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In a letter to the editor, Dr. Evelyn E. Vanderveen and Dr. Charles N. Ellis reported on a study involving fifteen normotensive patients treated with either 1% or 5% minoxidil solution for androgenic alopecia or alopecia areata over a one-year period. They monitored blood pressure and pulse monthly and conducted more detailed blood pressure measurements every three months. They found no decrease in blood pressure in any of the patients, and blood levels of minoxidil were only detectable in those using the 5% solution, with levels less than 10% of those found in oral minoxidil treatment for hypertension. They contrasted their findings with those of Ranchoff and Bergfeld, who reported blood pressure decreases in nearly one fourth of their patients, and suggested that hypertensive patients should be monitored during topical minoxidil therapy, and if further studies show that normotensive patients are also affected, they would need observation as well.