March 202555
Microneedling plus minoxidil outperformed minoxidil alone for hair count and diameter in a meta-analysis, and adipose stem-cell secretome with minoxidil improved growth parameters more than either alone. Topical finasteride spray increased hair count versus placebo in a phase III trial. Exosome therapy with microneedling raised hair density by roughly 35 hairs/cm2, and ice-pack precooling before scalp nerve block cut PRP injection pain. Long-term dutasteride in young men progressively reduced semen volume and motility, with recovery after stopping incomplete in longer users. Injectable minoxidil offered better bioavailability but systemic side-effect risk and access barriers. Dutasteride and finasteride were linked to no increased mood-disorder risk, and low-dose oral minoxidil showed no blood-pressure changes with concurrent antihypertensives. Semaglutide and alopecia reports were connected in a review, though causality was unproven and rapid weight loss or nutrient deficiency may explain it.
- No increased risk of mood disorders in male androgenetic alopecia patients treated with dutasteride and finasteride: a retrospective cohort database study a retrospective database cohort found no increased risk of mood disorders in male androgenetic alopecia patients treated with dutasteride or finasteride.
- Low-dose oral minoxidil for androgenetic alopecia is not associated with blood pressure changes in patients also taking other antihypertensive medications: A multi-center cohort study using TriNetX a multi-center TriNetX cohort found low-dose oral minoxidil not associated with blood pressure changes in patients also taking other antihypertensives.
- A Prospective Study of Exosome Therapy for Androgenetic Alopecia In 16 men with androgenetic alopecia, exosome therapy with microneedling raised hair density by about 35 hairs/cm2 over 12 months.
- The Effect of Local Skin Precooling on Alleviating Injection Site Pain in Patients With Androgenetic Alopecia Receiving a Scalp Nerve Block In 100 PRP patients, two minutes of ice-pack precooling before scalp nerve block cut injection pain by up to 34% versus no cooling.
- Long-term use of dutasteride to treat androgenic alopecia in young men may lead to persistent abnormalities in semen parameters In 200 men, longer dutasteride use progressively reduced semen volume and sperm motility, with persistent impairment beyond roughly 18-20 months; parameters improved after stopping but recovery was incomplete in longer users.
- Efficacy and safety of topical finasteride spray solution in the treatment of Chinese men with androgenetic alopecia: A phase III, multicenter, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study In a 270-man phase III trial, topical finasteride spray significantly increased hair count versus placebo over 24 weeks and was well tolerated.
- Key considerations of injectable minoxidil for alopecia A review weighs injectable minoxidil's better bioavailability against systemic side-effect risk, high cost and access barriers versus other formulations.
- Continued year-on-year improvement in hair density with systemic minoxidil in women with female pattern hair loss: A case series Hair density kept improving year on year with systemic minoxidil in women with female pattern hair loss in a case series.
- Evaluating the efficacy and safety of combined microneedling therapy versus topical Minoxidil in androgenetic alopecia: a systematic review and meta-analysis A meta-analysis of 12 RCTs found microneedling plus minoxidil beat minoxidil alone for hair count and diameter, with mild, self-limiting adverse events.
- Hair regeneration in androgenetic alopecia using secretome of adipose-derived stem cells (ADSC) and minoxidil: a comparative study of three groups In a 60-person trial, combining adipose stem-cell secretome with minoxidil improved hair growth parameters more than either treatment alone over 12 weeks.
- Alopecia and Semaglutide: Connecting the Dots for Patient Safety A review links semaglutide to alopecia reports across cohort, review and FAERS data, noting causality is unproven and mechanisms like rapid weight loss and nutrient deficiency may explain it.
- Targeting IGF1‐Induced Cellular Senescence to Rejuvenate Hair Follicle Aging In mice, excess IGF-1 drove hair follicle stem cell senescence and hair loss; blocking it restored the stem cell pool and reversed follicle aging.
- Ultrasonic Hollow Microneedle Array (USHM) for Androgenetic Alopecia Treatment through Modulating the Expression of Hair-Growth-Associated Genes In mice, an ultrasonic hollow microneedle array delivered finasteride through skin, speeding hair regrowth by up to three treatment cycles versus topical application.
- Uncovering the genetic architecture and evolutionary roots of androgenetic alopecia in African men In 2,136 African men, European baldness polygenic scores generalized poorly, and 51 independent genetic associations with baldness were identified.
- Effectiveness of Baricitinib in Alopecia Areata Patients With a Current Episode Lasting Longer Than 8 Years: An Italian Multicenter Real‐Life Experience in the Lazio Region Baricitinib remained effective in an Italian real-world study of alopecia areata patients whose current episode had lasted over 8 years.
- Hair Longevity—Evidence for a Multifactorial Holistic Approach to Managing Hair Aging Changes A review argues aging-related hair thinning needs multifactorial strategies spanning nutrition, lifestyle, stress and scalp care beyond classic pattern-loss drugs, and warns of market misinformation.
- Discount pharmacies may save patients significant money on androgenetic alopecia medications compared to both traditional pharmacies and direct-to-consumer companies Discount pharmacies may save patients significant money on androgenetic alopecia medications compared with traditional pharmacies and direct-to-consumer companies.
- Safety and Efficacy of Ritlecitinib for the Treatment of Patients with Alopecia Areata: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Controlled Trials A meta-analysis found ritlecitinib significantly reduced SALT scores versus placebo at weeks 12 and 24 in alopecia areata, with slightly more headaches, acne and nasopharyngitis; serious events were not increased.
- Combining Action Research and the Teach-Back Method to Improve Perioperative Care in Hair Transplantation In 116 hair transplant patients, teach-back-based perioperative care improved follicle survival rates, reduced complications and raised satisfaction versus conventional care.
- Cholesterol promotes hair growth through activating sympathetic nerves and enhancing the proliferation of hair follicle stem cells In mice, subcutaneous cholesterol injections promoted hair regeneration by activating sympathetic nerves that drove hair follicle stem cell proliferation.
- Deoxyshikonin from Arnebiae Radix promotes hair growth by targeting the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway In alopecia areata mice and human dermal papilla cells, deoxyshikonin from Arnebiae Radix promoted hair growth by targeting GSK3β in the Wnt/β-catenin pathway.
- Immune and Non-immune Interactions in the Pathogenesis of Androgenetic Alopecia A review links immune inflammation, oxidative stress and scalp dysbiosis to androgenetic alopecia, suggesting therapeutic targets beyond androgens and minoxidil.
- Efficacy of <i>Thermus thermophilus</i> Fermentation Extract in Promoting Hair Growth and Improving Scalp Health in Androgenic Alopecia: A Clinical and In Vitro Study In a 32-man 12-week trial, a topical Thermus thermophilus ferment extract increased hair density and scalp hydration while reducing sebum.
- Tremella polysaccharide microneedles loaded with magnetic dental pulp stem cell intracellular vesicles used for androgenic alopecia In DHT-treated mice, tremella polysaccharide microneedles carrying magnetic stem-cell intracellular vesicles sped hair regeneration.
- Performance exploration of multi-gene panels of alopecia areata susceptibility and drug-binding targets A computational analysis of alopecia areata datasets identified immune-related gene panels and candidate drug molecules through molecular docking.
- Real‐life effectiveness and safety of baricitinib in adults with alopecia areata: A multicentre study a multicentre study examines real-life effectiveness and safety of baricitinib in adults with alopecia areata.
- Assessment of miR-19b-3p, miR-182-5p, and miR-155-5p expression and its relationship with alopecia areata severity In 67 alopecia areata patients, plasma miR-19b-3p, miR-182-5p and miR-155-5p were significantly upregulated with high diagnostic accuracy; miR-155-5p correlated with severity.
- A Review of Metabolic Dysregulation in Lymphocytic Cicatricial Alopecia: Exploring the Connections and Therapeutic Implications A review links lymphocytic scarring alopecia to metabolic dysregulation and discusses pioglitazone, metformin and GLP-1 agonists as candidate therapies.
- A Novel Topical Compound Gel Loading Minoxidil and Tofacitinib for Treatment of Alopecia Areata: Formulation, Characterization, and In Vitro/In Vivo Evaluation A topical gel combining minoxidil and tofacitinib stayed stable for three months and reduced inflammation while regrowing hair in alopecia areata mice.
- Natural Asymmetry in Hair Growth Direction: Implications for Hairline Design in Male Patients In 125 East Asian men, natural hairlines showed significant rightward asymmetry averaging 22.2 degrees, suggesting symmetric transplant designs may look unnatural.
- Characteristics and predictive values of super-responders in alopecia areata under tofacitinib treatment: A single-center retrospective study In 80 alopecia areata patients on tofacitinib, 37.5% were super-responders; older age and no prior JAK inhibitor use predicted rapid, sustained regrowth.
- Efficacy and safety of ritlecitinib in Asian patients with alopecia areata: A subgroup analysis of the ALLEGRO phase 2b/3 trial In Asian patients with alopecia areata, ritlecitinib ≥30 mg gave SALT ≤20 responses in 9–36% at week 24 and 27–56% at week 48, with acceptable safety.
- A Comparative Clinical and Trichoscopic Study Between Fractional Radiofrequency Microneedling Versus Intralesional Steroids in Treatment of Alopecia Areata In 24 patchy alopecia areata patients, fractional radiofrequency microneedling matched intralesional corticosteroid injections for regrowth with fewer side effects.
- Management and Genetics of Alopecia Areata within the USA: A Cross-Sectional Study of All of Us In 206,173 US participants, alopecia areata patients of non-European ancestry were prescribed corticosteroids less often, revealing care inequities.
- Intensive stress impedes hair follicle growth through triggering cell cycle arrest of hair follicle stem cells In mice, intensive stress activated sympathetic nerve and cAMP signaling, arresting hair follicle stem cell cycles and blocking hair regrowth.
- Minoxidil oral a altas dosis para el tratamiento de la alopecia androgenética In 57 patients, high-dose oral minoxidil (>5 mg) improved density 10-30% in most, but 24.6% had adverse effects; optimal dosing and safety need further study.
- Evaluation of SALT score severity in correlation with trichoscopic findings in alopecia areata: a study of 303 patients In 303 alopecia areata patients, trichoscopic signs like exclamation-mark hairs and pigtail hairs tracked disease severity and regrowth.
- The AhR pathway is dysregulated in alopecia areata In alopecia areata patients, AhR expression was reduced across blood lymphocyte subsets and correlated inversely with severity, suggesting diagnostic and therapeutic potential.
- Alopecia areata in solid organ transplant recipients: A retrospective analysis Among 28,260 organ transplant recipients, alopecia areata prevalence was 0.074%, lower than the general population, often despite immunosuppression.
- Construction of Large‐Scale Bioengineered Hair Germs and In Vivo Transplantation Bioengineered hair germ microspheres releasing Wnt3a activated regeneration genes and promoted hair follicle regrowth after in vivo transplantation.
- Skin and scalp under exposure to high-energy visible light: the current perspective a review presents the current perspective on skin and scalp exposure to high-energy visible light.
- Alopecia Areata–Specific Patient-Reported Outcome Measures A systematic review found alopecia areata patient-reported outcome measures lack high-quality validation; only the AAPPO had sufficient evidence for validity and reliability.
- Clinical pearls addressing hair growth and loss in transgender patients on hormone replacement therapy A commentary offers dermatologists treatment algorithms for hair growth and loss in transgender patients on hormone therapy.
- Innovative strategies for the discovery of new drugs against androgenetic alopecia A review maps preclinical models and strategies for discovering androgenetic alopecia drugs, arguing future gains lie in follicle rejuvenation and better delivery.
- What is alopecia areata? an introductory piece explaining what alopecia areata is.
- Assessment of Alopecia Areata Disease Severity in Pediatric Patients A review examining older and newer tools for assessing alopecia areata severity in children, including psychosocial impact and chronicity.
- Systemic Therapies for Pediatric Alopecia Areata. A review of pediatric alopecia areata finds only JAK inhibitors have systematic supporting evidence, with growing reports for oral minoxidil and dupilumab.
- Pathophysiology of Alopecia Areata in the Pediatric Patient A review of the genetics, immune privilege collapse and JAK-STAT signaling thought to drive alopecia areata in children.
- Clinical Presentations and Comorbidities of Pediatric Alopecia Areata A review outlining the clinical presentation and comorbidities of pediatric-onset alopecia areata and how it contrasts with adult-onset disease.
- <i>IKZF1</i> and Ikaros Overexpression Results in Alopecia Areata‐Like Phenotype in Mice Mice overexpressing IKZF1 developed alopecia areata-like lesions with CD8 T-cell infiltration; Ikaros was also elevated in patients' follicles.
- Human Platelet Extract (Plated) Hair Serum for Hair Health Improvement: A Double-blind, Placebo-controlled Clinical Study In a 39-person placebo-controlled trial, a platelet exosome hair serum improved hair density, fullness and scalp coverage over six months with no adverse effects.
- Altered hypothalamus functional connectivity and psychological stress in patients with alopecia areata On fMRI, alopecia areata patients showed altered hypothalamus activity and connectivity that correlated with depression scores and quality of life.
- An In vitro Study Comparing the Survival of Hair Follicles in Various Storage Media at Different Temperatures for Hair Transplant Procedure In a lab explant study, hair follicles stored in 10% DMEM at 37°C survived better than those in PBS, PRP or fibrin at colder temperatures.
- A Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial (RCT) Evaluating the Efficacy of an Exosome-Containing Plant Extract Formulation for Treating Male Alopecia
- Successful Treatment of Female Pattern Hair Loss with Injection of Autologous Adipose-derived Adult Stem Cells: A Controlled Clinical, Trichoscopic, and Immunohistochemical Trial