Pharmacological Inhibition of 5α-Reductase in Androgenetic Alopecia: A Comparative Narrative Review of Finasteride and Dutasteride, with Attention to Responder Heterogeneity and Female Pattern Hair Loss

This study reviews the effectiveness and safety of finasteride and dutasteride for treating androgenetic alopecia, highlighting that dutasteride reduces DHT more deeply than finasteride, with genetic factors influencing patient response and both drugs being evidence-supported options for men and women.

This review found that dutasteride is more potent than finasteride as a dual receptor dihydrotestosterone blocker for treating androgenetic alopecia and shares a similar safety profile in terms of fertility, teratogenicity, neurotoxicity, and hepatotoxicity.

This review provides an in-depth examination of the efficacy and safety of finasteride and dutasteride, commonly used for treating benign prostatic hyperplasia and male androgenetic alopecia.

This abstract does not provide any specific results or findings but describes male androgenic alopecia as a progressive and psychologically distressing hair-loss disorder involving hair follicle miniaturization.

This study reported no significant difference in efficacy or sexual dysfunction risk between 5α-reductase inhibitors and placebo for androgenetic alopecia, suggesting that dutasteride 0.5 mg may be considered pending further research.