make sure to let it dry before geting into bed, to prevent it from getting on your pillow and then getting onto your face. Also make sure you wipe away any extra if it drips onto your forehead, and wash your hands with soap and water after applying the solution.
I know a lot of people don’t feel comfortable talking about hair loss because it’s so upsetting, but have you used Rogaine? If so, have you seen a negative impact on your skin? What are you doing to treat your hair loss?
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July 1st, 2010 at 8:26 am
I started using Rogaine a few months ago and haven’t noticed any wrinkles but you have be nervous. I haven’t noticed much new hair yet either but I know it can take a long time to see results.
July 1st, 2010 at 12:30 pm
Not sure if you’ve heard of it, but apparently massaging some essential oils into the scalp daily leads to hair growth…have you tried this? It seems to be pretty effective for some.
July 2nd, 2010 at 1:48 am
Hi, nice posting .. have you ever heard about green tea for hair loss problem ?
Green tea has been known for its ability to enhance health and lose weight. This natural anti-oxidant rich plant has lots of advantages for us. There are always new researches to find new advantages of green tea. Now the research on green tea has spread to the science branch of skin and hair. Now experts are researching on green tea for anti hair loss. Some of the results they found are that consuming green tea can aid to stop hair loss.
July 3rd, 2010 at 3:02 am
It is cool site. Eat a healthy diet. Hair is 95% protein and eating a diet with plenty of vitamins and proteins will not only make your hair look healthy but will help you to keep it.
July 3rd, 2010 at 8:37 pm
Have you tried looking at your diet. There are also other things like msm, horsetail, and biotin supplements that help not only with hair but your skin and nails as well. Do a bit a research.
August 24th, 2010 at 3:51 pm
I’ve heard green tea can help with hair loss as well as wrinkles, but something that I have discovered is the antioxidants, like blueberries, acai, and even tomatoes to help significantly with anti-aging. And for healthier hair I have never thought about diet, but just as it is with skin care, I am sure that will help. Thanks for the tips!
September 8th, 2010 at 2:42 am
Hi, I’ve been using Minox almost a year now, and it really helped. The first 3 months my hair was shedding a tons, but after that it grows nicely.
I also noticed dark circles under my eyes and I just found out after researching in the internet that it probably because of Minox
But, my dark circles is reducing now, because I’m using cream from my skin doctor (it contains some Pine Bark Extract, Vit. C, Vit. B5, and Dynalift) and a pack of ice in the morning.
If you ask me whether to have hair loss or wrinkles + dark eyes, I prefer the last, because the effect is not major, and you can always prevent that by using creams, botox, skin laser, etc…but Hair loss? only Minox that I know effective for my case. (I had used aminexil from Kerastase without much effect)
March 13th, 2011 at 12:53 pm
Have you ladies tried the foam formula. The foam formula does not contain propylene glycol which happens to be a skin irritant and can cause wrinkles as the greasy formula runs down your face. The foam is (http://www.answerbag.com/q_view/1936835) propylene glycol free and you can probably avoid the skin problems, not sure if you can stay away from the itchy scalp issue though.
March 13th, 2011 at 8:45 pm
Samuel,
I haven’t ever heard of propylene glycol causing wrinkles, but I know it does cause an allergic reaction for some people, so it’s good to know the foam version of Rogaine doesn’t contain that ingredient. From what I’ve read, it’s the actual active ingredient minoxidil, though, that is the wrinkle-causing culprit.
June 8th, 2011 at 4:04 am
After Minoxidil hair tonic my skins pores became enlarged and dark rings formed around my eyes. 2 years later and this is still there and wrinkles.
July 4th, 2011 at 4:16 pm
Be reassured: I have begun using topical Rogaine, and have looked into the details. The levels you get from topical use are much lower than the oral dose and are 2 ng/mL or lower (which = 0.0095 uMol/L) even at the 5% dose, and even with multiple daily applications. [Ref: AHFS Monograph, Medscape on Minoxidil topical pharmacokinetics]
Meanwhile, the minimum dose required to suppress lysyl hydroxylase in fibroblasts (the cells and enzyme it inhibits in collagen synthesis) is 25 uMol/L (Br J Derm 2004; 150, 186-194) or over 2600 times the blood concentration you develop.
Even very rare individuals who have abnormally high absorption through skin found to have 30ng/mL in the blood would still need 173 times the concentration they have to inhibit collagen synthesis in skin fibroblasts. And remember, skin concentrations outside of the area of application don’t have the level of drug found in the blood.
This is further evidenced by the fact that when dermatologists initially saw a few studies noting such collagen effects, it was theorized that direct application of minoxidil onto skin might help prevent scarring from collagen formation. Minoxidil failed to prevent such scarring from collagen formation, even where minoxidil was directly applied, because in part it is believed to inhibit a version of the enzyme which is not as critical to collagen cross linking in the first place. (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15908192)
July 28th, 2011 at 3:52 pm
I used Rogaine 5% foam and it ruined my face. I always had youthful skin, but this made my eyes puffy, my pores gaping, my skin haggard. I quit and I am looking much healthier again. It doesn’t happen to everyone. You won’t know until you try.
August 26th, 2011 at 3:13 am
Rogaine does affect your skin & cause Wrinkles on the face of a person.
September 11th, 2011 at 3:13 am
I used it for 4 or 5 months and I started to see serious bags under my eyes and my skin was not looking so hot. I quit yesterday. I’m now trying to get rid of the bags by using Vitamin E. I’m so mad about this shit because I never had bags under my eyes until I started using this garbage. They tell you all you get is a dry scalp but that’s not a lie. I knew it was too good to be true! Find another way to get your hair to grow back, cause using Rogaine is not worth it!
October 16th, 2011 at 12:40 pm
I tried 5% foam for six weeks when I did start noticing skin effects – suddenly I was developing wrinkles under my eyes and my skin didn’t look all that healthy. I stopped and those wrinkles went away. I decided to discontinue Rogaine. I wore a hairpiece instead. I wasn’t about to pay to look older and haggard.
December 5th, 2011 at 12:53 am
just shave your head.. the ladies love it..
December 12th, 2011 at 6:22 pm
After two months, I am noticing my skin looking a bit haggard. Skin around eyes has become a little saggy, and minor dark circles have formed. Im going to stop Minox. after I finish this last bottle and switch to Propecia.