Dry Skin and Hair Loss

Hi Dr., I recently had a consultation and I think I was told that retin A caused hair loss. I believe the doctor sai that it dries out your skin and this causes hair loss. I have recently began using minoxodil on the sides of my head and for some reason it causes my face to dry up and I was wondering even though minox. is prescribed to treat hair loss, can it cause it by drying out my skin.

Is that correct? Thank you.

Minoxidil (Rogaine) can be a skin irritant for some patients and Retin A is an acid which burns the skin and will cause dryness. Some patients have told me they stopped using minoxidil because of this side effect.

BUT… there is a new form of minoxidil that just came to market called Rogaine Foam which should not cause the dryness that other topical minoxidil may. I do not have personal experience in using it (I take Propecia), but some readers of this site have written to let me know that they do like the foam better due to ease of application and less of a skin annoyance. Reports by experts indicate that there is better absorption and better blood levels with the foam whihc should translate into better results over time.