Although they’re both treatments for hair loss, Minoxidil (the active ingredient in Regaine) works in a different way to Finasteride.
Rather than stopping testosterone from being converted into DHT, Minoxidil is what’s known as a vasodilator. This just means that it helps blood vessels to widen, and improves blood flow in certain parts of the body. It causes more oxygen and nutrients to travel through the blood to your hair follicles, which can lead to hair growth.
Minoxidil doesn’t actually prevent hair loss as such, but encourages hair growth by causing hairs in a resting state (the ‘telogen’ phase) to shed, and replace these hairs with new hairs (the growing, or ‘anagen’ phase).
So while Finasteride handles the hormone side of things well and primarily stops you from losing hair, Minoxidil can really excel at promoting the growth of hair. On this basis, the two products can be very effective when they’re taken together, and in most cases, they’re safe to use together. You should always discuss taking the two treatments at the same time with our clinician first, so they can decide if they’re both suitable for you.