Author: Dr. William Rassman

Hello Dr,

Im 25 and have recently suffered hair loss on my crown. I have been using Minoxidil 5% to try and control it and it has worked quite well but my scalp gets quite itchy and spotty. Also people are commenting on my eyes, the lids appear thicker and there are lines appearing around my lower eyelid. I have mild acne scaring around my temples but this seems to have flared up and the skin pores enlarged. Do you think this is something that will go away in time or should I stop using this medication? thanks

Some people do develop facial changes with minoxidil. For example, women have reported increased facial hair growth when they use minoxidil somewhat frequently. As for lines under your eyes, some might be quick to point out that we’ve posted messages from readers in the past that suggested they had premature wrinkles caused by using minoxidil. There was a study on rats from years back that showed minoxidil use was inhibiting collagen production, but I don’t know of any study that shows that is the case in humans. For what it’s worth, I’ve never heard complaints about wrinkles being caused by minoxidil from any of my own patients.

It’s possible that what you’re experiencing is simply an allergic reaction to one of the ingredients in the medication, causing your puffy eyes. You could try stopping the minoxidil for a week and see what happens to the changes in your eyes. There is very little risk in stopping it for up to 2 weeks.

I am on finasteride for 4 months. I think I suffer side effects. I would like to know how ‘real’ these side effects are, so actually ‘test’ the side effects.

Therefore, what if I stop for 2 weeks?
– would side effects go away in 2 weeks, so can I feel a difference in that time?
– would a stop of 2 weeks hurt my hair?

Reason for this: I just want to know what if side effects are psychologically or if they are ‘real’.

I suppose you could try it. To be thorough, I’d talk to your prescribing doctor before you make any changes to your medication.

In two weeks, I doubt that you will lose the benefit of taking the finasteride over the past 4 months. The side effects should be gone by then (I’m not sure which side effects your experienced or how quickly you saw them), unless there is some psychological reason for them to persist.

Hi doctor, I used oral finasteride for many years but never stop my MPB progress and give me hard side effects. So after stopping the drug, i started with topical finasteride and after 3 months it appears to me that there is regrowth and including the temples (a tough place to get results).

I believe that topical finasteride reduced much more topical DHT than oral, so that neither produces more sebum on the scalp. Why even prescribe oral finasteride giving serious side effects, if topical is much better?

In the United States, I am not aware of an FDA approved form of topical finasteride. If there was a topical form of this drug sold commercially, the FDA would have to review it for safety and effectiveness, which would likely take years before coming to market. Unless you’re buying a compounded topical lotion or shampoo from a licensed pharmacist, anyone today who is claiming to supply a topical finasteride is violating the FDA regulations and would be open to FDA sanctions or prosecution.

I don’t know what you’re using (brand or dosage), nor do I know of its safety or effectiveness. That said, the reason I prescribe oral finasteride as opposed to a topical is that the oral is a prescription drug that is available for sale in any pharmacy. I don’t know of any topical finasteride sold here. If you’re outside the US, the rules may be different… but I’m a US-based physician.