Rogaine® vs. Finasteride: What’s the Difference?

If you’re gradually losing your hair and watching it become thinner day by day, then you are definitely ready to investigate the best hair growth treatments available. You want to regain a full and attractive head of hair, but you want to do so in a simple and non-invasive manner. Lucky for you, Rogaine® and Finasteride are both available as FDA-approved medical treatments that effectively combat unwanted hair loss. By understanding the difference between each treatment, you can determine which is best for you and begin the process of regrowing a healthy head of hair.

Rogaine®: A Time-Tested Topical Treatment

Rogaine® is a very popular topical treatment for men and women alike that stimulates hair regrowth in just two to four months. Most people coping with hair loss and baldness have hair follicles that shrink over time and fail to efficiently complete a steady hair growth cycle. Instead, hair grows in thinner and finer until it stops growing altogether.

Women’s Rogaine® and Men’s Rogaine® both combat this issue of hair loss by reviving inactive hair follicles and increasing their size. Women’s Rogaine® should be applied once a day and massaged into the scalp, while Men’s Rogaine® should be used twice a day to combat male pattern baldness. Both products extend the hair’s growth phase to help hair grow back in thick strands.

Finasteride: The Oral Medication

Finasteride works differently than Rogaine®. Rather than being applied topically, Finasteride is an oral medication used to treat male pattern baldness by decreasing the amount of DHT produced in the body. DHT fuels hair loss by weakening the chemical signals that stimulate new hair cell generation and growth. Since Finasteride limits the supply of DHT, it in turn minimizes hair loss damage. Controlled trials show that men who take Finasteride have 107 more hairs per square inch after one year of use!

Whether you want to utilize Rogaine®, Finasteride, or any other non-invasive or surgical hair loss treatment, just reach out to Tampa Center for Hair Restoration by calling (813) 404-3380. The Tampa Center for Hair Restoration team, led by medical director Dr. Bruce Landon, a leading Tampa Plastic Surgeon, is dedicated to providing the attention and care you need to regain a full head of hair.