Does Minoxidil (Rogaine) Work for Frontal Baldness?

Minoxidil is a common hair loss treatment. It is the generic name for the active ingredient in one of the most well-known hair loss products: Rogaine. There are a lot of misconceptions and misunderstandings about minoxidil and what it does. This can lead to disappointment from patients expecting different results. One of the most common questions raised about minoxidil is whether is will treat frontal baldness.

What Causes Baldness?

There are many causes of hair loss. The most common and what people typically mean by “baldness” is androgenetic alopecia. This is the scientific name for male and female pattern baldness. Frontal baldness is most often caused by androgenetic alopecia.

Everyone loses hair every day. This is usually at a rate of 50 to 100 hairs per day. However, our hair follicles also regrow new hairs at a roughly equivalent rate. Androgenetic alopecia occurs when certain hair follicles no longer produce hairs, thus slowing down the overall rate. Eventually, the hair will thin and entire areas of the scalp may become bald.

One of the major mechanisms for androgenetic alopecia is the shrinking of hair follicles caused by dihydrotestosterone. Free testosterone in the scalp is converted into DHT by an enzyme called 5-alpha reductase. As the hair follicles shrink, the supply of nutrients and oxygen to them is cut off. Ultimately, this prevents them from growing new hairs.

Can Minoxidil Work on Frontal Baldness?

Although minoxidil can cause hair to grow anywhere, it is least effective on frontal baldness. Many users do not experience satisfactory improvements to their frontal baldness from using minoxidil.

Minoxidil is most effective in the vertex area, the transition point between the crown and mid-scalp. It can improve hair growth in other areas. However, this is typically to a lesser degree with the frontal region being the least affected.