Social media users are boasting online that an over-the-counter remedy can act ‘like fertiliser for your eyebrows’.
Commonly prescribed drug minoxidil, sold under the brand name Regaine in the UK, has long been available as a hair loss treatment.
But research also suggests the medicine, you apply to the scalp daily, may prove just as effective at thickening brows.
When used two or three times a week, the drug ‘significantly’ improves eyebrow hair growth, advocates say.
Other medics, however, have cautioned the treatment is not licenced for this use and may even trigger side effects including hair loss ironically, if used incorrectly.
In one TikTok seen 386,000 times, London-based consultant dermatologist Dr Aamna Adel recommended two per cent minoxidil — found in Regaine for Women.
Giving instructions, she said: ‘We’re gonna apply some Vaseline first to protect the skin around the eyes.
In one TikTok seen 386,000 times, London-based consultant dermatologist Dr Aamna Adel urged viewers to apply a 2 per cent concentration minoxidil to achieve ‘thick eyebrows’
In a separate video watched more than 1.3 million times, US dermatologist and skin cancer surgeon Dr Neera Nathan, said: ‘Grab your minoxidil because this is like fertiliser for your eyebrows’
In one Reddit thread with over 4.1million members, one user shared images showing the stark difference three months of using 5 per cent minoxidil had reportedly made
‘The last thing we want is thick eyebrows but flaky red skin around it,’ she says.
‘I use the two per cent Regaine, not the five per cent [found in Regaine for Men Extra Strength and Regain For Women Extra Strength] because I find it way less irritating.’
In the video Dr Adel applies the solution to a mascara wand and then brushes it through her eyebrows in both directions to ensure ‘every little eyebrow hair is coated.
She adds: ‘You just repeat this two to three times a week. It’s probably going to take about two to three months before you start noticing your eyebrows are getting thicker.
‘But stay consistent because it does work.’
In a separate video watched more than 1.3 million times, US dermatologist and skin cancer surgeon Dr Neera Nathan, said: ‘Grab your minoxidil because this is like fertiliser for your eyebrows.
‘Make sure you buy the liquid form and then take a clean mascara spoolie [wand] and saturate it with product.
The Harvard-trained dermatologist added: ‘I want you to stop using eyebrow gels or eyebrow wax because this can actually cause irritation and make your eyebrow hairs fall out.
Commonly prescribed drug minoxidil, sold under the brand name Regaine in the UK, has long been known to treat hair loss by increasing blood flow to hair follicles
The Reddit user, who shared images, wrote: ‘I had given up until I had read someone mention that they had success using minoxidil to regrow their eyebrows’
‘Instead, to shape your eyebrows, use some plain old Vaseline.’
And the phenomenon has become so common that forum users are also sharing their experiences of trying the remedy.
In one Reddit thread with over 4.1million members, one wrote: ‘I tried growing them out last year, but barely had any growth and they came in super sparse.
‘I had given up until I had read someone mention that they had success using minoxidil to regrow their eyebrows.’
Images shared to the forum showed the stark difference three months of using 5 per cent minoxidil had reportedly made.
‘I do have sensitive skin and use tretinoin and did not think the 5 per cent was too strong,’ they added.
Another said: ‘I’m using minoxidil five per cent on my naturally sparse brows and I’m telling you it works! It’s been two months now.
‘I’m looking forward to the next few months to have a full bushy eyebrows. I can’t wait.’
One 2012 Thai study, which assessed minoxidil’s effectiveness, found it was ‘effective for hair regeneration’ after 16 weeks.
Another, in 2014, involved 39 volunteers who were given minoxidil for one eyebrow and a placebo for the other.
Writing in The Journal of Dermatology, researchers said that after 16 weeks ‘the minoxidil group achieved significantly better results’ than the placebo group.
Side-effects were also ‘minor’ they noted, concluding that ‘minoxidil 2 per cent lotion is a safe and effective treatment for eyebrow hypotrichosis’.
The NHS, however, advises minoxidil is only designed to treat male and female hair loss that runs in the family.
It is not intended to treat hair loss caused by other factors including stress, illness or even iron deficiency.
Users also need to take minoxidil for life to have a lasting benefit and limited research on under 18s means it is not currently recommended to anyone who isn’t yet an adult.
Potential side-effects also include irritation of the skin and, in rare cases, actually causing hair loss — the opposite of what it aims to achieve.
Nowhere does Rogaine also claim it is effective or should be used for eyebrows.
This article was originally published by a www.dailymail.co.uk . Read the Original article here. .