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Minoxidil (liquid/foam)

Minoxidil (liquid/foam) is a medication that promotes hair growth in the area where it is applied. It's used on the beard area by transmasculine people to promote the growth of thicker, darker facial hair, and on the scalp area by transfeminine people for the same reason.

In most countries, minoxidil (liquid/foam) is available over the counter, and is not a prescription drug. Minoxidil is not a hormonal medication or an antiandrogen (Patel et al., 2023).

Key points

  • Promotes the growth of thicker, darker hair in the area it is applied to
  • Not a hormonal medication
  • Safe for humans, but extremely toxic to animals

Dosing

Minoxidi (liquid/foam) is a liquid or foam that is usually applied to the beard area (Marinelli et al., 2024) or the scalp to improve hair thickness in that area.

It is most commonly applied twice daily, but is still very effective when used only once daily. (Blume-Peytavi et al., 2016).

Risks & management

Minoxidil (liquid/foam) is extremely toxic to dogs and cats. It can kill them even in amounts as small as a drop or a lick (Tater, Gwaltney-Brant, & Wismer, 2021).

Minoxidil (liquid/foam) usually has minimal side effects in humans, but can sometimes cause unwanted hair growth elsewhere on the body. The odds of this increase when minoxidil is used in large amounts, or applied imprecisely (Desai et al., 2024). Because it contains alcohol, it can also sometimes cause minor dry skin, dandruff, and irritation. (Johnson & Johnson, 2015).

Minoxidil (liquid/foam) is sometimes marketed in variants "for men" and "for women." Often, the variant "for women" is less strong and therefore less effective, but priced the same. Either variant is safe to use regardless of gender (Wehner, Nead, & Lipoff (2017)).

Interactions

Minoxidil (liquid/foam) has minimal interactions with other drugs.

Other information

Minoxidil (liquid/foam is also called "Rogaine", "Regaine", or simply "min" or "minox".

See also

References

  • Blume-Peytavi, U., Shapiro, J., Messenger, A. G., Hordinsky, M. K., Zhang, P., Quiza, C., Doshi, U., & Olsen, E. A. (2016). Efficacy and Safety of Once-Daily Minoxidil Foam 5% Versus Twice-Daily Minoxidil Solution 2% in Female Pattern Hair Loss: A Phase III, Randomized, Investigator-Blinded Study. Journal of drugs in dermatology : JDD, 15(7), 883–889. [PubMed]
  • Deesha D. Desai, Ambika Nohria, Anna Brinks, Carli Needle, Jerry Shapiro, Kristen I. Lo Sicco. (2024). Minoxidil-induced hypertrichosis: Pathophysiology, clinical implications, and therapeutic strategies. JAAD Reviews, 2(41-49), 2950-1989. [DOI:10.1016/j.jdrv.2024.08.002]
  • Johnson & Johnson. (2009). Women’s Rogaine: Highlights of prescribing information. [PDF]
  • Marinelli, L., Bichiri, A., Cagnina, S., Castella, L., Ghigo, E., & Motta, G. (2024). Efficacy of topical minoxidil in enhancing beard growth in a group of transgender assigned female at birth individuals on gender affirming hormone therapy. Journal of endocrinological investigation, 47(11), 2843–2850. [DOI:10.1007/s40618-024-02373-8]
  • Patel, P., Nessel, T. A., & Kumar D, D. (2023). Minoxidil. In StatPearls. StatPearls Publishing. [PubMed]
  • Tater, K. C., Gwaltney-Brant, S., & Wismer, T. (2021). Topical Minoxidil Exposures and Toxicoses in Dogs and Cats: 211 Cases (2001-2019). Journal of the American Animal Hospital Association, 57(5), 225–231. [DOI:10.5326/JAAHA-MS-7154]
  • Wehner, M. R., Nead, K. T., & Lipoff, J. B. (2017). Association Between Gender and Drug Cost for Over-the-Counter Minoxidil. JAMA dermatology, 153(8), 825–826. [DOI:10.1001/jamadermatol.2017.1394]