Comparative Study Between the Efficacy and Safety of Topical Sildenafil Citrate Solution and Topical Minoxidil 5% in the Treatment of Female Pattern Hair Loss

November 2022 in “ Research Square (Research Square) ”

Heba Abdo Mostafa, Hassan Abou Khodair Mohammed, Ibrahim Fouda

topical sildenafil citrate topical minoxidil 5% female pattern hair loss FPHL vellus hair terminal hair hair thickness sildenafil minoxidil female hair loss

Studysummary This pilot study observed that topical sildenafil 1% significantly increased vellus and terminal hair counts in female pattern hair loss patients, but did not improve hair thickness, while topical minoxidil 5% increased terminal hair count and thickness, making it the preferred treatment option. Our plain-language summary of this paper — not a Tressless recommendation.

This exploratory pilot study compared the efficacy and safety of topical sildenafil citrate 1% solution and topical minoxidil 5% foam in treating female pattern hair loss (FPHL) in 30 female patients. Group 1, treated with sildenafil, showed a significant increase in vellus and terminal hair counts in various scalp regions but no significant change in hair thickness. Group 2, treated with minoxidil, exhibited a significant increase in terminal hair count and hair thickness, along with a decrease in vellus hair count in the frontal region. The study concluded that while topical sildenafil 1% is a viable alternative, topical minoxidil 5% remains the preferred treatment for FPHL.

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