Efficacy and Safety of Bicalutamide in Female Hair Loss: A Review of the Literature

This review assesses the efficacy and safety of bicalutamide, a nonsteroidal antiandrogen, for treating female pattern hair loss (FPHL) and other hair loss disorders. Analyzing 9 articles with 494 female patients, it found bicalutamide reduced hair loss severity by 17% to 28.9% in FPHL patients, especially effective in those with hyperandrogenic conditions like polycystic ovarian syndrome. However, its efficacy in fibrosing alopecia and central centrifugal cicatricial alopecia was limited. Adverse events occurred in 11.9% of patients. Bicalutamide shows promise as a treatment for FPHL, with efficacy comparable to or better than spironolactone, though more research is needed for other hair loss types.