What is Xandrox and how does it help treat hair loss?
Xandrox products are produced by Dr. Richard Lee, founder and owner of Regrowth, a Los Angeles-based company dedicated to treating hair loss since 1986. Dr. Lee’s main innovation with his Xandrox products has been combine Minoxidil with the powerful natural antiandrogen and DHT inhibitor Azelaic Acid. In this dual approach, Minoxidil stimulates growth while, at the same time, Azelaic acid blocks the 5-alpha-reductase enzyme, causing a reduction in DHT formation in the scalp by up to 98%. Azelaic acid has been shown to be effective against acne and other skin conditions, but its effects against hair loss are unproven. Xandrox is available only by prescription, and while its ingredients are FDA-approved (azelaic acid is approved for skin treatments, not hair loss), Xandrox itself is not. It is generally used by men to treat male pattern baldness, but it has produced excellent results in some women as well, so it can be considered useful for both genders.
Combining Xandrox’s two key ingredients was a good idea for many reasons, but the most pragmatic has to be the fact that if you’re going to go to the trouble of applying a topical Minoxidil (Rogaine) solution to your scalp anyway Why not benefit from the added effects of a product like Xandrox at the same time? Also attractive in this approach is the fact that DHT inhibition by azelaic acid occurs in the scalp itself, not systemically in the rest of the body. The precise mechanism by which azelaic acid prevents the enzyme 5-alpha-reductase from producing DHT is not known at this stage. Azelaic acid is also a major component of both Revivogen and Crinagen, so its DHT-inhibiting efficacy in combating hair loss, while not yet fully understood, is not in question.
The first Xandrox product was launched in 1998 and contained 5% minoxidil and 5% azelaic acid. The following year, Regrowth launched a 12.5% Minoxidil lotion, which also contained 5% Azelaic Acid, to complement the use of Xandrox 5% solutions on areas such as the temples or frontal hairline that are not they responded well to the weaker solution. Now, after much work with a biochemist to produce a more potent, chemically stable version of the product, Xandrox15 has arrived containing 15% minoxidil and 5% azelaic acid. Xandrox is available as a day formula and a night formula, and for convenience, users often create a regimen consisting of a number of different products at different times of the day. Being stickier and resulting in hair that can look a bit messy, Xandrox15 is often used at night and washed out in the morning. During the day, a lower strength, less noticeable product can be used instead. Whichever combination of products works, usually 1ml of Xandrox is applied to the scalp twice a day.
In addition to various combinations of Minoxidil and azelaic acid, Xandrox products may contain ingredients such as betamethasone valerate (a powerful anti-inflammatory), benzyl niccotinate (an absorption enhancer), or retinoic acid (which gives the scalp a light “peel” chemical” ). Products containing additional components can be made to order. The reverse is also true, with specific ingredients that can be omitted from the formula on request if you don’t react well to them. The newer range of Xandrox products generally do not contain retinoic acid as they are strong enough to have made it redundant and the potential for unwanted side effects such as itchy, flaky or tingling scalp is too great.
Few side effects have been observed with Xandrox and many prefer it to Rogaine because it is odorless, cleaner, and less greasy.
A 65ml bottle of Xandrox 5% is $33.95, a 125ml bottle of Xandrox 12.5% Lotion is $89.95 and 125ml of Xandrox15 is $88.00.