Faculty Opinions recommendation of Promising therapies for treating and/or preventing androgenic alopecia.

In 2012, McElwee and Shapiro reviewed current and potential future therapies for androgenetic alopecia (AGA), a condition that may affect up to 70% of men and 40% of women. At the time, minoxidil, finasteride, and surgical hair transplantation were the standard treatments. However, they noted promising results from other treatments. Dutasteride 2.5mg/day was found to be more effective than finasteride 5mg/day in one study. Latanoprost increased hair density and may encourage pigmentation. Ketoconazole shampoo could be used alongside other treatments. Anti-androgens, cyproterone acetate and spironolactone, showed benefits, with 88% of women seeing no progression or improvement in their hair loss. Laser/light treatment was gaining popularity as a preventative measure. A lower-level laser therapy device was found to be effective, well-tolerated, and safe for treating AGA in males. Cell-mediated treatments were in phase I or II trials. Platelet-rich plasma led to a thickened epithelium, increased collagen fibers and fibroblasts, and increased vessels around follicles. However, they concluded that more research was needed as clinical data supporting these new therapies was limited.