Finasteride Not Effective in Older Women With Androgenetic Alopecia

The document discussed the effectiveness of finasteride, a 5α-reductase inhibitor, in reducing dihydrotestosterone (DHT) levels in the serum and scalp, which was effective in men with androgenetic alopecia (AGA). However, its effectiveness in women, particularly older women with AGA, had not been thoroughly investigated. The pathophysiology of AGA was similar in both men and women, but the milder and less patterned expression in women might have been due to differences in 5α-reductase and aromatase levels, as well as androgen receptors in scalp hair follicles compared to men.