Side effects of Minoxidil
Topical minoxidil helps men and women with genetic hair loss (also called androgenetic alopecia) and is formally FDA approved for treating hair loss. If you have another kind of hair loss, it might not work or not as well. Minoxidil must be used forever if individuals are using for genetic hair loss.
Side effects can not all be listed here, but include:
- headaches
- dizziness
- heart palpitations
- hair growth on the face (in 5% of users)
- shedding in months 1-2
- irritation
- allergy (rare)
- swelling in the feet
Other side effects are possible but rare. Minoxidil must never be used by women during pregnancy.
This article was written by Dr. Jeff Donovan, a Canadian and US board certified dermatologist specializing exclusively in hair loss.