Till today there are no cure for baldness, there are only treatments for hairloss. Since 1997, FDA has only approved 2 types of treatment known to be effective for hairloss, one of them is Finasteride (an oral treatment marketed under the name Propecia which requires prescription) and the other Minoxidil (an application which does not require prescription).
Usually men and women would rather be using Minoxidil treatment than using Propecia. This is largely believed to be because of the trouble required to visit the doctor, not to mention the emotional and psychological ordeal that one has to endure. In addition, Popecia is only know to be best effective for men and results suggests that it is less effective for women. But what really stops men from trying Propecia are of the fact that 1% of its users suffer from sexual side effects such as erectile dysfunction, breast development and decrease in libido etc.
Hence, Propecia versus Minoxidil, the preferred choice is Minoxidil.
Minoxidil was first used as an oral drug to treat persons with high blood pressure, however, an interesting side effect happened; it seems that Minoxidil was able to slow down balding process. Since then Minoxidil has been marketed under the brand Rogaine or Regaine as a topical application treatment to treat hairloss.
In recent years there are many manufacturers of Minoxidil around. Many of which are a lot cheaper than Rogaine/Regaine, one such brand is Provillus.
To treat hairloss for men the normal dosage is use of 1ml of 5% Minoxidil twice a day. And to treat hairloss in women the normal dosage is 1ml of 2% Minoxidil twice a day. Both Provillus and Rogaine carries 5% Monoxidil for men and 2% Minoxidil for women; the one defining difference between Rogaine and Provilus? Price!
Does Minoxidil have any side effects? As with any drug or medication, yes, there are. The most common is itchy scalp which results in dandruff from the scratching. However, not everyone experiences itchy scalp. Some of the other side effects usually reported are acne, hypotension, fast heartbeat, decrease sexual desire etc, this usually happens when the user exceeds the recommended dosage. Remember for safe use do not exceed the recommended dosage!
Concluding, Minoxidil definitely wins a hand up in the treatment of hairloss for now.
