Does minoxidil cause hair greying? A new study suggests the answer is 'yes'

26% of Patients Felt Minoxidil Causing Greying

Authors from Saudi Arabia set out to evaluate whether minoxidil can affect hair greying. They used two surveys: one given to patients and one given to dermatologists.

Patient Survey

The patient survey comprised 453 patients. 56.7% of patients were aged 18-24 and mostly female. 26% of patients felt that minoxidil caused hair greying, and 14.8% noticed other colour changes (such as yellow, orange, and light brown). Hair colour changes occurred within the first five months in about one-third of women, but many had more delayed colour changes. Patients using minoxidil for a longer duration and patients with a family history of greying were more likely to report hair greying.

Dermatologist Survey

In the second surgery, 57 dermatologists completed the survey. 60% of dermatologists reported that they observed hair greying after minoxidil use. 17% of dermatologists who saw grey hair felt that minoxidil was responsible for the greying of hair.

Conclusion

Overall, the authors proposed that prolonged use of minoxidil can cause hair greying, especially in those with a family history of greying.

I really enjoyed reading this study! Every day, I’m faced with numerous questions from patients. A common question is, “Do you think minoxidil is responsible for my greying of hair?” This study suggests that it very well could be!

It’s interesting to me that the product monograph for Rogaine states, “some patients have experienced changes in hair colour and/or texture with ROGAINE MINOXIDIL TOPICAL 2% SOLUTION, Men’s ROGAINE FOAM 5% or Women’s ROGAINE FOAM 5% use.”

What’s even more interesting to me is that the product monograph errs on the side of extreme safety in advising patients to stop using the product if this occurs.

This is not always practical, as some patients will lose hair if they stop! What the product monograph should say if truly the company feels patients should stop is “We advise patients to stop using the product if hair colour changes occur and accept the fact that they may experience hair shedding and hair loss from stopping”

More studies are needed to better understand this phenomenon and determine whether the current era of extreme popularity of oral minoxidil use will lead to more people noticing grey hair.

REFERENCE*

Alhayaza G et al. Topical minoxidil reported hair discoloration: a cross-sectional study. Dermatol Reports. 2023 Aug 10;16(1):9745. doi: 10.4081/dr.2023.9745. eCollection 2024 Mar 12.