Minoxidil is one of the most popular hair loss treatments worldwide. Research shows it can improve symptoms of conditions like male pattern baldness, female pattern hair loss and alopecia areata [1-3].
Does Minoxidil expire? You may be asking this question if you’ve dug up a bottle of Minoxidil at the back of your medicine cabinet and are wondering if it’ll help your hair loss.
Like most medications, Minoxidil does expire. So it’s best to avoid using an out of date product. In this article, you’ll learn everything you need to know about:
Minoxidil is a popular hair loss medication. It’s used to encourage hair growth and prevent hair loss in people with androgenetic alopecia (pattern baldness) and other hair loss conditions. It’s also known as Rogaine, which is a branded form of Minoxidil. It’s available as Rogaine for men and Rogaine for women.
Research suggests that Minoxidil may work by improving blood flow to the hair follicles and shifting hair follicles into the growth phase [4-5].
Both topical Minoxidil (solution or foam) and oral Minoxidil (tablets or capsules) are used as treatments for hair loss. Only topical Minoxidil is approved as a hair loss treatment by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) [6]. You can buy Minoxidil spray or foam without a prescription in the UK.
Yes, Minoxidil does expire. Generally, topical Minoxidil lasts around two years if it’s not opened, but check your specific product for its expiry date. The expiration date listed on Minoxidil is the last day that the manufacturer guarantees its full potency and safety. Oral Minoxidil has a shorter shelf life than topical Minoxidil, expiring after six months [7].
There are no specific guidelines on the shelf life of opened topical Minoxidil, but the general consensus is that Minoxidil should be disposed of if it’s been open for longer than 12 months.
A 2023 study found that compounded Minoxidil (Minoxidil combined with other hair loss medications or supplements) has a beyond-use date (BUD) of 120-380 days [8]. The BUD is the last date you can safely use a drug.
However, if you’re using Minoxidil as it should be used, it’s unlikely to expire before you finish the bottle, because Minoxidil is designed for regular use. You should use Minoxidil within its expiration date to be sure it’s still safe and effective.
Minoxidil’s expiry date should be clearly labelled — it’s usually printed on the product itself and any packaging it comes in. It’s often marked as “EXP” followed by the date. It may also appear as “use by” or “best before”.
The FDA advises that you shouldn’t use any medications past their expiry date. They may be less effective, and there could be an increased risk of side effects.
Out of date medications may have changes to their chemical composition [9], or they could be at risk of bacterial contamination, depending on how they’ve been stored. If your Minoxidil is out of date, you shouldn’t use it [9].
Several things may happen if you use expired Minoxidil. For one, it might not work as well, if it works at all. The FDA advises that expired medications can be less effective or more risky due to chemical changes or a decrease in potency [9].
In some cases, a drug past its expiry date may contain toxic compounds, which can increase your risk of experiencing side effects [10]. Furthermore, FDA approval is based on using a product that has not expired.
The FDA completes thorough testing to ensure medication is safe to use, but they don’t guarantee safety when it goes out of date. If in doubt, throw it out.
Minoxidil should be stored at room temperature. Keep it upright and protect it from direct sunlight. Your Minoxidil may expire sooner than its “best before” date if you leave it in a hot room, stuffy car or sunny shelf.
If your Minoxidil has gone bad, there might be some changes to its smell, texture or colour. It’s possible for Minoxidil to become unusable before its expiry date if it’s not stored properly.
If you start to experience side effects from the Minoxidil you’re using, particularly if you normally use it with no problems, this may also be a sign that there’s a problem with the medication. In addition, it may have lost its potency if you’re not seeing any improvement in your hair growth.
If something doesn’t look right, don’t use the Minoxidil. Seek medical advice if you are experiencing side effects or the medication isn’t working as it should.
The best thing you can do with out of date medications is to return them to a pharmacy for disposal. It can be tempting to chuck your old Minoxidil in the bin or flush it down the toilet, but unfortunately, these options aren’t safe for the environment or other people.
If you throw Minoxidil in the bin, it could be found by people or animals who shouldn’t use it. If you flush expired medication, it could pose a risk to the environment [11].
Minoxidil is one of several effective treatments for male and female pattern baldness, as well as other hair loss conditions. Here are some other treatments that may help if you’re experiencing hair loss.
Finasteride is another medication used for male pattern baldness. It’s not licensed for female pattern hair loss but is sometimes prescribed off-label to postmenopausal women. Finasteride reduces dihydrotestosterone (DHT) levels in your body, slowing down hair loss and promoting hair growth.
Low-level laser therapy (LLLT) involves aiming light of specific wavelengths at areas of hair loss on the scalp. This treatment can stimulate hair growth in both men and women with pattern hair loss [12].
PRP hair treatment is a type of regenerative medicine. Platelets from your own blood are injected into areas of hair loss on your scalp, stimulating hair growth. This treatment can also be combined with a hair transplant to improve outcomes [13].
A hair transplant is the gold standard treatment for male pattern baldness. It can also help with other types of alopecia, such as hair loss from trauma, burns, or surgery, and traction alopecia in some cases.
There are two main types of hair transplant: follicular unit extraction (FUE) and follicular unit transplantation (FUT). Both types of transplant involve moving healthy hair follicles from an area of healthy growth to areas of hair loss.
FUT and FUE differ in how the hair follicles are harvested. With FUE, follicles are harvested using a micro punch tool, which leaves tiny, near-invisible circular scars on the hair transplant donor area (usually the back or sides of the scalp).
With FUT, a strip of skin containing multiple hair follicles is removed from the donor area. This allows large amounts of hair to be transplanted but leaves a hair transplant scar at the back of the scalp. Sometimes, this scar is disguised with a second, more minor, FUE procedure.
Learn more about the differences between FUE and FUT here.
Have you noticed the first signs of thinning or balding? Or maybe your hair loss is more extensive, and you’re seeing significant hair loss in the shower?
Either way, a trichologist can help. These hair doctors use diagnostic trichology tests and a comprehensive assessment to identify why your hair is falling out. Once you have a diagnosis, they’ll suggest the best treatment options for your type of hair loss.
You may even be a candidate for a natural-looking hair transplant. A hair transplant is permanent and can give you thick, healthy hair for years to come.
If you are a good candidate for a hair transplant, you’ll have access to some of the best hair transplant surgeons in the UK. To learn how we can get your hair back on track, book a consultation at your nearest clinic location today.
Minoxidil should continue to be effective in the long term, even if you have used it for many years. However, a bottle of Minoxidil may lose its effectiveness if used after its expiry date.
Minoxidil is designed to be used every day to keep your blood vessels delivering a healthy supply of nutrients to your hair follicles. If you miss a day of Minoxidil, apply it as soon as possible. But if it’s almost time for your next dose, you should skip the missed dose and return to your regular Minoxidil schedule [14].
However, missing a day or two of Minoxidil is no major cause for concern if you normally take it regularly.
Minoxidil can offer some improvements to your hairline, but it’s not a miracle cure. You may experience greater improvements if Minoxidil is combined with Finasteride [15], but the best option for advanced hairline recession is a hair transplant.
There’s no evidence that using out-of-date hair products could cause hair loss. However, it’s still worth starting a new bottle if your shampoo or conditioner is past its expiry or “period after opening” date. Natural ingredients in hair products, such as plant extracts, could degrade overtime and possibly irritate your scalp.
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