Comparative Study Between the Efficacy of Topical Sildenafil and Topical Minoxidil in the Treatment of Male Androgenic Alopecia

October 2021 in “ QJM: An International Journal of Medicine ”

Ali Abdulkareem Al-Shabkhon, Adel Ahmed Halim Emam, Ahmed Z. Afify

topical sildenafil topical minoxidil androgenic alopecia vellus hair terminal hair hair thickness Rogaine

TLDR Both sildenafil and minoxidil effectively treat male hair loss, but impact hair differently.

This exploratory pilot study compared the efficacy of 1% topical sildenafil and 5% topical minoxidil in treating androgenic alopecia in 30 male patients, divided into two equal groups. The sildenafil group showed a significant increase in vellus hair (VH) and terminal hair (TH) counts at specific scalp points after treatment. The minoxidil group demonstrated a significant increase in TH count, terminal-to-vellus hair ratio, and hair thickness at certain points, though VH count decreased at one point. Both treatments showed efficacy, with differing impacts on hair parameters.

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