Compounded Solutions for Hair Loss

Your patients deserve to look and feel their best, but hair loss can shatter their confidence and comfort. Although the scalp is the most common location for hair loss, some patients experience the loss of their eyelashes and eyebrows due to a variety of reasons, including genetics and medical conditions. Hair loss in these areas can cause just as much embarrassment as on the scalp, so it’s important to have options to fight it. 

With so many hair loss solutions available, it can be challenging to determine the best options. Plus, many commercial hair loss medications may not meet the needs of individual patients; they may not provide optimal results due to side effects or irritating excipients. In this blog post, we’ll focus on compounded 0.03% bimatoprost, the latest offering from VLS Pharmacy & New Drug Loft to give prescribers another tool to help their patients fight hair loss in the eyelashes, eyebrows, and scalp.

How 0.03% Bimatoprost Helps with Hair Loss

Bimatoprost is commercially available as either an ophthalmic solution or as a topical solution for the eyelashes. For off-label applications such as topical application to the eyebrows or scalp, it may be necessary to enlist the services of a compounding pharmacy to ensure that the preparation is tailored to the specific route of administration. 

Eyelashes 

As with minoxidil and finasteride, bimatoprost was previously used to treat a different indication. Bimataprost 0.03% eye drops were originally indicated for glaucoma, but it was observed that it had a secondary beneficial effect, in which patients’ eyelashes grew thicker and longer. Numerous studies have shown that 0.03% bimatoprost is useful for treating eyebrow hypotrichosis.¹ It is currently FDA-approved for treating hypotrichosis of the eyelashes by increasing their length, thickness, and darkness, with some patients beginning to see longer eyelashes in less than two months.²

Eyebrows

In addition to its FDA-approved use to treat eyelash hypotrichosis, some studies have also suggested it can be used for the eyebrows and scalp. One randomized controlled trial showed that 0.03% bimatoprost worked equally as well as 2% topical minoxidil when treating eyebrow hypotrichosis.³

Scalp

Bimatoprost has been suggested to stimulate scalp follicles to potentially treat scalp alopecia by stimulating hair in the telogen stage to the anagen stage. In a small pilot study, patients with patchy alopecia areata treated with 0.03% bimatoprost demonstrated significantly better hair re-growth and fewer side effects than those treated with once-daily mometasone furoate 0.1% cream.⁴ A similar comparative study showed that no significant difference in hair regrowth between clobetasol and bimatoprost for treating alopecia areata of the scalp after 12 weeks, but they did note that bimatoprost had fewer side effects, worked faster, and grew more pigmented hairs.⁵ One case report even showed that bimatoprost successfully treated steroid-resistant alopecia areata in a pediatric patient.⁶

Side Effects of Bimatoprost

Some studies have shown isolated cases of skin discoloration near the eye when bimatoprost is administered ocularly, and similar side effects may occur for direct topical application.⁷ A two-patient study suggested this was due to increased melanogenesis,⁸ and other studies have shown that this hyperpigmentation occurs gradually over time and reverses upon cessation of treatment with bimatoprost.⁹

As noted in the FDA approval letter for Latisse®, bimatoprost will make eyelashes darker, so light-haired users should be prepared for potentially darker hairs. To minimize irritation, we can also formulate our preparations without propylene glycol, which is a known irritant and scalp offender that causes dryness and irritation in some patients.

Other Compounded Options for Hair Regrowth

Of course, bimatoprost isn’t the only option we have available for patients struggling to regrow hair or prevent further hair loss. 

Minoxidil

Minoxidil is available as a topical OTC product at certain doses, but it can also be administered orally (Rx only) if a patient prefers this route or if they experience application site irritation or redness.

Finasteride

Oral finasteride typically results in improvements in hair thickness within months, but it does come with several side effects in male patients, such as gynecomastia, genital numbing, ED and asymmetric breast pain. To reduce these adverse events, it can be reformulated topically or orally at a lower dosage. It is often combined with minoxidil and/or other ingredients for a comprehensive treatment.

Proprietary Biopeptide Blend 

Our proprietary biopeptide blend contains GHK-Cu, which has been shown to increase hair follicle size,¹⁰ as well as other peptides that have various benefits for promoting hair growth and color. 

In addition to these options, we also offer several other custom compounded medications for hair loss.

Why Choose VLS Pharmacy & New Drug Loft?

Men and women of all ages deserve to feel confident and comfortable with their appearance – and hair loss shouldn’t get in the way of this goal! If commercially-available hair loss medications are not meeting the needs of individual patients, prescribers may consider consulting a 503A pharmacy like VLS Pharmacy & New Drug Loft. By working with a trusted compounding pharmacy, you can develop a personalized hair loss treatment plan for your patients. 

We will support you and your patients by creating individualized pharmaceutical therapies, including both sterile and non-sterile compounded preparations. All formulations are compounded with high-quality pharmaceutical-grade APIs sourced directly from PCCA, the leader in superior-quality APIs.

 

As part of our efforts to ensure patient safety, we compound all of our formulations using high-quality pharmaceutical-grade APIs sourced directly from PCCA, the leader of superior-quality APIs. Our pharmacists and technicians tailor each formulation to meet a patient’s specific needs, including the dose and administration route. As a 503A pharmacy specializing in sterile and non-sterile compounding, we will support you and your patients by creating individualized pharmaceutical therapies. 

Please comment below with any thoughts or questions.

Reach out to our team to learn about best practices and to partner with our experts on custom compounded medications for your patients. All medications from VLS Pharmacy and New Drug Loft are prepared in a lab that follows safety and quality standards per our status as a 503A pharmacy.

 

References

1. Carruthers J, Beer K, Carruthers A, et al. Bimatoprost 0.03% for the Treatment of Eyebrow Hypotrichosis. Dermatol Surg. 2016;42(5):608-617. doi:10.1097/DSS.0000000000000755
2. Bitton E, Courey C, Giancola P, Diaconu V, Wise J, Wittich W. Effects of LATISSE (bimatoprost 0.03 per cent topical solution) on the ocular surface. Clin Exp Optom. Published online November 1, 2017. doi:10.1111/cxo.12507
3. Zaky MS, Hashem OA, Mahfouz SM, Elsaie ML. Comparative study of the efficacy and safety of topical minoxidil 2% versus topical bimatoprost 0.01% versus topical bimatoprost 0.03% in treatment of eyebrow hypotrichosis: a randomized controlled trial. Arch Dermatol Res. 2023;315(9):2635-2641. doi:10.1007/s00403-023-02679-2
4. Bimatoprost versus Mometasone Furoate in the – ProQuest. Accessed March 3, 2025. https://www.proquest.com/docview/1695797648?fromopenview=true&pq-origsite=gscholar&sourcetype=Scholarly%20Journals
5. Bhusal M, Bhattarai S, Thapa B, Shrestha PR, Sagar GC. Bimatoprost versus Clobetasol Propionate in Scalp Alopecia Areata: A Prospective Non-Randomized Open-Label Clinical Trial. Indian Dermatol Online J. 2023;14(2):221-225. doi:10.4103/idoj.idoj_299_22
6. Li AW, Antaya RJ. Successful Treatment of Pediatric Alopecia Areata of the Scalp Using Topical Bimatoprost. Pediatr Dermatol. 2016;33(5):e282-e283. doi:10.1111/pde.12920
7. Priluck JC, Fu S. Latisse-Induced Periocular Skin Hyperpigmentation. Arch Ophthalmol. 2010;128(6):792-793. doi:10.1001/archophthalmol.2010.89
8. Kapur R, Osmanovic S, Toyran S, Edward DP. Bimatoprost-Induced Periocular Skin Hyperpigmentation: Histopathological Study. Arch Ophthalmol. 2005;123(11):1541-1546. doi:10.1001/archopht.123.11.1541
9. Doshi M, Edward DP, Osmanovic S. Clinical Course of Bimatoprost-Induced Periocular Skin Changes in Caucasians. Ophthalmology. 2006;113(11):1961-1967. doi:10.1016/j.ophtha.2006.05.041
10. Pickart L. The human tri-peptide GHK and tissue remodeling. J Biomater Sci Polym Ed. 2008;19(8):969-988. doi:10.1163/156856208784909435

 

 

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Read More…

• Learn more about our compounding capabilities for hair loss
• A deep dive into other hair loss prevention and regrowth treatment options
• It’s never been easier to submit your prescriptions! Place your order today

 

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