Is Minoxidil the same as Finasteride?

Minoxidil and Finasteride are two different forms of treatment that are often used together to treat male pattern hair loss. These are two of the only medications clinically proven effective against hair loss and could have a big impact on the hair on your head. But how different are Minoxidil and Finasteride?

How are Minoxidil and Finasteride different?

Minoxidil and Finasteride are entirely separate medications that play different roles within your hair loss treatment. Minoxidil, coming in the form of a 5% topical solution, increases blood flow to the scalp, which in turn provides crucial oxygen and nutrients to damaged and shrunken hair follicles on your head. Using Minoxidil is easy too - simply apply 1ml of the solution to the affected areas of your scalp (usually your crown or temples) twice a day, once in the morning and once in the evening. Don’t forget - the scalp should be dry before application.

In contrast to Minoxidil, Finasteride comes in the form of a tablet, which must be taken once a day over a few months to make an impact on your hair. The medication works by blocking the production of DHT - a hormone that is the biggest cause of hair loss in men. For those with a sensitivity to the hormone, DHT binds to hair follicles, which causes them to become thinner and eventually die. Finasteride acts as a counter to this process, by binding to DHT and, therefore, stopping DHT from harming your hair follicles.

Can you use Minoxidil and Finasteride together?

Yes - in fact, using them together can potentially enhance the effectiveness of your hair loss treatment in the long term. As Finasteride blocks the impact that DHT can have on hair follicles, Minoxidil will work to increase the blood flow to these damaged follicles, providing them with vital nutrients. When used together, Minoxidil and Finasteride are more than the sum of their parts.

While our treatment plans feature Minoxidil and Finasteride, our Topical Spray combines the two medications to great effect. Simple and easy to use, this Topical Spray acts as the perfect alternative to men who don’t want to take daily tablets (or for whom oral Finasteride is not suitable) to combat hair loss. The spray should be used twice a day and applied to the areas of your scalp that are suffering from hair loss. All you have to do is spray these areas and allow it to absorb into your scalp. While the spray will start to work almost immediately after the first application, you should start to see signs of improvement after three months of consistent use and peak results after nine. Whilst oral Finasteride is well studied and is the preferred solution, research suggests that topical finasteride could be as effective.

You can check out our customer testimonials for both our oral and topical products here.

It’s easy to keep a stiff upper lip and go ahead with life business as usual, but your hair loss doesn’t have to be like that. Interested in doing something about your hair loss? Take a look through our Hair Loss Treatments online at Sons today.

All of our blog articles are reviewed by our Medical Director before publication.