Efficacy and Safety of Combined Topical Ethinylestradiol with Minoxidil Versus Topical Minoxidil in Female Pattern Hair Loss: A Trichoscopic Randomized Controlled Clinical Study
October 2024
in “
Clinical and Experimental Dermatology
”
Studysummary This study found that combining 17α-estradiol 0.01% with minoxidil 2% offered no statistically significant advantage over minoxidil alone for treating female pattern hair loss and may increase the risk of menstrual irregularities. Our plain-language summary of this paper — not a Tressless recommendation.
This study investigated the efficacy and safety of a topical solution combining 17α-estradiol 0.01% with minoxidil 2% compared to minoxidil 2% alone in treating female pattern hair loss (FPHL) in 43 women over 6 months. Both treatment groups showed improvement, but the combination treatment did not provide a statistically significant advantage over minoxidil alone. Additionally, the combination treatment was associated with a higher incidence of menstrual irregularities. The study was limited by the small number of participants and the lack of cellular or molecular analysis of estradiol's effects.
