There’s that awesome feeling that comes with styling your hair the way you want it, but have you taken a second to ponder about the side effects that may arise due to the long-term usage of a hair growth agent that does not guarantee a permanent result?
Well, I have. Over time, I have had to weigh the pros and cons of adopting Minoxidil to fulfill my hairy fantasies based on the experiences of the people around me. I have also proceeded with caution after reading up several concerns that people have revealed, talking about how minoxidil affected their sexual performance.
Before I dig deeper into the side effects of minoxidil, let us first look at what the agent is, and how it affects us.
What Is Minoxidil?
Minoxidil is a solution that has been proven to solve hair growth issues. It is often used by men who are desperately trying to solve issues related to baldness. Several males also use Minoxidil to grow their beards into desired forms.
On the other hand, females also use Minoxidil to tackle hair loss challenges and to put a stop to hair thinning.
How Does Minoxidil Work?
Understanding the pattern with which minoxidil works has remained a mystery, however, many experts claim that Minoxidil triggers hyperpolarization of our bodies’ cell membranes by opening up the body’s potassium channels. The widened channels lead to an increase in the amount of oxygen and nutrients which are fed to the follicles.
When the follicles receive the nutrients, they become revitalized, shedding off the weaker hair follicles and replacing them with new and stronger hair follicles.
Side Effects of Minoxidil And Your Sexual Health
Aside from the many notable side effects like dizziness, itching, irritation, and headaches, there have been many unconfirmed reports that minoxidil can harm a person’s sexual health.
Many of the reports that relate to sexual inefficiencies caused by minoxidil have emanated from the male folks. This is particularly so because a lot of men apply the 5% minoxidil solution, while women usually stick with the 2% solution.
The frequent use of minoxidil in a desperate attempt to solve hair loss is also rumored to have strong links with infertility. Despite all these claims, there is yet to be a credible report that links minoxidil to sexual incompetence.
How Does Minoxidil Cause Erectile Dysfunction?
While fear lingers over the use of minoxidil, many claims have surfaced over the internet, stating that the use of minoxidil resulted to low blood pressure, thereby reducing the amount of blood which is distributed to the penile region. However, in a twist of events, a publication by the United States National Library of Medicine revealed that the use of minoxidil can be advantageous to erections.
In a publication, the USNLM claimed that topical application of minoxidil around the penile region had led to an increase in arterial flow, rigidity, and the diameter of the penis. The research was conducted by studying the resultant effects after 21 men were told to apply minoxidil 2% solution across their penis 20 minutes before their sexual encounters.
Minoxidil and Words on The Streets
While health experts have repeatedly failed to understand the challenges faced by users of minoxidil, the reports from everyday users remain unfavorable.
Users have continued to lament, telling stories of how they got the hair treatments they desired while trading it for their sexual stamina. Reports of complete loss of libido, inability to control erections, and a constant numb feeling around the penile region from various persons in different parts of the world seem to substantiate these claims.
To conclude, no one wants to go bald, but when faced with choosing the option of giving up your baldness or your ability to attain sexual satisfaction, I’m sure your choice will be as good as mine. It, therefore, remains important that while we take various steps to look all manly with well-fitted beards, the ability to show our sexual prowess remains the ultimate definition of manliness.
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