Minoxidil on Eyebrows?
Hello Dr,
I used to have very thick eyebrows and due to over plucking for many years, one of them is incredibly sparse. I heard that using minoxidil daily will help to make them look fuller. My question is, are there any potential side effects? I have read online that using minoxidil can cause permanent hair on your forehead and face and other ghastly things, are these true? Also, if the treatment does work, will I have to continue using it forever? And is there a chance it will cause me to lose the hairs I currently have as well? Thank you for your time, it is greatly appreciated!
If you plucked your eyebrows and they are sparse, the hair missing from the overplucking probably will not return. Hair transplants work well to fill in the missing hair in the eyebrows.
Minoxidil will probably not help grow new hair at the eyebrows, but I suppose you can give it a shot. If it works, you will have to use it forever. Side effects would be the standard minoxidil risks found here.
There are other treatments available that may also be worth a shot, like a transparent gel with fibers to give the illusion of fullness, Latisse (the eyelash medication), and an eyebrow conditioner that may or may not do what it claims. Check out the write up at NY Times — After Overplucking, It’s Time to Call the Professionals.
I know some women claim minoxidil works on their eyebrows, but it didn’t work on mine. I used it twice a day for at least 6 months and didn’t notice any new hairs growing. My eyebrows have thinned either from overplucking, a low thyroid, or genetics.
I`m a 49 year old male. I grew up with nice thick full and dark eyebrows, but I started noticing them getting thinner with little “bald” patches about a year ago. I do not know if this an an aging thing or what, but I tried Rogaine extra strength 5% for 5 months now. I shake the bottle, and pour a small amount into the cap, then using a q-tip, dip it into the cap and cover a thin film of the solution over your entire brow area, one at a time, being careful not to get it between the eyes. My eyebrows are back to their thickness and darkness again. It takes alot of patience, in fact I almost gave up on it after a month, but continued, and it sure paid off. Make sure you let the solution dry ( 2-3 hours ) before putting anything on your face. It has to be applied to a clean dry eyebrow. The only downside is the time it takes to dry. When applying at night, do so about three houirs before you actually go to bed. I think it`s worth it to take 3 minutes twice a day to get the look you want. I got my old brows back !!!