Is Minoxidil Permanent? Here’s How Long Results Will Last

Many wonder, Is minoxidil permanent? Do you have to keep using the medication to maintain your new hair growth? The short answer: It’s not permanent unless you keep using it.

Think of minoxidil as exercise for your hair: If you stop going to the gym after a year, you’ll see a backslide in your gains, regardless of the progress you’ve made. Likewise, results from minoxidil will continue to be visible — unless you stop using it.

That’s because the benefits of minoxidil happen with consistent use. After using minoxidil for a few months, you may start noticing a fuller hairline and thicker-looking hair. But because humans are complicated (read: weird), it’s often when we start seeing progress that we want to stop doing the very thing that helped us get there.

Here, we’ll explain how minoxidil works, its permanence, how long you can expect to see hair gains, how to help your new hair stick around, and how to make the most of the medication.

Topical minoxidil (sold under the brand name Rogaine^®), the most common form of minoxidil for treating male pattern baldness (androgenetic alopecia), is an FDA-approved medication that is applied directly to the scalp twice daily to help with hair regrowth.

Oral minoxidil isn’t typically taken to grow hair, as it is FDA-approved to treat high blood pressure (hypertension). However, it’s sometimes prescribed off-label for hair loss. Off-label use is when a medication is prescribed for something it’s not FDA-approved for.

While it’s been used for over 35 years as a hair loss treatment, researchers still aren’t entirely sure exactly how minoxidil works — but they do know that it does work.

Here’s what we know about how minoxidil works:

• For starters, minoxidil is a vasodilator, meaning it widens blood vessels and increases blood flow to the scalp.

• When blood vessels dilate, blood and oxygen flow to the scalp, helping to encourage hair growth.

• Minoxidil also increases the size of hair follicles, leading to thicker hair.

• Studies show that minoxidil shortens the telogen phase of the hair growth cycle (when the hair is at rest) and extends the anagen (growth) phase. This means each hair has more opportunity to grow from the scalp and become longer.

Minoxidil is primarily used on the head. But with the stamp of approval from a healthcare provider, it may also be applied to the eyebrows, eyelashes, beard, or other facial hair.

Topical minoxidil is an over-the-counter product, so you don’t need a prescription to buy it. We offer minoxidil liquid solution and minoxidil foam, both at 5% strength.

In short, not exactly. When you start using hair loss medication, you may not realize you’re entering into a long-term (and hopefully very fulfilling) relationship.

So then, is minoxidil permanent if you keep using it?

Results (or “gains” in the internet forum parlance) from minoxidil are permanent as long as you continue applying the medication as directed.

Minoxidil needs to be used consistently as prescribed to maintain results. Any gains will be lost once treatment is stopped. So if you stop taking the medication, according to research, you can expect hair loss to resume within a few months.

The timeline for seeing results from minoxidil varies from person to person. But generally, you should start noticing results in the hair regrowth department about two to four months after beginning treatment.

You may first notice that your hair loss seems to plateau. Or you might not experience as much additional hair loss before you start to see regrowth.

Learn more in our post on how long before minoxidil starts working for men.

If you’re using minoxidil, you want to make sure you’re getting the most out of the medication.

We’ll outline a few ways to maximize minoxidil to see the best results.

Use It As Prescribed

If you’re not seeing results from minoxidil, it’s possible you’re not using it as prescribed.

One of the main reasons minoxidil doesn’t work for some people is that they don’t use it regularly enough to yield results (even if they’re not experiencing side effects). Clinically, this is known as “low adherence.”

Topical minoxidil is meant to be used twice a day on clean, dry hair. It’s applied directly to the scalp in areas of thinning or hair loss.

Some folks might have trouble remembering to use minoxidil twice daily or struggle to get into the swing of a new habit. If that’s you, you might want to ask your provider about oral minoxidil, a pill taken once a day.

Eat a Balanced Diet

It doesn’t matter how many vegetables you heave onto a plate — nutrition alone can’t totally prevent male pattern baldness. That said, eating a healthy, varied diet can help with overall hair health, especially one rich in essential vitamins and minerals like iron, zinc, and vitamin D.

Learn more in our guide to the best foods for hair growth.

Limit Stress

Chronic stress, illness, or injury can cause a type of hair loss known as telogen effluvium.

No, running late to an appointment or having a bad day at work aren’t going to cause male pattern baldness (in fact, stress isn’t linked to androgenetic alopecia).

However, ongoing stress without relief could lead to telogen effluvium. This form of hair loss interferes with the natural hair growth cycle and may cause temporary excess shedding.

Learn more about the link between stress and hair loss in our guide.

Avoid Overly Tight Hairstyles

Wearing tight hairstyles like braids or buns regularly could actually damage your hair over time. When your hair is styled in a way that tugs at the roots, it could lead to a type of hair loss called traction alopecia.

If you’re already experiencing traction alopecia, minoxidil can help you regain some of the hair you’ve lost.

Minoxidil has been FDA-approved for hair loss since 1988, so we have long-term (nearly 40 years) data on its efficacy and safety. Simply put, when taken at the recommended dosage, both topical and oral minoxidil are safe for long-term use in healthy men, research shows.

But, as with most medications, minoxidil has some potential side effects.

The most common topical minoxidil side effects are:

• Skin or scalp irritation

• Scalp itchiness (pruritus)

• Slight burning sensation

• Skin rash or redness

Burning or irritation at the application site may actually be from an alcohol (propylene glycol) found in certain formulas, not minoxidil itself. Our minoxidil foam doesn’t contain this ingredient.

Potential side effects of oral minoxidil include:

• Fluid retention

• Unwanted hair growth on the body or face

• Fast heart rate (tachycardia)

• Postural hypotension (dizziness when going from sitting to standing)

• Nausea

But bear in mind not everyone will experience side effects. And any negative effects you do notice will likely go away over time as you continue using minoxidil.

Minoxidil and other hair loss medications, like finasteride, can be “permanent” solutions to hair loss if you’re willing to take them indefinitely, which many men are.

However, if you’re looking for a more one-and-done situation, a hair transplant is the closest thing we have to a permanent solution to hair loss.

Here’s the kicker, though: In many cases, a healthcare provider will advise hair transplant patients to continue using minoxidil or finasteride (or both) after the procedure. Why? The idea is to give you the best shot at holding onto your new hair.

So a transplant typically doesn’t mean you ditch minoxidil altogether.

Learn more about what to expect after a hair transplant in our guide to hair transplant recovery.

Is Rogaine permanent? Yes, so long as you keep using it.

Rogaine or generic minoxidil results are permanent while you’re taking the medication, but hair loss will start again once (or if) you go off it.

Here’s the TL;DR on how long minoxidil results last:

• Consistency is key. To maintain results, use of minoxidil must be consistent. Discontinuing the medication will cause hair loss to resume within a few months and new hair regrowth to fall out.

• It’s safe for long-term use. Minoxidil has been proven safe for long-term use, with nearly 40 years of data supporting its efficacy and safety. Potential side effects are generally mild and manageable.

• You might get the best results by approaching hair loss from multiple angles. A balanced diet, stress management, and avoiding tight hairstyles can help. You can also combine minoxidil with finasteride, the other FDA-approved hair loss medication.

For answers to other common questions about minoxidil, check out our guides to minoxidil beard growth and what happens when you stop using minoxidil.

If you’re experiencing hair thinning or want to learn more about minoxidil treatment from a healthcare professional specializing in dermatology, you’re in the right place. When you do a virtual consultation through our online platform, we’ll connect with a licensed provider who can shed some light on whether you’re experiencing pattern hair loss or something else.