Efficacy and Safety of Combinational Therapy Using Topical Minoxidil and Microneedling for the Treatment of Androgenetic Alopecia: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

September 2023 in “ Archives of Dermatological Research ”

Parsa Abdi, Christian Awad, Michelle Anthony, Christopher Farkouh, Bret Kenny, Howard I. Maibach, Boluwaji Ogunyemi

topical minoxidil microneedling androgenetic alopecia hair count hair diameter adverse events scarring Rogaine

TLDR Using minoxidil with microneedling increases hair count for hair loss without serious side effects.

A systematic review and meta-analysis of ten randomized controlled trials involving 466 patients found that combination therapy using topical minoxidil and microneedling significantly increased total hair count in patients with androgenetic alopecia compared to using minoxidil alone (SMD 1.76; 95% CI 1.26–2.26; P < 0.00001). However, there was no significant increase in hair diameter (SMD 0.82; 95% CI − 0.01 to 1.65; P = 0.05). No serious adverse events or scarring were reported. The study suggests that this multimodal therapeutic approach is effective, but notes that variations in factors like microneedling methods and treatment areas may have caused confounding. Further large-sample trials with rigorous methodologies are recommended for a more comprehensive understanding of treatment efficacy.

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