Hormonal therapy in female pattern hair loss
March 2017
in “International Journal of Women's Dermatology”
TLDR Hormonal therapies help treat female hair loss, but results are slow and vary.
Female pattern hair loss (FPHL) is a common form of hair loss in women, characterized by hair thinning at the vertex of the scalp. Hormonal therapies, including 5-alpha-reductase inhibitors, androgen receptor blockers, estrogen, and oral contraceptive drugs, have been used to treat FPHL. The effectiveness of these therapies varies, and the only FDA-approved therapy is minoxidil. Patients should have reasonable expectations, as progress is slow and can take months or years to see significant improvement. Further research is needed to determine the optimal treatment approach.
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