Minoxidil 2.0

A new version of the pill aims to enhance hair growth while curbing side effects

Remember updos? If you went to high school in the '90s, you probably wore some sort of twist or tendril situation to prom. It was pretty much mandatory. But what I remember more than any one specific style was my hair being an utter pain to put up, because it was so damn thick. Hairspray and bobby pins were no match for its heft.

To think, I once considered this a problem. Now 49, I’m grateful for those fertile beginnings, since I’ve likely lost about half the hair I had back then. The shedding began, rather intensely, in my early forties and has continued, in fits and starts, ever since. Along the way, I’ve tried supplements, serums, and PRP injections, all to meh effect.

Recently, I started taking oral minoxidil, which, alongside MHT, seems to be the drug of choice among modern menopausal women. Last fall, while researching the medication, I came across this smart reel from dermatologist Rita Linkner, MD, and reposted it. In response, New York City dermatologist Joshua Zeichner, MD, DM’d me two words: “Google Veradermics.”