Hair-Raising Costs: Evaluating Botulinum Toxin Treatment for Androgenetic Alopecia

A recent study by Melo et al. evaluated the use of botulinum toxin (BT) for treating male androgenetic alopecia (AGA) in a triple-blind, randomized clinical trial involving 13 men. The study found no significant improvement in hair regrowth with BT compared to saline, and highlighted the high cost of BT treatment, which is approximately 37 times more expensive than low-dose oral minoxidil (LDOM). While BT showed minimal adverse effects, the study suggests that more cost-effective treatments like oral finasteride, topical minoxidil, and LDOM should remain first-line treatments for AGA due to their proven efficacy and affordability. Further research with larger sample sizes is needed to assess BT's efficacy compared to established treatments.