Effectiveness of Dutasteride in a Large Series of Patients with Frontal Fibrosing Alopecia in Real Clinical Practice

The study titled "Effectiveness of dutasteride in a large series of patients with frontal fibrosing alopecia in real clinical practice" by Pindado-Ortega et al. examined the use of dutasteride, a 5-alpha-reductase inhibitor (5ARI), in the treatment of frontal fibrosing alopecia (FFA). The study found that dutasteride led to statistically significant disease stabilization in patients with FFA, particularly in the frontal and bilateral temporal aspects of the hairlines. The drug was well tolerated by the patients. The exact mechanism of action of 5ARI in FFA is not well understood, but it may help prevent hair miniaturization in androgen-sensitive scalp areas, leading to disease stabilization. However, the evidence for the effectiveness of 5ARI in FFA is limited to retrospective cohort studies, and the safety profile of the drug in women is still lacking. Therefore, caution should be exercised when prescribing dutasteride until more robust evidence is available. Nonetheless, dutasteride may be a beneficial treatment option for patients who cannot tolerate or have not responded to other systemic agents.